The Transportation Situation #1
Little Village - This week I spoke to a couple bus riders who have been having problems with bus service in Little Village.
A student travelling north from Marquette Park to Little Village complained of a 25 minute wait Monday afternoon for a 20 minute bus ride. When they got off the bus, they had a 5 block walk because there is no 31st Street Bus to transfer to. They could have travelled west on the 26th street bus, but this would have required an additional 3 blocks on the Kedzie bus and then 3 blocks of walking.
Yesterday I spoke to a senior who complained of just missing the eastbound #60 26th St/Blue Island bus. The senior rider decided to walk from Central Park to the Walgreens at Albany rather than wait in the cold. It is a 14 block, 25 minute walk. No buses came in the time it took to get to the store. Exiting Walgreens, the rider just missed the bus again. They ended up having to walk back home. Again, no buses overtook the rider.
On 31st and Hamlin, I met many parents at school dismissal who supported a 31st Street Bus. Folks living between Pulaski and Lawndale said that it would be of great benefit to the students at Little Village Lawndale High School. Because there is no bus, many parents are driving their students, increasing their travel costs, local auto traffic, and air pollution. 31st Street is a very congested as a commercial, residential and dirty diesel truck route. Some parents would rather drive than have students walk because of frequent gang violence in the area. There were at least a couple shootings on or near 31st Street in the last month.
Want to help us get the 31st Street Bus Route?
Come to a Community Meeting.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Pollo Giro, 3823 W 31st Street
