County board member changes view of Randall buses after visit to ditch

It wasn’t quite a month ago that Kane County Board member Mike Donahue questioned the sanity of spending $85,000 to spruce up Pace bus stops along Randall Road.

Then he found himself in a ditch.

Kane County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay said heading into Tuesday’s vote about the expenditure she heard a story about Donahue that made her think he might have a new perspective.

“Our state’s attorney saw (Donahue) in the snowstorm at a bus stop because he’d decided to go figure out for himself what it’s like to find a (Randall Road) bus stop,” McConnaughay said. “Our state’s attorney saw him and thinks he’s kind of crazy. Well, of course, anyone standing out there in a snowstorm searching for a ditch masquerading as a bus stop must be crazy.”

Sure enough, Donahue’s self-imposed immersion into the life of a Randall Road bus rider changed his mind.

“It did demonstrate a clear need for a better bus stop,” Donahue said with a laugh. “I originally expressed some concern about the financial efficiency about this bus route. And I still have those concerns. But I’ve come to appreciate the need for the service for those who rely on it.”

Donahue voted in favor of the funding with the stipulation that he wants to see the county’s transportation department do some real work with Pace to build ridership on the route. Other county board members said the new designs of the bus stops must keep both the disabled and senior citizens in mind.

“That means don’t just get shelter,” said county board member Mark Davoust said. “You need sidewalk connections to the shelters. Otherwise, they won’t do any good.”