Learn all about Transit Rider Advocacy Committee (TRAC) Chair Gloria Lepik-Corrigan, the ultimate champion for public transit and accessibility!

It’s time for another installment of Behind the Wheel! Transit Rider Advocacy Committee (TRAC) Chair Gloria Lepik-Corrigan took the time to chat about her experiences as a transit riding pro, her tenure on the committee, and her thoughts on public transit’s value to the community.

For those who don’t know, TRAC is a committee of volunteers who ride PSTA at least twice per week and provide insights and recommendations to the PSTA Board of Directors and its committees on operational and service issues. Comprised of members from the public, the committee aims to represent the diversity and geographic distribution of people in Pinellas County.

By the way, this isn’t the first TRAC member we’ve heard from. Make sure to check out our other Behind the Wheel blog featuring other TRAC members!

Gloria’s Transit Journey

A previous Pinellas County resident, Gloria returned to the area twelve years ago after spending two decades up north. Many things had changed in her absence, but Gloria herself came back to Pinellas a little different—she was now using a wheelchair full-time. In fact, she intentionally chose Pinellas because she knew the county had transit options for her.

Upon settling into Clearwater, she began investigating PSTA’s services and discovered many different transit routes in her area, including PSTA Access, the agency’s paratransit service for individuals with disabilities. Although she became an Access customer and took full advantage of the program’s services, she also began riding fixed-route buses as well. This includes taking PSTA services to Tampa and exploring Hillsborough Area Regional Transit’s (HART) services as well.

“I would just get on a bus here and there and take it wherever it would go,” she said. “It was a good way to learn all the local routes and where they could take me.”

Although Gloria still has a driver’s license and can drive a van with hand controls, she finds them difficult to use and doesn’t trust them in such a crowded county. She feels far safer riding the bus or using PSTA Access. Between the two, she prefers the bus, as it offers more destination options than PSTA Access.

One day in 2015, she saw a flyer advertising PSTA’s Transit Rider Advisory Committee and inviting riders to apply. It seemed like a great opportunity, especially considering she frequently used PSTA’s services and had the time to dedicate to the committee now that she was retired.

Serving on TRAC

Since joining TRAC ten years ago, she has served several terms on the committee and offered her valuable perspective as a north county resident and an individual who uses a wheelchair. She currently serves as TRAC chair and representative for North County. However, she is not the only TRAC member who uses a mobility aid—Elisabeth Olden, representing Mid County, and Kimberly Rankine, representing individuals with disabilities, also bring their own perspectives on accessibility within PSTA and the community as a whole.

Historically, TRAC existed as a focus group for PSTA staff to present new ideas or current projects and receive feedback. But over time, the relationship became more of a two-way street as TRAC members have brought their own information and feedback to PSTA staff at each monthly meeting. The committee also began developing its own initiatives, largely influenced by an issue that TRAC members face every day—their safety while walking to and from bus stops.

“What people don’t realize is that there is a huge number of non-continuous sidewalks throughout Pinellas County,” Gloria said. “And crossing the streets can be extremely dangerous as well. Think about crossing a road like US 19! That’s a real big deal. These are concerns all riders share, not just TRAC members.”

Thus, TRAC began working with Forward Pinellas’ Whit Blanton and the Florida Department of Transportation to ensure there is a safe crosswalk at least every half mile. This marked the start of TRAC taking the reins as a committee to build momentum on its own initiatives.

Since then, TRAC has worked on initiatives such as advocating for interconnected regional transit that extends beyond Pinellas County’s borders and creating the TRAC Star Award.

“When we see people making things safer, we award them with a TRAC Star Award,” Gloria explained. “For example, Mease Countryside Hospital didn’t have a safe crosswalk. TRAC reached out to FDOT, and a crosswalk was quickly put in. For that, they were given a TRAC Star Award to thank them for making things safer for transit riders.”

Looking ahead, Gloria is excited to see the progress with Clearwater Station, a new state-of-the-art, fully ADA-accessible transit station that will replace the aging, overcrowded Park Street Terminal in downtown Clearwater. As a Clearwater resident, Gloria frequently finds herself at Park Street Terminal and knows better than most how badly an upgrade is needed, especially as someone who lives full-time with a mobility aid.

“I’ve been a huge advocate for the new Clearwater Station having ramps. Currently, there’s only one safe access point with a ramp at Park Street Terminal, so I’m looking forward to using a fully accessible terminal when I’m downtown!” Gloria said.

Transit is for Everyone—Even People Who Don’t Ride!

Throughout her time as a transit rider, Gloria has been a staunch supporter of public transit and safer mobility throughout the county. And she isn’t just an advocate through TRAC. Gloria is on the board for the Disability Achievement Center at the Area Center for Independent Living, two different committees with Forward Pinellas (Bicycle/Pedestrian Committee and the local Coordinating Board, a state-mandated board that takes care of the Transportation Disadvantaged program PSTA administers), a business incubator committee for the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, and various transportation-related boards through the City of Clearwater as needed. There’s no question that she is committed to improving her community, especially in the realm of transportation.

“I’m always telling people that transit is for everyone,” she said. “When people who are primarily car drivers say they don’t want to spend money on public transit, I always tell them that each person who rides transit removes one additional car that would have otherwise been on the road, contributing to the traffic they’re stuck in every day. We spend a fortune in our taxes on roadways; why not spend a much smaller amount on making transit more reliable and user-friendly so more people will skip driving their car?”

“And this also includes tourists!” she added. “Instead of tourists coming in and renting cars that then clog the roadways for locals, we could have robust transit that prevents them from even needing to rent a car.”

Before Gloria’s health condition necessitated using a wheelchair, she drove her own car on the roads. She never used public transit when she first lived in this area. She drove her private vehicle around the county, like many of us do, unaware of what a huge benefit public transit is. Since learning how to use PSTA’s services, she’s realized how essential public transit is to the community.

At the end of our chat, when asked if there was any message she’d like to leave readers with, Gloria had this salient perspective to share: 

“Think about it this way: most of us will never need the fire department. But in case we ever need it, we really want it there at the ready to help us. The same thing is true for transit. Maybe you’ll never need to ride the bus, but having it available is crucial for those who do. It’s an overall public good. We don’t try to keep squeezing the funding out of the police department or the fire department—you don’t want to do that to public transit either!”

Thank you, Gloria, for taking the time to speak with us and offering your perspective on public transit and accessibility. And thank you for all you do at PSTA and in the broader community!

Interested in joining TRAC? Click here to fill out the application!