DATA weighs adding Walmart service -- but at part of Route 3's expense

One sign of just how challenged Durham's city budget situation is in general -- and the DATA budget in particular, what with its seven-figure operational deficit?

A planned new service for the coming year to a big box shopping center is proposed to move forward, but only at the expense of part of another route serving neighborhoods east of Avondale Drive.

Today's Route 3 runs out Holloway St. to The Villages shopping center before heading out Cheek/Hardee and up Avondale, Colonial and Camden Ave, past the Camden Pointe Apartments and under I-85 before looping back towards Cheek Rd.

As proposed, the bus would change its path at Geer & Miami near the DATA Operations Facility on Fay St., heading east on Geer into northeastern Durham city and county to the Walmart SuperCenter set to open next month at Glenn School Rd.

Route 9 would continue to serve the Avondale corridor, including past Colonial.

No word on whether this change in service would impact the spur route along Cheek Rd. to Merrick-Moore Elementary, a side-trip restored controversially after the City Council overruled the DATA board of trustees earlier this year in a move that stirred up questions about the relative roles of the board versus the Council.

The DATA board will consider the move at their monthly meeting tonight.

Comments

[GreenLantern]

So why is this not a good thing? DATA needs to serve growing parts of the city like East Durham, and Walmart is a key destination for low-income people.

[Helen]

I was on a team from CAN that visited Glenn School in December. One of the big issues for Glenn School is that there is no DATA service there. Many parents and potential volunteers have no transportation to that school. I hope that the service to the WalMart would continue a block to provide service to Glenn School.