By: Diane Benjamin
Other items from Monday’s meeting could be covered, but I won’t! Links to all previous stories are here: https://blnnews.com/2020/07/08/story-6-normal-monday/
Isaac Thorne and Julie Hile made a presentation. Start with this screen shot:
Thorne proved Pritzker’s budget is a joke by relying on a $5 billion bailout from the Feds AND the citizens of Illinois being foolish enough to pass the Progressive Income Tax in November, if neither happen Connect will run out of money after using up reserves.
If you want to watch more, see the complete video below. This part is around 2:10:00.
How about those huge empty buses?
Karyn Smith asked – here is Isaac Thorne’s response. He claims they need the big buses for “peak times”. If anybody ever sees a bus even half full, please send a pic. (ISU campus doesn’t count, those kids would ride 2 blocks to go to the gym and work out)
One more clip. Stan Nord asked about the process for restoring service to areas not currently served. Both Issac Thorne and Pam Reece weighed in. They claim community input will be sought in the next 6 months, but they use “best practices” of the Federal Transportation Administration. So, we are expected to believe routes planned in Chicago and LA work everywhere across the country. Stan makes it clear at the end Connect Transit should be serving our citizens regardless of “best practices”.
The McLean County Regional Planning Commission will also weigh in on routes as reported earlier (https://blnnews.com/2020/07/02/connect-transit-what-electing-progressives-got-you/ ). Don’t forget Julie Hile’s company was also hired by them to study transportation: https://blnnews.com/2020/06/20/julie-hiles-contract/
The quest to build a downtown Bloomington transfer station continues. In 2018 Connect was planning to build a 6000-7500 square foot station: https://blnnews.com/2018/02/27/transfer-station-the-full-facts/
Below is a pick of a transfer station in St. Louis. They won’t be building this:
Complete meeting, Connect Transit starts at 1:57:15:
Of course Connect wants more of your money.
Living on east Oakland, I have never seen a bus with more than ten passengers. There are usually one or two at the most…unless you count the driver.
I was in Champaign last Friday. 5 empty buses went by in around 10 minutes. I was close to a transfer station
Even in Washing D.C. they recognize the traditional bus system is dying and must change. This is a short yet accurate summation of transit.
https://www.arlnow.com/2019/10/10/whats-next-our-bus-system-must-change/
COVID as accelerated this trend. Too bad the CT board, director and mayors are so blinded they fail to recognize this obvious change.
Connect Transit is not about serving its constituency/ridership. It is about keeping the gravy train going for employees and vendors, pushing the ideological agenda of “green” transportation, and pretending to care for and using those most vulnerable and needy in our community for votes. It’s disgraceful. The anti-capitalist crowd that can’t stand the “greedy” private sector ought to look in the mirror at government-led entities like CT. Imagine if the facts were exactly the same but Connect Transit was a private company…how long would it take Jenn and her followers to protest and demand change?
The fools Renner and Koos just don’t get it that they are not a part of the billionaires club and never will be. Cheap trinkets, a steak dinner, a little fire water are being made to feel important which has fueled their lust for power. Madigan along with the Attorney General’s office has assured them that they’ve got their backs, so do what you want. Membership in the mayors conference is surely filled with nothing but info and experiences on how to be deceitful and get away with practically anything you want. And then their are the followers. The in-the-know wanna-be nerds with smirks on their faces and absolutely no regard for freedom and liberty as a nation as if they will survive any coming unrest. Denial of big city demonrat ruled, failing demonrat states due to lying, thieving, traitorous governments that will throw the non-billionaire lemmings to the wolves in a second flat. Whatever the future holds, these fools when they go down will go down hard.
Said it before, and I’ll say it AGAIN! THis is just a “feel good” thing for the blo-no “petty bourgeoisie” who THINK they are doing their part in helping the lesser classes, when in fact they are not even giving them cake. Bastille day along with MANY other European “skirmishes” against the “snotty crowd” happened for a reason, and they WILL have their day here IF this kind of crap perpetuates. THis is a BEAUTIFUL example of what happens when you have people who NEED a service being run by people who have NO IDEAL of its function or mode of operation..
While watching the video of Isaac Thorne answering Karyn Smith’s question, it’s clear to me that he’s reading his response. Wonder who wrote it for him? Julie Hile? The new PR candidate for the town of Normal? Some green energy group? The working group?
This is just pathetic. How long are the taxpayers of this community going to allow this insanity to continue?