Transit doomsday is averted with another 11th-hour Band-Aid on a bullet hole. Now we wait to find out if the buses to the Naperville train stations will run come January. Don't you just love this state?
Are we supposed to be grateful that our public servants heroically kept the buses and trains running? Heck no. We should angry that the bullheaded, stubborn, power-hungry governor, House and Senate Democratic leaders refuse to allow rank-and-file legislators any involvement or work toward meaningful reform.
This state is embarrassing. The state's largest newspaper says Illinois needs the means to recall its governor. Fine for a start, but even that wouldn't change the power held by leaders of both legislative chambers. We have ourselves to thank, for continually re-electing these buffoons who have created legislative gridlock and who use public services like mass transit as poker chips in some high-stakes game.
If other elected legislators feel like they have no say in the process, then we as citizens ouight to feel especially powerless. What can the Average Joe do to change the way the state does business?
Wow... it's really quiet over at city hall.
Now that's something I'd pay good money to see.
Get all the other council members and the Mayor and all the city staff that keep telling me to ride my bike to the train and we will set up a date! Lets say a nice mid February morning when the wind chill is about 20 below and the snow on the steets is nice and frozen (due to unplowed Naperville roads). Respond back here when everyone is on board and we'll set up a date. Also Bob, regarding your request for input, here is an idea: BUILD SOME PARKING GARAGES AND BE DONE WITH IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm the only City Council member who commutes to work in Chicago. I'm making it my business to make sure that Nville commuters have access to amenities they're entitled to, like parking at the train stations without having to wait for years, reliable commuter buses, and access to roads on an equal basis with residents who work locally. I'd like to start a dialog on how we can make things better for commuters. My email address is fieselerr@naperville.il.us.
Oh, by the way Ron - I think it'd be cool to ride with you to the station some morning. Let's set something up.
I just became a commuter in July. Silly me for assuming that public transportation would be a reliable way to get to and from work. However, the PACE buses have been great - they are new, clean and driven by friendly drivers. What on earth makes people think that more and more parking spaces are the only answer? More and more buses make more sense, not just for the environment, but for traffic congestion and financial savings. How many buses and bus routes could we get for the cost of a parking deck? Quite a few, I'd imagine. We could add more morning bus routes so that it would make sense to ride both ways, and keep the cost per trip down so that people make it a habit. Don't like the congestion on Washington Street or Chicago? It helps everybody - not just commuters - to keep PACE healthy!
Thank you Ron for expressing my sentiments exactly.
Naperville has been ignoring the ridiculous parking situation at the Metra stations for *far* too long, and these potential PACE cuts only highlight that shortcoming.
Not only does the city refuse to add parking garages for commuters, they won't even allow commuter parking in any of the existing garages! Yes it would be a decent walk from the existing garages, but at least it would be an option when a PACE bus isn't available.
Priority wise, the City of Naperville, its City Council, and its Mayor have shown that commuters are furthest down the food chain. The fact that our esteemed City Council is even *debating* what to do with the soon to be vacant Public Works facility, which sits just east of the downtown Metra station, is all the proof you need. It's the perfect place to add additional parking and help ease the current 8 year wait at the downtown station; but I fully expect the City to shoehorn some luxury townhouses into that location instead. Of course the proximity to the Metra station will be a major selling point!
The city has no problem getting approval to build parking garages downtown for me to spend my money, I don't see why there should be an issue with building one so I can earn my money. The wait for a parking permit at the Naperville stop is ridiculous and should have been enough to get some attention long before now.
There are a host of problems with parking decks at the train stations. Metra owns and will fund surface lots but not decks. If Naperville puts in a deck, then Naperville has to pay for it. I think the cost is something like $18,000 per spot if I remember right, and as mentioned above we seem to flounder at financing all these decks. I also sense that Naperville would rather not see all that additional traffic going to the stations. If they can get you folks in busses, it helps with congestion on Washington and 59. I live by the Washington station and I have to say a two-three story deck as long as the neighborhoods are protected, ie one way streets etc.,is something we have been expecting for the last few years. Also all of you who drive thru Downtown need to start pressuring the city council to limit the floors of all these new developments downtown. If we start building a bunch of tall condo's and office buildings in the downtown, and by the train station, we will truly reach the point where you can't even get to the station in a reasonable amount of time, so a parking deck or not becomes kind of a moot question.
Re: the parking garage suggestion. I lived in Virginia (DC suburbs) for a few years and some of the outlying (farthest out) METRO station stops did contain parking garages in an effort to increase parking at the stations. However, given all the opposition to the new library parking deck in downtown Naperville, one could only imagine the opposition to such an idea for the Naperville Metra stop. However, given the makeup of area surrounding the Route 59 station, I would think that building a parking garage at that station would be a good idea and perhaps not face as great an opposition. Anything that can be done to promote mass transit and make it more acccessible is a plus. I also think that the PACE express bus routes to the train stations are great (I am a user) and this is an idea that should be looked at for expansion rather than having these routes and other Metra feeder routes cut.
I'll tell you one thing (or a few), this city (Naperville) has had their head in the sand for so long with this parking situation at the two train stations. Build some parking garages and be done with it. If we had enough parking spaces we wouldn't be in this mess. And don't say there isn't enough money. The city has spent enough of it on that stupid bell tower. Talk about a waste of money. How long are they going to tell people to ride their bikes to the train station. HERE IS A CHALLANGE TO EVERY COUNCIL MEMBER. IF I RIDE MY BIKE TO THE DOWNTOWN TRAIN STATION, HOW MANY WILL DO THE RIDE WITH ME? I NEED TO CATCH THE 6:17 TRAIN TO UNION STATION. ANY TAKERS FOR A NICE 8-9 MILE BIKE RIDE??
When was the last time we had a governor who wasn't as crooked as a question mark?