SHREWSBURY – Area residents will soon have an opportunity to weigh in on proposed bus route and schedule changes for the Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA), including changes affecting service to Shrewsbury.
One of the proposed changes would extend one of the bus routes – Route 12 – to the new Edgemere Crossing development in Shrewsbury. The WRTA is also proposing to add another bus to provide more trips on that route.
Route 12 currently runs from Union Station in downtown Worcester to the Southwest Commons mall near the Worcester/Shrewsbury border along Route 20.
The WRTA will hold three public meetings to collect feedback on the proposed changes, which would go into effect on Aug. 27.
All of the meetings will be held virtually, with the first one scheduled for July 12 at 2 p.m. Additional meetings are scheduled for July 14 at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.
These proposed changes come after a National Community Survey administered to Shrewsbury residents earlier this year identified mobility as an area for growth.
According to the results, only 10% of surveyed residents had used public transportation instead of driving in the past year. Just 22% gave the ease of traveling by public transportation “good” or “excellent” ratings.
“I thought for the most part, particularly in areas where we might have scored lower, that the public was probably right on, especially in the mobility area,” Board of Selectmen Chair Moe DePalo said when the results were presented on May 24.
DePalo described public transportation in the area as “not great.”
“I think it’s interesting because it may be signaling an opportunity for us to provide a new service or think about partnering with the WRTA more than we have in the past,” Town Manager Kevin Mizikar later told the Community Advocate of possible responses to this data.
These proposed changes will not be final until the WRTA Advisory Board votes on them on July 21.
The WRTA already has some service within Shrewsbury, with a route stretching past the municipal campus on Maple Avenue into the Town Center.
See information on all of the proposed WRTA changes as well as information on how to participate in upcoming meetings at https://www.therta.com/.
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