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Ballston Spa, Watervliet and more
than a dozen others towns and vil¬
lages far smaller than Clifton Park
and Halfmoon are all served by CDTA.
The Captial District Transportation
Authority, a public benefit corpora¬
tion, serves Albany and many of its
suburbs with buses, vans and shuttles.
In a town closely tied to Albany, the
hub of regional public transportation,
the lack of a bus stop in front of Clifton
Park Center may seem surprising.
After all, there are CDTA stops at
Colonie Center, Crossgates, Latham
Circle Mall and Wilton Mall.
Despite this apparent disparity, the
need or desire for public transporta¬
tion in southern Saratoga County is
more complicated than first meets the
eye. Many Clifton Park and Halfmoon
residents don't want or need public
transportation, officials said.
"I can't tell you the community at
large is kicking and screaming for it,"
said Halfmoon Supervisor Ken
DeCerce.
Clifton Park Supervisor Phil Barrett
said the situation was similar in his
town. Although the town has spoken
with CDTA, nothing has come of the
talks.
"Everything comes down to rider¬
ship," Barrett said. "They need cus¬
tomers."
CDTA agrees. In 1986, the company
did a trial run of a Saturday bus to the
mall, but there weren't enough riders
to sustain it.
"We've definitely thought about it,"
said Margo Janack, corporate commu¬
nications specialist at CDTA of
expanding to the Clifton Park area.
"The potential ridership numbers
were not enough." But when the need
for transportation is there, it's partic¬
ularly painful in towns as car-centric
as Halfmoon and Clifton Park.
With vans provided by the towns,
CAPTAIN and senior citizen organiza¬
tions, Clifton Park and Halfmoon are
trying to fill the gap, but some say
they aren't enough. At a recent Clifton
Park Town Board meeting, Disability
Coordinator James Duff reported to
the board that the lack of public trans¬
portation is a serious concern for the
disabled in the town of 32,995. The
transportation needs of children and
seniors should also be addressed, Duff
said.
Those in a financial crisis - the
middle class as well as the poor - are
also hard-hit when they find them¬
selves without a car.
"We're very aware of the deficien¬
cies of public transportation in south¬
ern Saratoga County," said CAPTAIN
Executive Director Bill Casey.
This is the first in a series of arti¬
cles about the state of public trans¬
portation in southern Saratoga
County. Future articles will examine
the transportation needs and alterna¬
tives in Clifton Park and Halfmoon.
