By: Diane Benjamin
If losing close to $10,000,000 a year isn’t enough, Connect Transit is now funding bike lights in Uptown. Of course, the Town of Normal is footing part of the bill too – along with bike safety checks. I’m sure Mayor “bike-shop-owner” Koos will participate too.
That’s not the lunacy however!
I can’t help noticing huge almost empty buses whenever I’m in town. The beasts used to drive through Walmart and Meijer and drop the few riders at the door.
Since the routes changed, so has where people are dropped off. This map is from the Connect Transit website: http://www.connect-transit.com/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?BlobID=23208
I think I was following a red line bus last week. It stopped across the street south of Walmart (the one off Veterans). An elderly lady and gentleman – with a walker – got off. They stopped on the curb waiting for traffic to clear so they could cross to Walmart. Traffic is fairly heavy on that road – it was an accident waiting to happen and probably will in the future if all riders are forced to cross that street. It should be fun carrying groceries that far for the trip home! Brilliant move. Maybe it’s a secret plot to force bus people to shop every day since they can’t carry as much. More ridership – more fares!
The bus then turned south, pulled over to the right, and stopped across the street from Meijer. A lady got off the bus and attempted to cross the street in front of the bus – of course out in front of traffic! The traffic couldn’t see her and she couldn’t see the traffic with a huge bus in the way.
Does it take too long to drive people safely closer to the door?
How about at least in the parking lot!
Connect Transit buses don’t have stop signs like school buses. Vehicles don’t know whether to pass or wait for them to move. Are they camped at a bus stop waiting for riders or just taking a 15 second stop?
Customer service isn’t part of Connect Transit’s agenda. I hear the bus drivers were never consulted about routes. The elderly were expected to walk blocks to board a bus and now even further to reach their destination.
Connect Transit’s main purpose is to provide jobs and pensions for bureaucrats with your tax dollars.
If you ever want a job with them, make sure your Common Sense doesn’t show during the interview.
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Drop the folks off and the front door of these major stores and charge these major stores a fee for bringing them customers, and making their shopping experience easier. Surely WalMart could afford a few thousand bucks a month. Plus they could buy advertisments on the bus generating more money for the failed idea of Connect Transit.
TOOOOO much common sense.
The bike issue is LUNACY. The conflict of interest with a bike shop owner in a position to spend taxpayer money on anything to do with bicycles is LUNACY. Sort of like a Secretary of State taking contributions to her own foundation while doling out favors to her contributors. Not another penny should go to anything bicycle related until Normal has a new mayor!
The new bus map was designed by people that want to lose even more money. It’s a Cloward-Piven Bus Map!
Oh, but this city has a multi-modal transportation system. Who cares if it is safe!?!
I think we could pay for taxis for all the connect riders and save money!
Like any government run service it is doomed for failure because want-to-be emperors are chosen to lead and the bigger the budget the bigger the empire. Corruption is rampart as chosen ones receive contracts from government organizations. Small businesses are excluded as they can not finance operations when waiting months or years to receive payment.
I fail to see any benefits to a transit system of supplying bike lights which could encourage transit riders to take the bike rather than ride the bus.
I don’t know the involvement of the Normal Mayor in all of this pushing of bike riding, but it is clear that this can only benefit his business and that is utterly disrespectful to the citizens of Normal and is cause to question his integrity. Council members have a sworn duty to serve the entire public and therefore they too are disrespectful and their integrity should be questioned.
It is shameful for the transit system to establish routes that place passengers in danger and cause those with handicaps to be required to go further longer distances to utilize the transit system. A private business would fail if it provided this kind of service.
I totally agree. Transit riders can pay more for the smaller bus, but I hear it doesn’t always show up when scheduled.
The small buses are gone now.
People can’t reserve a ride? I thought I saw a small bus Sunday and a park. It was parked
I wonder if Connect Transit would be kind enough to help Unit 5 transport students to and from school? Heck, they get $10,000,000 a year from taxpayers. Unit 5 cut their budget by $1.5 million and eliminated several buses, which accounts for the current mess. 3-4 kids to a seat and no room at all for some kids.
They have plenty of room!
I see empty busses all the time or busses with one person riding. Tonight I saw two busses parked by Walmart empty just sitting ther for an hour. I have seen a bus multiple times sitting empty at white oak park or jewels for extended period of time.
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Bicycles supposedly are sustainable due to the lack of emissions (except of course the carbon dioxide emitted while huffing and puffing up the hills, stopping at stop signs and moving forward once again.) These oversized busses with a miniscule occupancy is not sustainable. The Renner/Koos councils are complete hypocrites, idiots!
Gotta love it when a Gaggle of Goofs focus on all negative & none of the positive things in a big picture. Shame on you selfish whiners. There is a lot more than what you see in a system like this. Brush up on your homework, dry the tears & keep the pacifier handy.
Somebody has to believe losing $10,000,000 a year running empty buses is good. I guess it’s YOU! congrats.
The new system only benefits Andrew Johnson at Connect Transit. They don’t run as long as they did before. They don’t drop you in convenient locations. (In fact, some of the new stops make for an illegal stop for the buses by putting them in the wrong lane.) The drivers aren’t happy with the changes. As a rider, I know several passengers that are not happy with the changes. Also, the new hours are shorter and people can’t work their old shifts as they won’t be able to get home at night. There isn’t anything “Public” in the transit system, and customer service doesn’t exist. The only reason they had free fares for the last two weeks is so the passengers couldn’t complain that the bad service was costing them money. They could have added additional buses to some of the old routes and made the passengers happy with more frequent service, and they would have saved a ton of money.
I see more people riding now. Apparently, people are adjusting to the changes. Apparently the ridership have studied the route maps & learned the routes more. See? It only takes a short time to deal with change. A person has to adjust life’s schedule sometime. It’s not always an easy task, but it happens if you work at it. It’s much easier to adapt to a change than to cry & complain as you have done Diane Benjamin. I believe ridership will build & all riders will adjust, utilize & enjoy the bus service. There are always changes that can be, and will be made in a work system. It takes time. You have a great day. I’m going to go out & catch a bus right now.
I bet you won’t have a problem finding a seat!
Thank you for your concern Diane, I did find a seat. There were some left since I boarded a 40′ bus. I had a very pleasant ride around Bloomington-Normal. I actually transferred twice just to check out some other routes I had not experienced yet. I did have a concern at one point, but the driver helped me out & all went well. That being said, the drivers deserve some applause for all they are going though also. Maybe instead of being a loud mouth desk jockey, you could do the same? There is a big difference when you are looking at the bus from the outside. Try the inside for a change instead of being a 1 sided know it all? Just a thought. By the way, are you a native of Bloomington-Normal? If the answer is yes, compare the system in the 70’s – 80’s to the current structure. Does someone need some smelling salts? Yes, I think you do. Progress causes change. Change causes progress.
Your “progress” is costing TEN MILLION DOLLARS a year. Are you brain dead? Progress isn’t stealing the future from our kids and grandkids with empty buses. if you want to be a slave to government debt, plenty of other countries will take you in.
As I said, take a ride instead of being 100% Negative. Why do you have so much anger built up? That’s not a good thing. Get a McDonald’s Happy Meal & then go on a bus ride. I hope this helps you & your anger problems. You know, there are doctors that can help you in your fight for sanity. I wish you the best.
If wasting $10 Million a year doesn’t make you mad, there is no hope for you. Evidently communism is your preferred government.
I am so amused at your ignorance. Take a breathe Are you having nose bleeds yet? Please calm down. Your health is at risk. Get a Happy Meal & try out a bus ride. It just may change your life. Please see medical help for your psychological problems. I wish you the best of luck..
By riding the bus you are stealing money from other people. Go be happy as a thief. I will drive my car.
You, Diane Benjamin need to seek Professional Mental Health. I wish you the best. I cannot nor will not understand your hatred for the transit system trying to improve. Haters hate and that is what you do the best. Perhaps you will not be the blind soul you are now if you seek help…..Dr. Phil maybe? Best wishes to you.
I forgot the budgeted loss for this year is 12 million! Socialists always run out of other people’s money, so get ready to walk
See ya on the bus Whack Job!
Very mature of you. Can’t win with facts so call names.
So sorry….. Laughing Hysterically… Get some rest…..
Mature of you to discard my last remark.
I want people to see who the enemy to their wallet is! Keep spouting!