"Rapid" Bus Transit?

An article the Daily Herald on 14-Feb-2008 reports:
"Pace is forging ahead with plans to start a rapid bus transit program on the Stevenson Expressway. Expected to begin in 2009, Pace would likely start the service in Will County and offer stops at Plainfield and Joliet, agency officials said at a Wednesday meeting. The bus would travel on I-55 to downtown Chicago. The new service would be funded through federal congestion-relief dollars. Details of fares and schedules are still being worked out. Also in the works is a rapid bus transit service on Golf Road between Evanston and Elgin."

The trouble is, of course, that "Rapid" and "bus transit" are contradictory terms. Buses are subject to the same congestion delays as every other vehicle on the road. Designating existing lanes as HOV and/or Bus-only just exacerbates the existing congestion by reducing the lanes available for those whose commuting options are very limited.

These monies would be better used to expand existing rail service, such as extending the Rock Island service to Morris, the Heritage Corridor line to Wilmington, the UP West line to DeKalb and the BNSF service to Plano, and adding new rail service where none currently exists, including funding the STAR line and South-East service, acquiring land for new rail lines and track rights for Metra on existing rail lines, in addition to acquiring new rolling stock to service expanded commuter rail lines and expanding parking at existing Metra stations.

Look at any system map for Metra and the CTA Light Rail to see where the service gaps are - its VERY obvious. The Canadian National (formerly Illinos Central Gulf) line through the western suburbs could help fill one gap, if linked to the UP West line near Villa Park. Metra's Heritage Corridor also needs additional investment to add bi-directional commutes, both a.m. and p.m. as well as mid-day service, as does the Southwest Service which also needs weekend service.