A lot of my world is wrapped up in good intentions. I will have this idea that if I Fight The Man all will work out and my little world will be better....So here is my fight.
PACE. If you don't ride PACE or CTA then you might have just tuned it out, but it has become a serious problem and I've done what "one person" can do...but I feel like heck, I could blog and maybe there are others out there that can help.
The state is cutting funding...and it will all boil down to ELIMINATION of bus routes. Heck I would soooooo rather pay an extra cost then to have ELIMINATION.
What's going to happen? Well, from my perspective it will mean the ELIMINATION of the community PACE bus service which drops off local citizens to the Metra Train which then takes us all to Chicago. This means needing an extra car, paying for a parking lot whether it's downtown or part of a suburb with train parking...all more money.
If such a thing is to happen. This would mean THOUSANDS of daily commuters will have to find alternate routs to the train or drive into the all ready crammed city streets. It's not just my bus, it's not just my train, but ELIMINATION of all feeder buses through out the suburbs. Check This Out. That is a map of all Metra Train lines..not all but most have PACE services feeding into the communities.
How can you help? By first spreading the word. Talk to your family, friends, coworkers...do you know anyone who commutes? The more people who respond the better.
It takes just seconds to do...go to PACE's website. Scroll down until you see the link for Poorly Performing Routes Scheduled for Elimination. They're already in the process of increasing fares (which I will happily do) but they also have a list of routes they plan to eliminate.
Please click on the link "Send a message to Springfield now" - this will pull up a short form that asks you name and your District Representative. A letter is all ready written out and is sent automatically to the people who need them.
This is only the beginning of the process and it's still not too late to take action. Please take a few moments to send a form and pass the news on to others. Thank you.
::stepping off soapbox::
3 comments:
Aw, crap. One of the things I love about Chicago is the public trans, even out in the suburbs. I don't live there, but I hope you guys succeed.
Done and done. :)
I've been riding PACE since it was RTA. What are they thinking in Springfield? "We're at war over gas and oil, and Cook County has some of the highest gas prices in the entire country. Must be time to eliminate public transportation."
grrr....
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