Pace and the Chicago Transit Authority announced a draft proposal Wednesday for changes to the city’s transit service plan, aiming to supplement service that will be eliminated with the 205 Chicago/Golf Road CTA bus route, according to a city news release.

In April, Pace and CTA announced a proposal to discontinue the 205 Chicago/Golf Road CTA bus route and instead provide an alternate service via Pace routes 208 Golf Road and 213 Green Bay Road.

Evanston residents and other commuters voiced concerns about the bus route at an April 24 public hearing, saying students would lack sufficient transportation to and from Evanston Township High School. In the original plan, Pace representatives had proposed a single morning trip to school and a single trip back on the 213 Pace route to replace the discontinued service.

“This is a terrible idea,” ETHS superintendent Eric Witherspoon said at the hearing. “If we, as a community and a society, don’t take care of our children, what have we become? Do you think all the children are cookie-cutter, and they all have to be at the school at the same time?”

In response to the feedback and comments received from the community, transit officials have released the draft proposal, which must be approved by both Pace and CTA boards before being implemented.

To address the community’s concern about the elimination of a travel option between the CTA Howard Station and ETHS, the revised service plan proposal adds six morning trips over two hours and six afternoon trips over two hours in the peak direction.

The plan also states that CTA and Pace are to operate two afternoon trips to match the earlier ETHS school dismissal time on Mondays only. CTA trips will be supplemental trips on Route 206 that follow the Pace Route 213 routing on Chicago Avenue.

Finally, the proposed plan states that Route 213 would operate every 15 minutes during weekday peak hours along Chicago Avenue with select trips providing direct service every 30 minutes to ETHS.

At a May 23 Transportation and Parking Committee meeting, transportation and mobility coordinator Jessica Hyink said the city, along with Pace and CTA, took the community’s feedback seriously when considering the new draft proposal.

Ald. Melissa Wynne (3rd) said the proposed changes might even provide “a few improvements” to the bus service.

“They heard us,” she said at the meeting. “They heard our community. (The draft proposal) will calm the community. By speaking loudly and firmly, Evanston really let them know that those were unworkable. It was a successful community effort.”

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