Pace New Division

[pace]

I think a new division called Southeast Division should be open to provide service south of where pace South Division does not serving parts of Indiana, Beecher, Sauk Village, Crete, Monee, Peotone and more. PLEASE POST A REPLY AND TELL ME WHAT KIND OF BUSES THEY SHOULD USE, HOW MANY BUSES DO YOU THINK THEY MIGHT NEED, WHERE THE DIVISION SHOULD BE LOCATED, AND WHAT ROUTE AND ROUTE NUMBERS SHOULD BE THERE ALSO! (one sugggestion for one of the routes is 375 from Downtown Chicago Express to Sauk Village-Crete-Beecher VIA RIVER OAKS USING I-94)

[Busjack]

This makes very little sense. We are having service cutbacks threatened because of budget problems, and you somehow think that Pace should invest nonexistent capital funds to build another garage without proof that it needs more equipment in that area. Also, when Pace has said in its budget that it needs to replace its 1920s era garage in Joliet, and doesn't have the funds to do it, and has also said that its Northwest garage (inherited from United Motor Coach) was also inadequate.

Also, what difference would it make what kind of bus, except whether it was a 40 or 30 foot one? Do you want us to give specific numbers? (I'm sure pace2322 would like to work at one that doesn't have NABIs.)

Also, Pace has a South Cook restructuring which is on hold. Nothing in it says that they need more buses or places to store them to implement it; in fact, Pace restructurings usually result in cutting back in some areas to support others.

I, for instance, could have said that the North Shore garage would have been more conveniently located in the Glen, but it was built in Evanston and the Glen was a Naval Air Station at the time, so that's water under the dam. I also made statement about how I thought certain CTA garages were not well located, but that is spilled milk, too.

Lets leave it by saying that the two pulse points for Pace South service are Harvey (where South Suburban Safeway Lines was based) and Chicago Heights, and the South division is pretty well located considering that.

Now, you may have a point that Pace did propose feeder service for the Monee and Peotone areas. Considering that that proposal did not make the South Cook Restructuring plan, however, and Pace threatening to cut all feeder service, I wouldn't count on that happening soon. In any event, that could be served out of South, maybe with a holding pen like at Lake-Cook.

[pace]

I know we have issues about budget problems, and its bad to talk about expanding service when existing service is a mess. It is just in idea so don't take it so seriously, but again thanks for the comment and what kind of routes do you think SE should have?

[Busjack]

1. I don't know why Pace is even in Indiana (there are reports that various entities in Indiana, such as the East Chicago Casino Foundation, subsidize the UPS service). Obviously, routes 350 and 364 are extensions of routes out of Harvey.

2. The feeders might have some merit, but apparently not enough to get into the South Cook-Will proposals.

Now I have some ideas if the NICTD West Lake proposal ever gets off the ground (i.e. feed Lansing into that), but that involves a double contingency.

As for what is proposed in the South Cook-Will plan, I wonder how any sort of running time could be maintained on the proposed 386 Midway-Harlem-183rd-Homewood-Harvey run. There had better be a relief station somewhere on that route.