Wheelchair user killed by car after buses, van service no longer available to her

From the intro to a story in the Fayetteville Observer in N.C.:

Amalie Shean feared for her safety.

The city of Fayetteville had eliminated the bus stop closest to her home. And Shean, who relied on a wheelchair, was no longer eligible to call for handicap-accessible vans, either.

On Dec. 11 — less than two weeks after the transit changes — Shean was struck and killed by a car while maneuvering her electric wheelchair on Legion Road. Her daughter thinks she was heading to a nearby Food Lion.

Advocates for the disabled don’t blame the city for the accident. But they say the tragedy highlights the problems that have long plagued Cumberland County’s transit systems.

The advocates say the city acted too hastily in changing the bus routes and van service, which is now the subject of a federal complaint against the city. Dozens of other residents agree, having signed a petition after losing service in their neighborhoods, too.

The schedule changes to the Fayetteville Area System of Transit were meant to improve service overall. In trying to fix the bus system, which is a priority of the City Council, city leadership finds itself in a tug-of-war. On one side is punctuality. On the other, convenience and safety.

Charles Yates, chairman of the Fayetteville-Cumberland Advisory Council for People with Disabilities, said he fears more people might die trying to navigate busy thoroughfares like Legion Road with no sidewalks or limited public transit.

The bus route changes, which took effect Dec. 1, were controversial with some council members. Councilman Charles Evans had complained that people with limited means in certain pockets of the city would lose convenient bus service.