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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 15 N OV E M B E R 2 , 2 0 2 0 F O C U S L O G I S T I C S / T R A N S P O R TAT I O N Some have occasionally used taxis, but that's expensive. "A couple of weeks ago, I had an individual we were moving forward to hire," she says. "But he needed to pull his application because he didn't have transportation." Lack of transportation, including public transit, has been cited as the top concern of some 1,000 residents who participated in a recent community study conducted by the Aroostook County Action Program, a nonprofit services and resources provider based in Presque Isle. e need is widespread and includes the working poor, the elderly and young families. e result of the study was surpris- ing to some, says Jamie Chandler, the nonprofit's COO. "I don't think people understood that there are so many individuals who don't have access to vehicles," she says. Sheer distance e situation affects residents in complex ways. One-vehicle families may experience difficulties access- ing or retaining employment if more than one person is working or job hunting. Car-pooling can be tricky if the vehicle owner is sick, on vaca- tion or on a different shift. Seniors might not have family or friends to take them to medical appointments, shopping or social outings. Jay Kamm, a senior planner at Northern Maine Development Commission in Caribou, estimates 10% to 15% of the county's population expe- riences transportation challenges. When it comes to attending medi- cal appointments, lack of transporta- tion is a barrier or a concern to at least 50% of Aroostook county residents, says Abbey Clair, a licensed clinical social worker with Northern Light Health AR Gould Memorial Hospital in Presque Isle. Aroostook County is the largest county east of the Mississippi — but with just 70,000 residents, it's also one of the most sparsely populated. Sheer distance is one of the biggest challenges faced by the workers and potential hires. "How do we serve folks who are really distant from the location they need to travel to on a regular basis? at's a complicated challenge," says Kristen Wells, deputy director of the Aroostook Regional Transportation System, or ARTS, a nonprofit founded in 1979 that provides demand-response, door-to-door transportation services throughout the county. C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » I don't think people understood that there are so many individuals who don't have access to vehicles. — Jamie Chandler Aroostook County Action Program WE UNDERSTAND TRANSPORTATION. Corridor Studies Traffic Impact Studies Traffic Peer Reviews Safety Analyses Access Management Analyses Traffic Modeling & Simulations Roadways and Intersections Traffic Signals and Signal Systems Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities Intermodal Facility Planning & Design Maintenance of Traffic During Construction s e b a g o t e c h n i c s . c o m • s o u t h p o r t l a n d , m e • 1 0 0 % e m p l o y e e - o w n e d Route 27 Improvements Boothbay, ME Sarah Mildred Long Bridge Kittery, ME - Portsmouth, NH Maplewood Ave. Complete Street Design Portsmouth, NH Learn more and register: www.educatemaine.org S O U R C E : U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey HOW PEOPLE GET TO WORK PR ES QU E I S LE AROOS TOOK C OU NTY 77.6% — Drove alone 10.4% — Carpool 7.2% — Walk 3.7% — Work at home 1.2% — Other means 0% — Public transportation 79.7% — Drove alone 10.1% — Carpool 4.3% — Walk 4.1% — Work at home 1.6% — Other means 0.1% — Public transportation

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