Mercer County TRADE Hearing Needs You

This Thursday's monthly meeting for the Advisory Council of Office on Aging was especially interesting as Martin DeNero, Director of Mercer County TRADE Transportation, delivered an eye-opening look at the dynamics and challenges facing transportation providers in NJ's present economic climate.

Director DeNero announced that there is a hearing on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 2:00pm, at the offices of TRADE, 300 Scotch Road, Building 1, Trenton, NJ 08628, located at the Mercer County Department of Transportation and Infrastructure. This hearing is an opportunity for residents and users of TRADE services to provide input and comment on present services in order for TRADE to apply for funding under the Senior Citizen and Disabled Resident Transportation Assistance Program...

A question from an Office on Aging Board Member, concerning the outlook for service demands in the future, was answered by Mr. DeNero who estimated that TRADE can presently manage only about 30 percent of projected future customers.

This means that elders and disabled users of these transportation services have to let New Jersey Transit and the Mercer County Coalition for Coodinated Transportation know how much we need TRADE.

We applaud these efforts to serve the community. TRADE is taken for granted and every year they have to fight for funding. Being able to serve only 30 percent of future riders means that everyone will suffer.

Right now TRADE takes the disabled to work and provides rides for seniors to go to nutrition centers. It also is a dependable means for seniors to go to the mall shopping or to that eye doctor appointment. The demand for services comes from persons who can no longer drive themselves, but are not in medical categories which would be served by Logisticare, and is growing due to the sheer numbers of baby boomers.

TRADE is barely handling the traffic now. Reservations are best made up to 14 days in advance and the good old days of a ride within 24 hours are but a memory. If the situation is not helped with funding, this worthwhile endeavor will suffer even more service lag.

In summary: write that email, mail that note, or better yet, go to the Tuesday meeting at 2 pm and make your voice heard. These folks deserve your support and....even a donation. The suggested dollar donation per ride brought in approximately $27,000 last year...the costof gas for only one month of rides.

Seniors Rock!