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Metra, Oswego, and earmarks


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2 hours ago, NewFlyerMCI said:

I;m curious as your reasoning? I'd agree if the entire county would be receiving some level of Pace/Metra service, but the only people to benefit would be Oswego and maybe Boulder Hill. Even if NE Kendall County is the most populous part of the county, should they be subsidized at the expense of the rest of the county who'll receive no tangible benefit?

There are places such as Braidwood, in far southern Will County, that are part of the RTA area but receive no transit service. Maybe some people are driving to Metra from there, but one could argue the same thing about rural Kendall County. (Plainfield and maybe even Joliet probably have some Kendall County riders). I don't think that Kendall County necessarily should join the RTA, only that there needs to be a discussion of it if the Metra extension is ever completed. There are millions of "outside" dollars being invested in planning and construction, while no local commitment to the operating cost of the service has been nailed down yet. As of right now, I can agree it probably makes more sense for that commitment to be made at the city or township level, but having a Kendall County representative on the RTA board would bring more leverage for potential future expansions. Kendall County is projected to continue growing, so it's reasonably possible that additional services (such as feeder buses or Dial-a-Ride) could be worthwhile by that time. I see your point that joining the RTA would not have proportional benefits throughout the county, but the current system isn't designed that way either.

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