Resident transportation guru David Jordan has posted a new entry on his blog about the Kellar Branch situation. He writes up a good contrast between those who want a trail and those who need rail service.
3 thoughts on “David Jordan looks at wants and needs of Peorians”
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It’s interesting. This battle goes with something I posted about here last week. Thinking how curious it is that Peoria can’t seem to support a new Zoo nor the new museum, and so many didn’t care about the hazardous waste landfill as well. I include myself here, having been on the negative end of arguments for the zoo, museum and over the placement of a new Glen Oak School. CJ just had to take his time out.
This argument is not entirely unlike that. Trail vs. rail. Nature and exercise vs. commerce. I’m all for connecting the Rock Island and Pimetoui trails. What an excellent thing, more biking trails. It would help local folks to be avid cyclists and actually bring in some tourism. And it’s a very green/environmentally friendly thing – and I’m all about green.
But, if you think about it, so is rail service. Gas prices are going crazy, to all time highs, and global warming is threatening our planet. We’ve got to get some cars off the roads. Or get more hybrids out there. Light rail service would be so sweet. I live out in that northwest corridor, and work at Bradley. I would so totally take the train to work if there were service out to Alta. I bet a bunch of the folks who moved out there for Dunlap/Mossville/IVC schools would too. And we’d be promoting industry at the same time. There would be a bunch less of those nasty, diesel spewing trucks on the road.
Sorry for the long post. But one more thing. I’ve heard from a bunch of people that it is not physically possible to build the rail AND the trail. In a few areas, it just won’t fit. I have to call bullshit on that. If they can build a freakin’ tunnel through downtown Boston today, they can figure out how to make the rail and trail happen.
It seems to me this is a chance to invest in a whole bunch of stuff. Pioneer Rail has a pretty decent offer on the table (CJ, would you mind reposting the link to your post of their offer?). The City’s gonna front some money for something here, rail or trail or both, right? Why not take the chance t0 invest in our economy/industry, our natural resources, a little bit of tourism, a cleaner environment, and decreasing greenhouse gasses?
And trust me, from personal experience – it is VASTLY more expensive to knock shit down to build new rail when you decide you want and need it back, than it is to fix up existing rails. Do research on Seattle and their light rail situation. Oi! Have they solved it yet?
Thanks for the comments, Chris. What happens between July 24 and late summer/early fall will most likely decide this issue once and for all.
CGiselle: Ironically, a portion of Boston’s tunnel collapsed today. See the Boston Globe story here.
Despite the fact that your example was perhaps ill-timed, your point is still valid. The trail can be built next to the rail. Pioneer Rail and the Illinois Prairie Railroad Foundation even offered to help with money, grants, equipment, and manpower. The park district claims that it’s too expensive to do it, but when I called and asked to see the feasibility study, they couldn’t produce it. They said, and I quote, “I think I saw a spreadsheet floating around here a while back, but I haven’t seen it lately.” Sounds like they did a really diligent study, doesn’t it?