BackTalk

Ayo Maat, Ph.D. IMPRUVE WE DID IT!--But Not For Paratransit I received the Transit Update from Rep. Julie Hamos, but I am confused as to she you means by WE DID IT. Just what did we do?
The program she refers to does not help the paratransit riders, whether seniors or others, so we did not complete the job. Come Feb. 1, paratransit riedrs still have a DOOMsday to face and later in the spring, a zone system that segregates riders.
Has the entire legislature forgotten us!! See petition attached from Concerned Citizens of Paratransit and refer to all the emails IMPRUVE and others have sent to Julie the past 2 weeks.
We want to meet with the Black Legislative Caucuses and teh Mass Transit Committee to see hwy we are perpetually left out of discount, reducedf are, and other relief programs for paratransit riders.
Would you care to compare incomes? Partransit riders whether seniors or otherwise have the lowest incomes of any population group.
IMPRUVE is not asking for free rides although the nursing home residents really need free rides, living on $30 a month!!! Just fair, affordable rides; fair affordable monthly ADA passes; fairness and justice in policy, and the waiver of the 10% farebox collection formula for PACE that Julie sponsored without consulting the affected disability community throughout all 6 counties.
IMPRUVE was not consulted. I don't think Concerned Citizens of Paratransit was, and if Access Living was, I do not believe they would have accepted anything that penalizes people with disabilities with unaffordable monthly passes!!!
If you consulted Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities in IL, they don't even have a regular Regional rep for Chicago. There are 6 areas of Chicago: SE, SW, NE, NW, central, and west. Who did Julie Hamos contact in these areas?
And they did not inform us.

Did she contact the PACE ADA Advisory Council, the RTA ADA Regional Committee, Anixter Center, Ada S. McKinley center, NIA, RIC Life Center, Galter Center, MOPD, whom?
How is it that WE DID It when we are being messed over, ignored, isolated, penalized, and don't ven have a person with a disability represented on the PACE Board.
This is 2008.
How does PACE have responsibility for a paratransit in which 80% are Black and live on the southside and nobody in this demographics know anything about agreeing to a 10% recovery ratio?
Chicago has 600,000 people with disabilities who live or work in Chicago and the governor and the state legislature did not think to make it mandatory for the PACE Board to have persons with disabilities included on their board?
Nobody thought it was wrong to exclude Black riders from the southside from 71st Street south to 147th, and northside riders north of Fullerton to Wilmette (excuse me, Skokie and Wilmette are being excluded by PACE Chicago operations) from having comparable service to riders from the Gold Coast, Hyde Park, West Loop, Michigan Avenue, downtown central business district, South Loop (mayor's neighborhood included), Bronzeville--who do not have to transfer and will more than likely get top service--do you know what the income is in these areas and who lives in these areas where they do not have to transfer?

Now in my wildest imagination, I cannot believe that PACE came up with these 3 zones blindfolded.
I also cannot believe that PACE can guarantee that Black southsiders, Hispanic southsiders, and northside people with disabilities of all ethnicities in Zones 1 and 3 will get equal service to the Zone 2 people.
And what happens to riders in Skokie and Wilmette-- how many transfers wil they need to make and at what cost?
How can we have a single transit service board charging us two fares to ride from Chicago to suburbs and vice versa, but teh other serviec provider, CTA goes to Chicago and suburban locatons for one fare.
How is this comparable service?
How is this transit equity?
How did the governor, RTA and the Mass Transit Committee promise us that paratransit would be first and make us last again?
How do you leave those paratransit drivers hanging like that and without healthcare and they are out all times of the day and night in all the elements without adequate breaks and paid low wages? Some work 12 hours or more, and without an hourly wage and not enough trips to support their families. Soem receive an hourly wage and it is still to low to pay for healthcare and suport their families.
And the Wage and Labor Board needs to step in to assist these drivers.
WE DID NOT DO IT!
YOU, PACE, RTA, the governor and the State legislature DID IT.
I am not taking responsibility for the mess that paratransit has been left with.
I advocated for RTA, CTA, PACE and METRA to be appropriately funded, but I did not agree to a 10% farebox recovery for PACE that will still leave riders stranded and isolated, setting many of us set back again in our health, employment, and socialization.
This is not right. It is not reasonable and Julie and the legislature need to fix it now.
We will be planning a press conference with all interested parties who agree that
this needs to be fixed immediately.
Hope we can save WE DID IT for the Paratransit before Feb. 1!!

With all of the money that we spend on gas taxes, vehicle tags, license plate, etc, wouldn't it be nice if somebody filled in these huge potholes. Anyone who bends a rim, blows out a tire or wrecks their suspension on their car due to enormous pot holes, should be able to sue the municipality that is being paid through these taxes, in order to recoup some of the expense incurred due to their neglect. Our streets look like a war zone. Forget Iraq, come to Cook County.

I was driving on I-55 between Pulaski & Califorina and a Truck was two cars ahead of me and one with out a top on it like a dump truck but aliitle bigger, well a big bot fell out of that truck which was riding on the highway with all kinds of junk flying out of it, well the car in front of me got out of the way and the box hit my car on the passages side. it hit hard scared me alot. What would of happen if it broke through my window, That kind of trunk should not be aloud on the highway without some kind of cover on top of it, to stop things from flying out, to possible kill someone in the future! I am mad and want everyone to know about this. We need more protection from these kinds of trucks, for AMERICAN SAFETY!

It took me 2 1/2 hours to get to my meeting this morning, it would normally take 45 minutes to an hour.

It took me 1 1/2 hours to get home from work tonight, it should have took 35 minutes.

I burned through nearly an entire tank of gas today, normally it would have been 1/4 tank. My car costs $84 to fill up.

The newly started construction on 94 North from the state line to Hwy 22 (Half Day Road) and back are simply ridiculous. It affects tens of thousand of drivers daily traveling to and from our jobs for major Lake County corporations such as Abbott, Cardinal, Hewitt, Takeda, Baxter, Discover, Siemens, etc. etc.

There was a story reported this week about March Madness NCAA Tournaments and what they will cost businesses in lost time and productivity. With tens of thousands of hours of lost productivity daily due to wide spread construction in Cook and Lake County shouldn't a similar study be done? I imagine the statistics would raise some level of accountability for how IDOT view their planning responsibilities

This, coupled with the planned construction on the Eden's leaves one to ask many questions:
-How can one state department have the ultimate authority to affect the quality of life and productivity for tens of thousands of drivers daily?
-Are there maximum travel times set that once exceeded become simply unacceptable?
-Why do the same major construction projects need to be redone so frequently?
-What rights do we as drivers have to affect these decisions?
-Why, when sitting in traffic for close to 40 minutes at a crawl do we need to pass people holding signs that say SLOW? Insult to injury.

And lastly, why do we put up with it? It's become beyond ridiculous. While I agree and welcome the widening of the road, the execution needs a complete re-thinking. For what we pay to operate a vehicle we deserve so much better than we get.

-Submitted via e-mail.

p.s. How ironic that when proofing this e-mail my spell checker wanted to change IDOT to IDIOT.

I would like to respond to the e-mail submitted by Doug Duty on March 21, 2008: Chicago roads, traffic and drivers are a mess!

I was wondering the same thing, where does all the money for the roads go? They are absolutely horrible. I would be ashamed and embarrassed to admit I was from Chicago or had anything to do with the roadways.

In addition, the people driving on 55, 94 and the surrounding roadways need to learn some manners or etiquette in their driving skills. While traveling through Chicago I encountered road rage, reckless and imprudent driving, and severe road disrepair.

I find it humorous that his spell checker wanted to change IDOT to IDIOT. That about sums it up. I wholeheartedly agree. IDIOT!! They were everywhere.

When I see someone from out of town in my state or city, I go out of my way to show them respect and kindness. That is what makes them come back. Keep this in mind Chicago! If you want my company and money you will have to improve on your driving and people skills. I would recommend you do this before your careless driving and road rage gets someone hurt. Remember, it could even be you or a family member. Have you ever thought of that as you are speeding through a construction zone honking, and flipping someone off. Mark my word, "what goes around ALWAYS comes around" and I will save the best for last and "Paybacks are a (well). . . . Let's just call them "PAYBACKS" to keep it respectable. I did not like your city at all and probably will not return. Sorry, but I tell the truth!! Smaller cities are the best. Come visit you may not ever want to go back to the Windy City.

P.S. Your spell check is not working, you spelled 'the' and 'service' wrong. Just kidding, I wanted to see if my spell check did the same thing with IDOT.

I have no pity for the suburban commuters driving to the city. If you don't like it, take the Metra. Adjust your schedule accordingly. Car pool. If every single passenger driver carpooled there would be a 50% decrease in traffic.

As a city resident, I continually see the Kennedy, Edens, Dan Ryan and Eisenhower expressways get the roadwork projects, while North Lake Shore Drive is ignored year after year. Not to mention the feeder streets, the ramps on and off; pitiful. This is the city's expressway and it's an absolute disgrace north of Irving Park and an embarassment north of Chicago Avenue.

I post it here, first. Postpone the 2008 Bike the Drive because it's too dangerous for children who wish to bike with their parents; and push the Accenture Triathlon biking portion to the southern section of Lake Shore Drive. The city doesn't need world-class athletes reporting a crumbling infrastructure on top of gun-raged weekends, hiring scandals, emergency response failures and government waste to the Olympic Committee.

Mayor Daley doesn't deserve the Olympics until he realizes his city deserves better.