From the Journal Star’s breaking news feed:
With no discussion, the Illinois Pollution Control Board voted 4-0 today to reject an appeal filed by Peoria Disposal Co.
Congratulations to the County Board and all the activists who worked to oppose this landfill expansion. Here’s a press release from Peoria Families Against Toxic Waste: Continue reading Peoria County Board vindicated in PDC expansion denial
I had to take my car in for service today at the Honda dealership. I decided to take the bus to work from there just to see how well our mass transit works out on the north end.
According to the CityLink map, the route goes north on Knoxville, then makes a loop: west on Pioneer Parkway, north on Hale, east on Detweiller, and south on Knoxville. Since I was on Pioneer Parkway and there was a bus stop right across the street, I figured I’d catch the bus there. There was a nice CityLink bench there at the stop (which happens to be right in front of the Social Security Administration office), so it was a pleasant wait.
Well, even though the bus stop on Pioneer Parkway was the most convenient for me, the bus wouldn’t pick me up there. The bus stopped, but the driver explained that, if I wanted to go south on Knoxville, I had to walk over to the bus stop on Knoxville by Green Chevrolet and catch the bus there, there are also other options of Ottawa Party Bus Services for people that want to use the buses for more than transportation.”
There were no sidewalks where I was, so I had to walk over the grassy knoll and through a couple of parking lots to get to the other bus stop. This one had no bench — just a patch of dirt by a light pole with a bus stop sign on it and lots of traffic whizzing by at 45-50 miles per hour. I waited another ten minutes to catch the same bus that wouldn’t pick me up three blocks away.
Customer-focused?
I would suggest that this is not the “progressive, customer-focused transportation service” the CityLink Rider’s Guide described. It really wasn’t a big deal for me, being an able-bodied person, but this bus stop is right next to the Social Security Administration office. What if someone on Social Security takes the bus out here? Since it’s at the end of the line, how are they supposed to get back home? They want the elderly and disabled to traverse the grassy knoll and parking lots to get to the southbound bus stop, and then, if/when they get there, provide them no place to sit and wait?
Not surprisingly, there were few people riding the bus during my trip; no more than five people. This isn’t all the bus company’s fault. Part of the problem is sprawl and lack of pedestrian infrastructure (e.g., sidewalks), which is a city planning problem. Just like sprawl puts a strain on police, fire, and snow removal service, it puts a huge strain on bus service. Another part of the problem is places like the Social Security Administration office deciding to locate themselves in a place that has such limited accessibility.
Need for improvement
I’ve tried riding the bus several times, and here’s what I’ve observed:
First, bus travel is very slow. Part of the reason is that buses are pretty infrequent. They come only once every half hour during peak times, and once an hour during non-peak times. Plus, nine times out of ten you have to ride to the bus station first and transfer buses. Although the bus lines intersect elsewhere in town, there’s no easy way to transfer buses at these intersections. So unless you live on the same route as your destination, you have to ride to the transfer center first, which can add considerable time to your trip.
Second, many of the bus stops have no bench or shelter. If buses are going to be as infrequent as they are, every bus stop should at least have a bench. I doubt there are many elderly who would or could stand for half an hour to an hour waiting for a bus. Maybe that’s why I’ve never seen any elderly riding the bus. Ideally, each bus stop would also offer a shelter and a map of the various routes so the uninitiated can figure out what route they’re on and how to get to where they’re going.
Not everything is bad; the drivers are usually nice and the transfer center is a good facility. If you have enough time, you can get almost anywhere in the city you want to go; that is, there are a sufficient number of routes to meet most destination needs. And the price is right at $1 per ride. But as with anything, there’s room for improvement.
Jonathan Ahl has the exclusive interview on his blog. He asks the CEO of Globe Energy, which is located in Pioneer Park in a building served by the Kellar Branch, if he is interested in using rail service. Answer: yes.
Too bad there’s no economical rail service available right now out there, thanks to the city’s actions.
With all due respect to those who think the media is too negative, I believe every homicide belongs on the front page of the paper, above the fold. The only time they should stop being on the front page is when they stop happening.
Homicide number 11 was just reported today. Here’s the list of all homicides for 2007:
I had the opportunity to talk to a lady who lives in Harrison Homes yesterday. She lives each day in fear for her safety and the safety of her children. Peoria’s seventh homicide victim, Dequarrius Sims, was shot at her back doorstep (you may recall he was shot in a case of mistaken identity).
I point this out simply to remind us all that these horrible crimes have more than just one victim. The victim’s family, friends, and neighbors are also affected. Ultimately, the whole city suffers.
(Updated: 6/21/07)
A couple of blog entries that caught my attention recently are interesting reads:
The City Council tonight deferred action on the fate of the Heart of Peoria Commission (HOPC) until July 24. There was a meeting tonight at 4:30 that included Councilwoman Barbara Van Auken (2nd Dist.), HOPC Chairman Bill Washkuhn, Councilman Patrick Nichting (5th Dist.), and Mayor Jim Ardis. Although an effort was made to resolve the issue in time for tonight’s meeting, they did not reach a consensus, hence the item was deferred.
Van Auken said that several ideas were discussed, but didn’t elaborate on them. I imagine the HOPC will hear about them at our next meeting which is currently scheduled for this Friday, June 22, at 8 a.m., City Hall, fourth floor.
Councilman Gary Sandberg was the lone vote against the deferral. He wants to see the Heart of Peoria Commissioners appointed to other commissions — especially the Planning Commission, which is working on the Comprehensive Plan right now — regardless of whether HOPC is retained. This deferral delays that possible action another month.
In other Heart of Peoria Plan news, I had the opportunity to talk to Nichting briefly after the council meeting tonight. I asked him what he thought of the HOP Plan. He mentioned that he had voted for it and thought it had some good ideas. But he feels that ultimately the market decides which ideas will and won’t work — that there are certain market realities we have to acknowledge. He didn’t elaborate on that idea much further.
Of course one has to take the market into consideration. Just because a city comes up with good ideas does not guarantee that entrepreneurs will flock to fulfill them. However, on the flip side, it should be pointed out that Euclidean zoning did not come about by free market forces. It was imposed by cities upon developers to give us the kind of cities we see today. So, if anyone were to argue that segregated land use and automobile-dependent city planning were the result of popular demand by developers, they’re sorely mistaken. Zoning is all about cities deciding what they want their cities to look like rather than developers having free rein. New Urbanism is, among other things, a new and improved zoning plan that’s rooted in the tried and true principles of strong city planning.
A while back I criticized the paper for labeling a police action a “homicide.” Today, it appears they have seen the light:
Lewis’ slaying is the city’s tenth. Not included in the list of deaths is the fatal shooting by police of 26-year-old James E. Lee. Lee was killed after he reportedly refused to drop a handgun when police responded to his Peoria home on a domestic disturbance call on April 26.
That’s more like it. Thanks to alert reader PeoriaIllinoisan for bringing this to my attention.
The United Methodist Church is concerned about Caterpillar selling bulldozers to Israel because they’re “used in an immoral way, such as bulldozing the homes of suspected terrorists, to help Israel maintain control over the West Bank and Gaza,” according to the Journal Star. The denomination’s General Board of Pension and Health Benefits owns 60,189 shares of Cat stock with a market value of just over $4 million according to this March 31, 2007, report on their website.
However, also on that report I see that they own 767,746 shares of Wal-Mart stock with a market value of over $36 million. What do the denomination’s “social principles” say about that? Unlike Caterpillar, which has no control over how its products are used once it sells them, Wal-Mart is directly responsible for this (courtesy of WakeUpWalmart.com):
Despite $10 billion in profit last year, more than 600,000 Wal-Mart workers and their families struggle with no company-provided health care. Even more troubling, nearly 1 out of every 2 children of Wal-Mart workers lives without health care or relies on a public program. Wal-Mart has repeatedly broken child labor laws. Wal-Mart is being sued by 1.5 million female employees for discrimination. And, Wal-Mart continues to pay poverty-level wages, forcing many of its workers to make the impossible choice between rent and health care.
And this (courtesy of WalmartWatch.com; also see this PDF from ChinaLaborWatch.org):
A China Labor Watch report detailed the mistreatment of workers in a factory making small toys for Wal-Mart. As of early December 2005, violations against workers at the Lungcheong factory were as follows: the systematic denial of maternity leave, work-related injuries leading to termination, illegally denying health insurance, mandatory overtime work, insane quotas and employing underage workers.
This Cat divestment threat looks like a political statement masquerading as social concern.
I think everyone knows by now that former District 150 superintendent Kay Royster dropped her racial discrimination suit against the district. According to the Journal Star:
…a one-paragraph stipulation was filed Monday afternoon, stating both sides agree to dismiss the case. No mention was made to the merits of the case or any of the allegations.
I can’t help but wonder if this has any connection to the Alicia Butler scandal. Butler was going to testify as a witness for Royster’s claim, but she would have been a pretty easy witness to discredit due to the highly-publicized allegations that she did not receive the degrees from Bradley that she claimed on her resumé. Without her as an “inside” witness, could that have doomed Royster’s case? And could that be why an anonymous tipster told the Journal Star about the questionable resumé in the first place? Yes, I know it’s a conspiracy theory, but it is plausible.
I’m also wondering who’s paying the legal bills for District 150. According to the Journal Star, “Each party would bear its own cost. For District 150, that’s about $75,000 in legal fees.” But according to WEEK.com, “Attorney Dave Walvoord says no taxpayer dollars were spent in the matter.” So, who’s paying the $75,000?
There have apparently been a lot of behind-the-scenes dealings lately in the City’s effort to convert the Kellar Branch to a hiking trail. I recently acquired a copy of the minutes of the last Recreational Trail Advocates (RTA) meeting. Under “New Business” was this interesting info (interspersed with my comments):
Bruce Brown reported that Randy Oliver, city manager, and Randy Ray, city attorney, have sent a counter offer to Central Illinois Railroad (CIRY) stating what would be required for them to continue to use the Keller Branch. The railroad bed must be brought up to a standard so that a train could operate at 5 miles an hour. This would probably cost $100,000 and the railroad company would have to pay 12.2 % of assessed valuation using the appraisal figures this annual rent would be between $160,000 to $190,000. The amount using the appraisal of Klopfenstein would be $204,960. The City offered to allow CIRY to use the western connection for $1.00. The railroad company dismissed this counter offer and said it would make a reply that has not yet been received. Dick Carver and Steve Van Winkle have volunteered to work with CIRY to get an agreement. The city has done everything that J.P. O’Brien and Dave Maloof have asked of them except the modified Public Convenience and Necessity (PCN) Agreement from CIRY.
So the City is putting pressure on Central Illinois Railroad Company (CIRY) to abandon the Kellar Branch by charging upwards of $200,000 annually for use of the right-of-way, plus requiring the line to be upgraded. Meanwhile, the City would subsidize use of the western connection by offering use of it for only $1 per year.
Also, Dick Carver has offered to work with CIRY — I wonder if the Park District is going to fly him into town at taxpayer expense again for that service.
I find this line rather disturbing: “The city has done everything that J.P. O’Brien and Dave Maloof have asked of them….” O’Brien owns O’Brien Steel and is still benefiting from the advantages of rail service via the Kellar Branch because he’s on the southern end of it which will not be converted to a trail. Maloof is a commercial realtor who has land interest in the Pioneer Park area. The City is taking marching orders from these two people whose businesses and livelihoods are completely unaffected by the fate of the Kellar Branch to the detriment of Carver Lumber Company and its fifty employees who are the only ones directly affected. So much for the City trying to shed its anti-business reputation.
Ray LaHood formally asked for a meeting with the Surface Transportation Board (STB), which would also include the mayors of Peoria and Peoria Heights and several city council members. STB turned Ray down stating that they didn’t want individuals appearing before them. We are still working with Dick Durbin for a favorable ruling from the STB. Bruce would like to arrange an opportunity for Randy Ray, Randy Oliver, Dick Carver and other government officials to see the 6 miles of the proposed trail.
There’s a clear, public process for making your case before the Surface Transportation Board. Having your congressman arrange back-room meetings with the board members is not part of that process. The board could ask for oral arguments if they were so inclined, but then they’d want both sides to be represented.
I think now the only political angle the RTA hasn’t tried is writing to President Bush asking for an executive order to discontinue train service on the Kellar Branch. I’m sure that will be next.
The Peoria Park District (PPD) has been asked to cut the weeds along the trail within the Peoria Heights section this fall. We will wait to hear from the PPD. The RTA might be responsible for doing one section of this area that is the flattest.
Why isn’t the Village cutting the weeds themselves? They own the property and it’s not a trail yet. Why should Park District resources be expended to cut the weeds? Does the Village not own weed cutting equipment?
Ray LaHood’s chief of staff, Tim Butler, is looking to the RTA for direction on how to proceed to further the cause of the trail. Mike Pula feels that someone needs to again talk to Carver Lumber about their opposition to using the western branch. It was suggested that perhaps Patrick Nichting and Randy Oliver could talk to them. Keith Bonds offered to contact Carver Lumber Company about its current position and what it would take to allow the Kellar Branch service to be discontinued.
Yes, by all means, keep trying to convince Carver Lumber to use the most expensive and least reliable transportation option available. As for “what it would take to allow the Kellar Branch service to be discontinued,” we’ve been over this a hundred times. Comparable rates, reliable service via the western connection. That’s what it would take, and what the City, Park District, RTA, Dick Carver, Ray LaHood, CIRY, Union Pacific, et. al., have been completely unable to deliver.
Mike Pula brought up the development off Knoxville (Trail Creek), which is touting their closeness to the trail as a selling point. We need to contact the developers on the north side and see if they would like to become more involved with supporting the extension of the Kellar Branch. Is there a volunteer to make contact with these developers?
Mike Rucker sent Rails to Trails magazine subscriptions to various government officials including Peoria City Council, Peoria Heights Trustees, Peoria Park District members and other park districts officials in the area and to Peoria and Peoria Heights libraries.
Tim O’Hanlon volunteered to get information from Rock Island and Champaign’s trail coordinators as they have been successful in the past few years implementing trails.
More lobbying. Just think what these people might accomplish if they were to put this much time and effort into something productive, like coming up with a way to keep the rail line and build the trail. I mean, they’ve been at this for, what, something like 13 years?
It seems to me that if the primary objective were to get the trail, they would have abandoned conversion of this rail corridor long ago and found an alternative route for the trail. Had they done that, they could have had the trail built years ago and been enjoying it all this time!
Keith volunteered to call Mike Friberg to try to get published a picture and information about the bridge over Knoxville Avenue.
The bridge over Knoxville — this is a pedestrian bridge that would be installed where the Kellar Branch crosses Knoxville at Junction City, near Prospect, if the trail ever gets the green light from the STB. It’s estimated to cost $2.6 million. It’s interesting that this is the only intersection that is planned to receive a bridge. At other major intersections, the Park District is planning to run the trail alongside the road to the nearest traffic signal before crossing. Why they aren’t planning to do that at Knoxville, I’m not sure, but it could have to do with the fact that Knoxville is a state route.
Meanwhile, we’re still waiting for a decision from the STB on whether CIRY or Pioneer should be allowed to operate the Kellar Branch. There is still no request pending to discontinue service on the Kellar Branch (CIRY withdrew their request). So, it looks like we’re in for several more years of haggling over this. I guess all the parties in favor of the project feel this fight is worth the expense, effort, and ever-increasing time it takes to resolve. I can think of better ways to spend taxpayer money.