Despite a looming $770 million deficit for Chicago area transit agencies, Pace has outlined plans that would restructure much of the suburban bus network.
According to the Regional Transportation Authority, the disparity between operating costs and regional transit funding could force agencies to cut service by up to 40%. Still, in light of this impending fiscal cliff, Pace has “the burden to reinvent itself,” said P.S. Sriraj, the director of the University of Illinois Chicago’s Urban Transportation Center.
“This is actually one of those ‘fork in the road’ moments for public transportation,” Sriraj added.
Last November, Pace began soliciting public feedback on ReVision, a comprehensive plan to expand the bus network. The proposal offers several methods of improving Pace’s bus service, depending on levels of secured financial investment and community feedback.
At a November virtual open house, Daniel Costantino, a consultant on the ReVision project, said Pace finds limiting service “unacceptable” and will instead advocate for “transformational change.”
The first plan proposed by Pace — called the Pace Plus 10 — requires only that the legislature address the existing funding gap. Under this plan, Pace could increase service frequency on a few bus routes and make improvements to weekend service. However, the plan would not allow Pace to expand service to new areas or develop any significant network of frequent routes.
Pace spokesperson Maggie Daly Skogsbakken said that Pace has already accomplished many Pace Plus 10 plan objectives. In the proposal’s development phase, Pace rolled out changes to the frequency on certain routes, with another round planned for March.
“We’re showing that we can do it with the funds that we have now,” Skogsbakken said. “If we get more, that would only help the system.”
If the legislature were to make a significant investment, Pace could significantly expand the bus network, prioritizing either ridership or coverage. Pace estimates that either of its two plans would cost about $150 million per year.
The Pace Plus 50 Ridership plan would invest in frequent, direct routes in densely populated areas with popular destinations. It would prioritize areas with low-income residents and low vehicle ownership figures. On the other hand, the Pace Plus 50 Coverage plan would add many new routes, but most routes would continue operating at their current levels.
Second Ward resident Michael Kroll said he often takes the Pulse Dempster Line to transfer onto a Metra or CTA line. The member of the Evanston Transit Alliance attended an open house last year to provide feedback on the project, and he said he is optimistic about the project, citing long waits for certain infrequent Pace lines.
Kroll said that, while he believes expanding into outer suburbs is important, he favors the ridership plan because Evanston already has multiple Pace routes. He added that he typically rides the Pulse line, which runs every 15 minutes, and has found the less frequent lines more difficult to use.
“Even though it gives the coverage, it leaves a single point of failure, where, if one of the buses doesn’t run, now that coverage is lost really quickly,” Kroll said.
In Evanston, the outlined ridership plan would increase the frequency of Route 208 — a line connecting Evanston and Schaumburg — from every 30 minutes to every 15. The outlined plan also has Route 213 stopping at Davis Street, rather than extending to the Howard CTA station. The plan would also discontinue Route 215, which operates between Howard and Westfield Old Orchard.
Meanwhile, the coverage plan would discontinue Route 213, though it would be covered by a new Route 260 north of Davis. Routes would remain around current frequency rates.
Skogsbakken said Pace’s draft proposal will likely be some combination of the two plans. Pace’s online feedback survey closes Friday, and Pace plans to seek further public input while drafting the plan, she added.
Pace anticipates a draft plan by July and a final draft by the end of the year.
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