Daily Archives: May 17, 2007

Amtrak, City of Peoria, General News, New Urbanism, Ray LaHood

Morning briefing

15 Comments

I’m too busy to do a lot of blogging today, but here are a few comments on the news of the day:

  • West Main Street needs to be narrowed from five lanes to three, the on-street parking restored, and sidewalks widened. That’s the only way to slow traffic on the street. The 30 mph speed limit is a joke — the street is built for speed and people are going to go the speed the road is designed to accommodate. There’s a meeting planned to discuss this issue on Tuesday, May 29, at 6:00 somewhere at Bradley University (exact location TBD).
  • I see the Journal Star caught up with WCBU today by reporting how Ray LaHood has been throwing cold water on the Peoria Amtrak plan. LaHood’s comments are devoid of logic. He thinks no one will take a train to Chicago from Peoria unless it can get there quicker than driving, but on the other hand he thinks people will take a bus to Normal or Galesburg and take a train to Chicago from one of those stations. Who’s whispering in LaHood’s ear to try to sabotage this effort? Auto makers? Oil companies?
  • Now that’s what I call a “happy meal.”
  • Whenever I try to go to WMBD radio’s website, it crashes my Firefox browser. However, it works in Internet Explorer. It’s really annoying.

Feel free to discuss anything else you want. This is an open thread.

Kellar Branch

If you really want a trail, give up efforts to remove rail line

23 Comments

Kellar Branch RailroadJust a reminder to trail advocates: there is currently no petition pending before the Surface Transportation Board (STB) that would discontinue service on the Kellar Branch. Central Illinois Railroad withdrew that petition months ago and have never refiled. The only petition before the STB at this time is what’s called an “adverse discontinuance,” and the decision that’s handed down will determine whether Pioneer Industrial Railway or Central Illinois Railroad (CIRY) is allowed to operate the line.

So, even if the ruling comes down in favor of CIRY, the city still can’t tear up the tracks and turn it into a trail. Furthermore, the City has been trying for several months to (according to the 2/20/07 council minutes) “negotiate with Central Illinois Railway for a modified certificate, which would allow Central Illinois Railway to operate on the Keller Branch for a limited period of time,” but has been unsuccessful so far. That doesn’t bode well for future cooperation on abandonment.

I hate to say I told you so, but, this really shouldn’t have come as any surprise. CIRY has never been a responsible corporate citizen, and there was no reason to believe they would be in the future. Nevertheless, that was the risk the council and trail advocates chose to take.

I would encourage everyone, whether pro-rail or pro-trail, to tell the City and the Park District to go to “Plan B” and stop wasting tax money fighting this thing. They can find an alternative route for building the trail, just like they did south of War Memorial (Class III trail), just like they did at Pioneer Park and Sommer (asphalt sidewalks), and just like they did north of Pioneer Parkway (trail next to the rail line). What is the end goal: to eliminate the Kellar Branch or to build a trail? I think the parties here are losing focus.