News

Pace leaders make route reductions less severe

Posted December 09, 2009 10:00 pm

Marni Pyke

Pace leaders softened the blow of bus route reductions Wednesday, reversing course on numerous proposed cuts but acknowledged it was a painful choice.

The decision comes after riders pleaded with the suburban bus agency to save the routes they depended on to reach work, school, buy groceries or see the doctor.

"This is a tough thing," Pace board Director and former Elmhurst Mayor Tom Marcucci said. "It falls particularly heavily on DuPage County. But Pace is not a taxing authority. All we can do is struggle to be as efficient as possible and make cuts when we get into a recession."

The agency is grappling with a $6.5 million shortfall caused by rising expenses and flat sales tax revenues, the main source of funding along with fares.

Many riders fought against drastic cuts and Pace received 18 letters from local governments opposing the move. The emotional reaction led officials to delay voting in November on 51 proposed route eliminations or service reductions to see what could be salvaged.

As a result, 18 routes on the chopping block will be untouched but 15 routes will be dropped entirely. Pace will eliminate weekend service on nine routes and weekday service will be reduced or revised on another nine.

The changes will go into effect Feb. 7, 2010, and should save Pace $1.5 million. Pace also shifted $2.3 million in capital funding into its operating budget to meet expenses.

"Over the last 30 days, we certainly made a good effort to relook at every one of these routes," Pace Chairman Richard Kwasneski said.

Any route eliminations also have a domino effect on paratransit, the pickup service for disabled riders. Pace is mandated to offer paratransit to people within 3/4 of a mile of fixed bus routes. Wednesday's actions will affect about 300,000 bus and 100 paratransit passengers.

Officials decided to delay implementing changes to affected paratransit services to see what options were available to affected riders.

The impact falls across the region. For example, DuPage residents who use Routes 654 and 657 to get to the Glen Ellyn Metra Station will lose their transit as of Feb. 7.

Kane County, which protested the curtailing of Routes 528 and 529, which transport workers and shoppers along the Randall and Orchard road corridors, got a split decision. Saturday service is chopped on Route 528 but Route 529 is unchanged.

Arlington Heights residents and students and faculty of Harper College in Palatine protested the proposed elimination of Routes 696 and 699. Now Pace plans to combine the two routes with a restructured schedule.

And, Routes 676, 687 and 689 through Naperville neighborhoods got off scot-free.

Pace also has cut spending by $2.7 million in administrative costs with furlough days, a hiring freeze and trimming marketing, fuel and insurance costs.

Pace bus revisions Routes to be eliminated • Route 535 Fox Valley Shuttle • Route 637 Wood Dale - Rosemont CTA • Route 643/645 NW Elmhurst/Elmhurst Industrial • Route 654 South Glen Ellyn • Route 657 Bloomingdale/Glendale Heights • Route 690 Arlington Heights Road • Route 767 Congress/ Douglas - Prairie Stone • Route 781 North Naperville Office Complex Weekend eliminations • Route 209 Busse Highway (Sunday) • Route 234 Wheeling - Des Plaines (Saturday) • Route 528 Aurora - Rush Copley Medical Center (Saturday) • Route 715 Central DuPage (Saturday) • Route 747 DuPage Connection (Saturday) Service reductions • Route 685 Naperville - West Wind Estates • Route 696 Woodfield - Randhurst • Route 699 Palatine - Elk Grove • Route 747 DuPage Connection • Route 822 Woodridge-Lisle Routes preserved • Route 208 Golf Road • Route 223 Elk Grove - Rosemont CTA • Route 529 Randall Road • Route 616 The Chancellory Connection • Route 626 Skokie Valley Limited • Route 676 Naperville - Cress Creek • Route 687 Naperville - Farmstead • Route 689 Naperville - Hobson Village • Route 711 Wheaton - Addison • Route 757 Northwest Connection

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