License plate fees in Illinois could hit $100 per year if a $1 hike to fund electric vehicle infrastructure is approved. Governor Quinn's Electric Vehicle Advisory Council is proposing the increase, to fund rebates and grants for EV's or vehicles using alternative fuels. A new report from the council spotlights the goal of having 100,000 EVs on Illinois roads within three years as the state transforms into a hub of EV manufacturing and infrasturcture. Bloomington-Normal's EV Town initiative has a similar goal--to get one-thousand EVs on city streets by the end of next year. EV Town is holding "An Evening of EVs" tonight at the Marriott Hotel in Normal.
The Town of Normal has taken delivery of six new electric vehicles. The Mitsubishi I models are a part of Normal's E-V Town initiative. Mitsubishi plant chief Jerry Berwanger answers skeptics of electric cars by recalling the dawn of the automotive era when industry pioneers Henry Ford and Charles Duryea were tinkering in their garages.
By the spring there will be fifty charging stations for electric vehicles in town. The town will use the vehicles in various departments including inspections, and parking enforcement. Mayor Chris Koos says they have taken another step to "support the growing agenda for sustainability." Koos says history also suggests it is not premature for the town to become involved in the technology.
Mayor Koos says they also hope to show how well electric vehicles work in a winter environment and by spring he says the town will have 50 charging stations in operation to make it easier for private citizens to adopt the new technology.
The town is the first U-S Mitsubishi electric car customer outside the west coast to receive I cars.
Rating estimates suggest the vehicles get the equivalent of nearly 100 miles per gallon based on the cost of gas versus electricity.
The U.S. Department of Transportation is spending $3.5 million to set up a rail transportation and engineering center at the University of Illinois.
University officials say the the NURail Center will focus in particular on problems involved in using rail corridors for both high-speed passenger trains and freight trains.
Other universities will be involved, too. They include the University of Illinois at Chicago, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Kentucky, the University of Tennessee and others.
University of Illinois professor Christopher P.L. Barkan will lead the new center.
The auto industry continues to rev up in sales, including Mitsubishi.
Mitsubishi sales closed the year up nearly 42%. Other carmakers also reported strong sales for 2011. General Motors U-S sales rose 13%. Chrysler sales jumped 26%, Ford sales rose 11% and Nissan's climbed nearly 15%. Analysts say Americans felt more confident about the economy and there was pent-up demand. They expect sales of new cars and trucks in the U-S to reach around 12,700,000, up from 11,500,000 in 2010.
For the month, Mitsubishi sales rose 3%, reversing two months of declining sales. Mitsubishi notes one of the monthly highlights was the Outlander sport, which saw nearly 58% sales growth in December. The plant in Normal will be making that model when retooling finishes later this year.
Mitsubishi sold more than 79,000 vehicles last year, an increase of nearly 4,900. The company says it is also accelerating its introduction of the electric "I" vehicle. Executives now plan for test drives nationwide in March and car availability in the summer across the U-S.
The Illinois Department of Transportation is getting $186 million for its high-speed rail project.
U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood awarded the money to IDOT on Wednesday. LaHood's office says the cash will be used to extend construction of the rail corridor to Joliet. That'll allow for 110-mph service along nearly 70 percent of the route.
Construction is already under way on the Chicago-St. Louis rail corridor. Work on the extension to Joliet will begin this spring.
LaHood says the Department of Transportation has invested more than $1 billion to create high-speed rail service in the Great Lakes-Midwest region. He says the project will ultimately reduce travel times and congestion while creating jobs and increasing business opportunities.
A vote against funding for high speed rail by Urbana Congressman Tim Johnson does not run counter to his philosophical support of the concept. So says the 15th district Republican, who explains his vote earlier this year by saying the rail funds were mixed in with several other expenditures he doesn't support.
Johnson says he continues to be in favor of solid but measured funding increments for high speed rail. He says he backs a proposal, only now in the early planning stages, to operate a 235 MPH bullet train between Chicago and St. Louis running through his hometown of Champaign-Urbana.
Some motorists say they just won't deal with the Illinois Tollway after big toll hikes go into effect Jan. 1.
That's when daily rates will nearly double. The cost of the average trip will rise from 63 cents to $1.18.
Driver Robert Keeler says he'll rely on Chicago's expressways to get to work instead of the Tollway. The increases mean he'll pay nearly $25 each week to use Interstate 294. He says it'll take him 15 more minutes to get to work, but he estimates saving nearly $1,200 a year.
Tollway officials say the money is needed for a $12.1 billion expansion and improvement program.
The Illinois Tollway is a 286-mile system. An estimated 1.4 million drivers use it daily.
By 2013, Mitsubishi officials hope the switch in models built at the assembly plant in Normal will nearly double production. Spokesman Dan Irvin says next year's shift to the Outlander Sport will amount to a huge boost in work at the facility.
Irvin says the plant will be increasing production volumes by 60% to 70% and can even double that amount, and still not resume using a second shift.
Layoffs and buyouts forced by industry downturns and company decision-making caused Mitsubishi to cut a shift several years ago, and community leaders and plant officials have a long-term goal of restoring original workforce levels.
Mitsubishi has ended production of the Eclipse and Eclipse Spyder while Galants are still being built. Irvin says no end to the Galant has been determined, although he says plant officials expect that to happen next year. Galant is sold primarily to rental and fleet dealers.
The city of Bloomington will begin clearing snow from Constitution Trail beginning this winter. Alderman approved the measure, which calls for the Friends of Constititution Trail to purchase a snow blower attachment for city-owned equipment. Friends of the Trail President Dan Steadman says nearly a quarter of Bloomington's trail property will be cleared.
Steadman says the group has agreed to spend up to $8,500 on a snow plow attachment for the city.
Bloomington will also clear the section from Arcadia to Streid and from Alton Depot Park to Lincoln Street. Trail snow will not be cleared until streets and parking areas have been cleared by city crews. The town of Normal approved limited trail snow clearing earlier this winter. Steadman says the moves reflect a shift toward year-round commuting on the trail.
See a map of the portions of the trail in Bloomington that will be cleared.
In spite of an estimated $116 million price tag, a Peoria to Bloomington commuter rail line is still a viable idea according to the City Manager of Normal. The cost estimate comes from the Illinois Department of Transportation which recommends increased bus service instead. But, Mark Peterson says light rail is a better fit than another often desired transportation mode.
Peterson acknowledges the estimate is about twice what earlier and less exhaustive explorations had cited for costs.
And Peterson says there is still a strong committment from the Peoria area to develop the link.
The head of the Bloomington-Normal airport says he feels confident his facility can compete well to recover from the departure of Airtran Airways next year. Carl Olson says that's because the cost to airlines is substantially lower than at other airports.
Olson says airlines measure profits by pennies per mile and they fight for a five dollar fare increase. In that environment he says airport fees are an important consideration.
Olson says incentives are also on the table including marketing assistance and waivers of fees during an introductory period in the market.
Olson says one example is the ten year campaign to attract non-stop service between Bloomington and Dallas-Fort Worth. In 2008 there were subsidies, marketing assistance and fee waivers. In the succeeding years, the service has stood on its own.
The Texas Eagle Amtrak train will be several hours late in arriving in Normal today thanks to a gun battle in Dallas. An undercover police operation erupted in gunfire aboard an Amtrak train idling at Union Station in downtown Dallas, leaving a suspect dead and an undercover narcotics officer and a bystander wounded.
The incident happened about 4 p.m. Monday as Amtrak's Texas Eagle from San Antonio to Chicago was nearing departure.
Three plainclothes officers were performing an inspection when they found a suspicious man aboard the train, said police Lt. Scott Walton. The officers confronted the suspect, who drew a handgun and opened fire, Walton said. An officer returned fire, killing the man.
The wounded officer and bystander, who also was a passenger did not suffer life threatening injuries.
The Town of Normal is considering another incentive for residents who buy all-electric vehicles. The Town is already forgoing local sales tax on such vehicles. And now the Town Council may waive permit fees related to installing charging stations for homes and businesses. Town staff say this won't meaningfully affect revenue or workload for inspectors and is a significant piece of the EV Town strategy to boost use of more sustainable transportation.
The town of Normal is seeking businesses and organizations willing to install electric vehicle charging stations. The town is releasing details of a grant program that requires the stations be available free of charge for at least 5 years. The town will reimburse some of the costs, including installation, maintenance and signage. Applicants don't necessarily have to be located in Normal. Town officials will give preference to charging stations that would be available to the public, although private use could be accepted if there is a demonstrated community benefit. All applications are due by the end of the year and the town will announce grant winners in mid-January. The charging stations are being funded by a federal energy efficiency grant.
The town of Normal is poised to make major improvements for bike riders in the uptown business district. At Monday night's meeting, council members will consider spending $20,000 for a covered shelter that holds 6 hanging bikes, and a cycle stall, which provides on-street parking for 14 bicycles. Normal's town planner Mercy Davison says the so-called pocket shelter would be located just west of Constitution Boulevard near Uptown Circle.
Davison says bike repairs could be made at the shelter.
The cycle stall would replace a motorcycle parking space in front of Jimmy Johns on North Street during warmer months. Davison says the motorcycle space isn't used often. In addition to the new features, the town would also purchase 12 more bike hitches and a rack for Uptown Station. Funds for the bike parking equipment come from money left over from a federal energy efficiency grant used to buy electric vehicle charging stations.
Federal grants for hybrid diesel-electric buses in Peoria and Champaign announced earlier this week are not the end of the story. Peter Rogoff, the Director of the Federal Transit Authority says viable all-electric buses will eventually happen.
Rogoff declines to estimate exactly when new technology will create a critical price point. He says the transit districts now deploying all-electric buses tend to have big budgets, very dirty air, or aggressive mandated clean air targets.
He says the current price difference between straight diesel buses and hybrid buses is also significant...between $75,000 and $150,000 apiece. Rogoff says lower operating costs on hybrid vehicles do eventually pay off the greater investment.
Peoria and Champaign Urbana are two of five Illinois communities that will be recieving hybrid buses over the next two years as part of a federal Green Transportation grant. The Illinois Department of Transportation has been awarded a $5 million federal grant to buy up to ten hybrid buses. The other cities benefitting from the grant are Galesburg, Rock Island, and Kankakee. The buses will be equipped with electrified power steering and air conditioning, regenerative braking and automated systems that stop the engines when they are idling to cut down on exhaust and energy consumption.
United Airlines has used a biofuel to move passengers from Houston to Chicago on its subsidiary Continental Airlines. It's the first U-S Airline to do that. ISU Health Sciences Professor Tom Bierma studies bio-fuels. He says usually soybeans are used to make the oil used in biofuels. But, Bierma says to really reduce the amount of petroleum in fuel, some less expensive substance must be found.
United Airlines used an algae based fuel. Bierma says it's several years away from being commercially viable, though the longer aviation fuel remains expensive, the more investment in research will happen.
Bierma says the addition of algae based fuel could also curb huge price swings that have plagued the airline industry.
At WGLT.ORG you'll find more on sustainable transportation.
Starting next week, the bus system in Bloomington Normal will make some minor route changes. Chief among them according to Executive Director Andrew Johnson is removing four bus stops on the Green-A line inside the West Orlando area in north Normal.
There will still be two stops on West Orlando, though those may also go away when the route comes up for review next spring.
Ridership on the Green A has grown by 58-percent in the last year thanks to increases in usage by Heartland Community College Students. And the line runs an average of fifteen minutes late in the afternoon, which can hinder passenger transfers. Johnson says the goal is to have that route run on time next year.
System Operations Assistant Dave White says other route changes including to the Teal-J are also aimed at efficiency.
The Transit System is studying larger scale route revisions to accommodate large growth in usage.
State and federal officials are studying route alternatives for expansion of the Joliet to Alton high speed rail upgrade through Bloomington-Normal. Work done this year allows three daily high speed passenger routes, but hoped for expansion to eight high speed trips requires another set of tracks. Mike Garcia, passenger and high speed rail bureau chief for the Illinois Department of Transportation, said during a public information session in Bloomington new funds will be needed to get the additional track and routes.
Garcia said all conceivable ideas are on the table.
Garcia said work done this year allows for three daily high speed trains. The goal is to expand to eight.
The improvements being completed this year came at a cost of $1.1 billion and were negotiated by IDOT, Amtrak and Union Pacific. Once 110-mile per hour high speed rail is fully implemented in a couple of years, it's expected to reduce the travel time between Chicago and Normal to an hour and a half. Officials in Normal hope the faster trains combined with more train trips will convince Chicago-area workers to commute to and from central Illinois. Rail officials are also studying alternative approaches to the Chicago and St. Louis metro areas.
U-S Senator Dick Durbin is campaigning for AMTRAK in Normal. The Democrat is blasting the GOP proposal in the House to cut 60-percent of operating funds for Amtrak including all funding for state supported routes....
The Senate has approved flat funding for Amtrak next year. House and Senate leaders have been unable to agree on the President's jobs bill and Durbin says if that's the case on Amtrak funding it will be very bad for train service. But, Durbin says it's clear to both sides that the nation needs a transportation bill so some compromise should happen.
Durbin says ALL forms of transportation receive government subsidies and passenger rail should be no different.
Bloomington Mayor Steve Stockton says after fifteen years of work to create high speed rail, now is NOT the time to yank funding.
Durbin said during a stop at the site of the Multi Modal Transportation Center in Normal that Amtrak is an essential part of the economy.
And ISU President Al Bowman says a quarter of the traffic through Bloomington-Normal's train station is ISU students
Durbin says he hopes citizens will lobby GOP House members to restore passenger rail funding.
The TV spots for the Mitsubishi i are now being shown by major networks and cable companies. As WGLT's Willis Kern reports, Youtube versions are going viral with many Bloomington-Normal residents sharing them in social media outlets.
View the Mitsubishi spots featuring Normal.
The only car-sharing program in Bloomington-Normal is threatened by low user numbers. Illinois State University is in danger of losing the program operated by Hertz because usage is only about 15-percent. ISU originally was supplied with three vehicles when the program began three years ago, but now its down to one. Mike O'Grady, who coordinates the short-term rental operation at ISU says the usage needs to be at about 30-percent or Hertz may pull out altogether.
O'Grady, who coordinates the car-sharing program says it no longer has a membership fee, is easy to use and convenient.
O'Grady says the membership fee has been scrapped and rentals can be had for just over 8-dollars an hour. He says if usage improves, Hertz will restore a second vehicle to the fleet. He says once the multimodal station opens in Normal, one of the vehicles may be parked there to help increase community usage.
Sign up for the Hertz On Demandprogram.
Gov. Pat Quinn says he wants to make Illinois the electric vehicle capital of the United States.
Quinn says during his recent trade trip he had a good meeting with the CEO of Mitsubishi at that company's Tokyo headquarters, where he rode in an electric vehicle. He says he's trying to persuade the company to build its electric vehicle business in Illinois.
Mitsubishi already has a manufacturing plant in Normal.
Quinn says he also visited a major company in China that builds electric vehicles to ``make sure they're interested in Illinois.''
He says Illinois already is ``well on its way'' to capitalizing on the industry with the installation of electric-vehicle charging stations around the state.
The Town of Normal has tweaked its ordinance allowing so called neighborhood electric vehicles on some streets. City Manager Mark Peterson says the low speed vehicles can only go on certain roads with relatively low speed limits. He says they are similar to enclosed golf carts.
The low speed electric vehicles don't require specific infrastructure to charge, but do not have extensive range. Peterson says they are not inexpensive, so he believes they will never be more than a niche vehicle addressing those concerned with reducing gasoline use.
He says the town is aware of only one current twin cities owner of such a vehicle...in Bloomington.
A survey of knowledge and attitudes concerning electric vehicle usage among Bloomington-Normal area drivers finds a significant gap exists in the twin cities. The survey done last week by Ford motor company of 150 drivers age 18 and over finds most are concerned about fuel efficiency but don't know much about options offered by improved technology. Stephanie Janczak, manager of electric vehicle infrastructure for Ford, says the poll found most wouldn't consider buying a hybrid, electric or car fueled with compressed natural gas until the price of fuel hits five to six dollars a gallon.
Janczak brought about a half dozen high efficiency and electric vehicles to the twin cities as part of a nationwide tour. She says Bloomington-Normal was chosen because of its EV Town initiative to promote and sell electric vehicles. She says Ford's all-electric vehicle should be available in Illinois by the end of next year. She says the retail price has yet to be established but she says it will be competitive with other models. The Mitsubishi i will be for sale this fall at about $22,000 with incentives.
Mitsubishi is raising the price of its all-electric "I" vehicle by more than eleven hundred dollars. Citing unforeseen changes in market conditions, the company says the new cost after a federal tax incentive will be nearly 22-thousand-dollars. The Town of Normal has a goal of having a thousand I cars on the road. But, Mayor Chris Koos says he doesn't think the price hike will eat into that goal.
Some industry analysts note that while the price remains the lowest among e-vehicles, raising the cost to own may make the I car's lesser range between re-charging slightly less attractive to motorists than other all electric autos.
Koos says the Town of Normal is also offering an incentive...a rebate of the local share of sales tax paid on the sticker price of 29-thousand-dollars.
The dozens of Bloomington-Normal residents who are involved in the shooting of the Mitsubishi TV commerical will be seen in a thirty second spot to be shown on twelve national cable companies beginning next month. Matt Mendez, manager of advertising for Mitsubishi Motors North America, says the spot will open with a generic shot of the Lancer and Outlander Sport models.
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Mendez says the all-electric "i," the community and it's electric vehicle initiative "EV Town" are being showcased in the 30-second spot.
Mendez says overcast skies actually make the cars look better in the commercials, although he says the rain has forced last-minute scheduling adjustments. Some streets in the Uptown district have been closed to accomodate the 50-person production crew. Mendez says working with people in Normal during the filming has been a career highlight for him.
Mendez, who is based in California, says the spot will mark the U-S' first glimpse of the "i" . The thirty second spot will also be scheduled in the top 20 US TV markets.
The mayor of Normal takes a dim view over U-S House efforts to strip passenger rail funding for in-state routes. An appropriations sub-committee has approved language forbidding use of Amtrak operating money on in-state routes. Mayor Chris Koos says that would waste money already spent on infrastructure improvements.
Koos says this is a new front to an old fight over privatization of passenger rail service.
Koos says it ignores infrastructure improvements that have gone before.
The measure would affect 150 weekday trains in fifteen states. If approved, it would include the Lincoln service between Chicago and Saint Louis through Bloomington-Normal, two trains to Galesburg and Macomb, and Chicago to Carbondale service.
Postcards are in the mail to Illinois low-income senior citizens eligible to ride free on public transit.
The Department on Aging has announced the postcards went to seniors enrolled in the Circuit Breaker program.
Those seniors remain eligible for free rides on public buses and trains.
Free rides are ending for other seniors, although they'll still get reduced fares. Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation in February to limit the ``Seniors Ride Free'' program to low-income seniors.
Seniors in the Circuit Breaker program may need to contact their local public transit agency for a free ride card.
To qualify for Circuit Breaker assistance, an applicant's total income for 2010 must be less than $27,610 for a household size of one.
There's more money in the pipeline to buy new trains for Illinois and other states.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced that Illinois, California, Iowa, Michigan and Missouri will get about $335 million to buy next-generation trains.
That brings the amount of money awarded those five states and Washington state to buy trains to around $782 million.
The transportation department says the funds will go towards purchasing 33 locomotives and 120 bi-level passenger cars.
The states will use a joint procurement process to get favorable prices on the equipment.
Transportation officials say President Barack Obama's administration has kicked in more than $10 billion to lay the groundwork for these and other states to develop higher speed rail networks.
The vast majority of Bloomington-Normal residents don't know much about about the Multimodal Transportation Center in Normal. This is despite a decade of planning, public hearings and debate, massive publicity, and a huge ongoing construction project in the Uptown District. Normal City Manager Mark Peterson says multiple studies were done on public awareness of the center as part of a senior level marketing class at Illinois State University.
Only 20 percent of respondents are aware of the center.
Peterson also says the town choose a new name for the center along with a marketing campaign taken from the ISU class. Work on that will begin after the new Uptown Marketing Director begins work in mid-August and should be unveiled sometime before the project is completed next summer.
Study of the potential for a commuter rail route between Peoria and Bloomington Normal continues with a recommendation for a terminal in East Peoria. Mark Peterson, the City Manager of Normal says a team looked at two locations.
The terminal would be near the river and require only a short drive to a commuter parking lot for people to access the light rail that would use the Norfolk-Southern Tracks. Peterson says the railroad is receptive to passenger traffic on the line that comes into the twin cities near the old Amtrak Station in Bloomington. He says area leaders continue to seek planning grant money.
Peterson says if funds can be secured to buy rolling stock and engines, the project could come together in five years.
The Bloomington Normal Public Transit Board has put off for a few months creating a panel to look at the future of transit. Bloomington City Manager David Hales wanted the issue tabled, in part, because the panel is likely to discuss creating a new taxing body to support the bus system. And Hales opposes that at this time.
Other Transit Board Members say they have already signaled that will be a study topic. They agreed on a delay to allow the new Transit System Manager to come on board and do a financial review of operations and routes.
Normal City Manager Mark Peterson says revenue has to be addressed because the system will not ask the city council's for additional operating money next year. This year a one time donation saved a route set for elimination. Yet demand for busses rose more than eleven percent in the last budget year with an additional 185-thousand riders.
As the city of Springfield waits for the results of a rail corridor study there's another bump in the road, or rail in this case. Springfield Mayor Mike Houston says he has not ruled out a lawsuit if a downtown route is chosen for high speed trains. It now looks as if a final corridor decision could take another year-and-a-half:
Meanwhile U.S. Senator Dick Durbin says a junction SOUTH of Springfield could create congestion, and add another 100-million dollars to the project.
The city of Bloomington is considering installing electric charging stations in town. Four chargers have been offered to Bloomington as part of a federal grant to the town of Normal. If approved, the charging stations will be offered for free public use for five years.
Alderman Robert Fazzini says approving the chargers would make Bloomington part of a positive trend in the country.
The plan includes phasing in credit card readers to charge for the stations after five years. On average, it would cost between one dollar and twenty cents and one dollar and ninety cents to fully charge an electric vehicle.
The Bloomington city council is pledging to give fifty-thousand dollars to continue the Teal J bus route for another year. The town of Normal is matching that amount to save the financially weakest route in both cities.
Interim General Manager of the Bloomington Normal Transit System Dave Anderson says eliminating the Teal J route was his first option, but there was strong opposition. People with disabilities and people with jobs on the east side who have no other options for transportation convinced Anderson that he should find another solution.
Mayor Steve Stockton says the route benefits people who are employed, and people looking for employment.
The sole no vote from the council comes from Alderman Judy Sterns, who does not believe the money is worth the very low ridership of the route.
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has signed two bills into law that aim to increase the use of electric vehicles around the state.
One bill establishes a grant program to help companies purchase electric vehicles for its fleets. The other one creates an electric vehicle advisory council within the administration. The laws take effect immediately.
The new General Manager of the Bloomington Normal Public Transit System comes out of the Waukesha Metro Transit System in Wisconsin. Andrew Johnson was chosen from among 62 applicants and five finalists. Johnson has an MBA and a Bachelor's degree in Finance. He currently oversees all daily operations in his current system. And Johnson says he has had good relations with organized labor...
In his current job, Johnson says he has never been a situation the two sides could not resolve. He will take over a bus system in Bloomington Normal that hired a new manager who departed abruptly under a cloud. The district, faces federal funding cuts and uncertain state support as most transit systems do.
Johnson says after looking over the situation he's pleased with professionalism of the staff and drivers. He will start in Bloomington August 8th after helping his current system in Waukesha, Wisconsin go through a federal audit.
Johnson says sustainability is a pressing theme in transit.
Johnson says all-electric busses are not ready to replace fossil fuel on a regular basis, though they are being tested in Los Angeles.
Johnson's salary will be 112-thousand-dollars a year.
The Mayor of Normal says a high speed rail study using a million dollars in state funding is a waste of money. The study will look at 220-mile an hour service between Chicago and Champaign-Urbana. That's double the speed of the high speed service now being built from Chicago to Saint Louis through Bloomington Normal. Mayor Chris Koos says it's bad policy to study less than the full number of options.
Study advocates say a bullet train line to Champaign Urbana and beyond could complement other enhanced speed service through Bloomington Normal. But, Koos says there are demographic questions.
Supporters of the study, though, say the bullet train could eventually connect to Indianapolis.
Koos also says he believes it doesn't make sense to spend state dollars on what will be a federal project. He says a bullet train route that would take tens of billions of dollars and up to a half century to create would also require federal backing.
The study done at the U of I in Urbana will be done late next year.
The interim head of the Bloomington Normal Public Transit System says it's very possible the Teal J bus line won't be cut afterall. About 35 people, many with disabilities, gathered at a public hearing on the bus system's plan to get rid of the route that runs between Eastland Mall, the Shoppes at College Hills and the Central Illinois Regional Airport. Interim transit chief Dave Anderson says several social service agencies have volunteers and clients who rely heavily on the Teal J.
Anderson had recommended the Teal J be cut in an effort to balance the system's budget for the next fiscal year which begins next month. He says alternatives for saving money include eliminating two administrative system staffers and cutting back on after hours service. Anderson wasn't sure how much money those moves would save. The transit system board needs to approve a new budget by July First.
The head of fleet sales for Mitsubishi's new electric "I" vehicle says certain types of businesses are good bets for his company's product. Tom Miller is in Bloomington Normal stumping for the "" which will start deliveries in March of next year....
DHL, Fed Ex, the Postal Service, and any business that has short distance travel are good bets to buy all-electric vehicles. Miller says even most patrons of airport car rental companies travel less than 60 miles.
Miller says taxi-cab companies can save money because when the car is idling, it doesn't use any charge and other operational costs are lower too.
Mitsubishi's electric vehicle can go only 85 miles between charges, but Miller says cab companies can install fast charging stations that allow an 80-percent charge in a half an hour.
Twin Cities governments are installing charging stations and hope to become a showcase for the new technologgy. Miller says high gas prices have produced a clear advantage to all electric vehicles.
Industry analysts project electric vehicles could be ten to fifteen percent of cars on the road in five years. The federal government has indicated it wants to electrify its fleet within 20 years.
The U-S Transportation Department is issuing more than two billion dollars in additional high speed rail grants. Some states have turned up their noses at high speed rail money. But, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood of Peoria says there were ten billion dollars in 100 requests for two billion available dollars.
More than 268-million dollars will go to midwestern rail corridors to buy 48 high-performance passenger rail cars and seven quick-acceleration locomotives. LaHood says those will have to be built in the U-S.
The Chicago to Saint Louis High Speed Rail Corridor will get an additional 186-million-dollars to upgrade track between Dwight and Joliet in preparation for 110-mile an hour service through Bloomington Normal.
The Chief Operating Officer of the Peoria Chamber of Commerce says she hopes a business survey will turn up ways businesses already use to prevent driving alone. Roberta Parks hopes that survey will produce ideas that can be shared. But, she says reducing ozone levels should not handicap businesses.
Parks says she would be surprised if one cost effective notion is in wide practice.
And Parks says businesses outside the urban core often have no choice but to subsidize parking because the city requires a parking lot. She says in less than a year the Peoria transit system will have bicycle carriers on every bus which will help.
Peoria is on the cusp of being designated a non-attainment area for ozone levels which could trigger limits on emissions and road construction. The area is trying to reduce emissions.
A new study from the Midwest High Speed Rail Association claims that building an 84-billion-dollar high speed rail network centered on Chicago would draw 43-million riders a year. Passenger rail opponents in Congress are trying hard to slash even existing federal funding, making the huge expenditure to create a true bullet train network problematic at best. But, Ric Harnish, the Director of the Association says 220-mile an hour service keeps looking better and better compared to driving....
Illinois is already working on upgrading Amtrak service to 110 miles an hour in the next few years. But, Harnish says beyond that freight rail companies will not accept passenger trains on the same track, so new tracks would have to be built. And he says if you are building a system from scratch, it should be done with current technology to make Illinois competitive with Madrid and other cities with bullet trains. The service would include Saint Louis and other large Midwestern cities. Harnish says such a network running 220 miles an hour with up to 25 trains a day would create billions in economic activity....
Siemens Corporation, which makes high speed rail equipment, also authored the study. The document claims other modes of transportation are at or near capacity.
The speed of trains under discussion is twice that of the routes already planned for the Chicago to Saint Louis Corridor and would reduce a trip from Normal to Chicago to 45 minutes.
The Illinois Department of Transportation has been unable so far to get a grant to conduct its own study of 220-mile an hour service.
Like any agency that receives government funding, the Bloomington Normal Public Transit System is looking at ways to trim costs, including cutting a route. With an eye focused on the uncertain future of both federal and state funding, the Bloomington Normal Public Transit System is looking at efficiencies. The board is considering eliminating the 'teal' J route to lower costs. The route is the only one that runs to the Central Illinois Regional Airport, but Transit spokeswoman Melanie Overend says there are few, and sometimes no passengers on the bus. She says that's due in part to the free parking at the airport. If the route is eliminated, it would reverse a long trend of bus route expansion which has included more frequent runs on some routes, like the Lime 'I' bus, along with universal rider agreements for workers and students at Heartland Community College, Illinois State University, and State Farm.
A spokesman for the union representing bus drivers says they will have a statement following tomorrow afternoon's board meeting.
If you're riding your bike and you run into an open car door, the state of Illinois wants to hear about it.
Governor Pat Quinn says Illinois is now tracking such accidents--known as ``dooring'' crashes.
Quinn's office says the goal is to determine where road improvements and public outreach efforts may be needed to protect bicyclists. The governor says the goal is to make roads safer for everyone.
The Illinois Department of Transportation's Division of Traffic Safety is giving law enforcement agencies across the state instructions on how to begin recording dooring crashes.
Data from police departments that already track dooring collisions, including Chicago, will be included in Illinois' traffic statistics, retroactive to May 2010.
Four dollar a gallon gas might be affecting Amtrak passenger counts through Bloomington Normal. Marc Magliari, a spokesman for the passenger rail service says they're going great guns along the Chicago to Saint Louis corridor and elsewhere in Illinois...
Magliari says the other state supported route, the Hiawatha service, is up nine percent for March. Nationally ridership has risen less than in Illinois, but still grew about five percent from the same month last year. He says passenger counts had been rising even before gas prices spiked, but there has also been more growth since.
Mitsubishi has set the U-S price for its new electric vehicle. Dubbed the "I", the battery-powered car will sell for 27-thousand-990 dollars. That means with the federal income tax credit, buyers can purchase the "I" for 20-thousand-400 dollars. The Japan-based company will begin taking orders for the car Friday. It is expected to be ready for delivery late this year. Through a partnership known as "EV Town" Mitsubishi has promised to make a thousand of the electric cars available for the Bloomington-Normal area over the next three years. Mitsubishi has its only U-S assembly plant located in Normal. The retail price does not include a 720-dollar delivery charge. One analyst says certain California buyers who live and work in the right circumstances will be able to use additional incentives that would cut the cost of the vehicle to eight-thousand dollars.
As Americans celebrate Earth Day, advocates are urging people to look for sustainable ways to commute. Rich Beal is a Vice President at State Farm Bank who bikes to work. He says some of his co-workers feel comfortable riding in what they wear for the job, though he feels better changing clothes...
Beal says on hot days he makes adjustments...
Beal says the main challenge to sustainable commuting is simply planning ahead, paying attention to the weather, and allowing extra time. He takes about 20 minutes to go four miles. Beal says he has to watch the traffic carefully, because drivers on the morning commute sometimes don't pay much attention to bicyclists. Beal says he starts early in the spring and goes through October or November weather permitting. He says he's pleased to reduce his carbon footprint. Some days, though, are hot, and he makes adjustments....
Like any agency that receives government funding, the Bloomington Normal Public Transit System is looking at ways to trim costs, including cutting a route.
WGLT's Jim Browne has the story:
Like any agency that receives government funding, the Bloomington Normal Public Transit System is looking at ways to trim costs, including cutting a route.
WGLT's Jim Browne has the story:
Gov. Pat Quinn wants to see electric cars in the state fleet.
Quinn talked about transportation at an Earth Day summit in Chicago today.
In addition to electric cars, Quinn says he'd also like to see a universal card system for public transportation and Wi-Fi on the commuter rail system Metra. He was the opening speaker at a seminar that featured state and local transportation agencies.
Quinn says Illinois is working to encourage electric vehicle manufacturers to bid for state vehicle business. He says one place they'd fit in are as vehicles on the state's university campuses.
Quinn says the rising cost of gas makes electric cars even more appealing. He says a proliferation of charging stations is the key to successfully deploying electric vehicles.
Construction on the high speed rail track through Bloomington Normal will begin on or near May first. Wayne Aldrich is the Uptown Development Director for the Town of Normal. He says the track renewal train is a very long train that is largely automated...
Aldrich says the train finished by installing new rails. The whole operation can move about two miles per day, though that is slower in a metro area where not all grade crossings can be closed the entire time. Aldrich says gate crossing work, new signals, and fences will be scheduled later. He says there will be a series of detours published for motorists when more is known about the precise plan of work.
The town of Normal has taken delivery of two Mitsubishi "i" electric vehicles it will use for educational and promotional purposes. The small, white cars were driven to Normal city hall last night by Mitsubishi officials, including plant manager Jerry Berwanger. Jeff Pritts, chair of Bloomington-Normal's EV task force, was one of the first to drive one of the cars. He expects to see more on city streets later this year.
Bloomington Republican State Representative Dan Brady also was among the first to drive one of the cars.
O'Brien Mitsubishi in Normal has started taking names of people interested in purchasing the "i" vehicles, which are a US version of Japan's iMeev. The actual pre-order process is expected to being later this month.
A new deal between the state, Amtrak, Union Pacific, labor groups and other companies means Illinois is ready to take the next step in constructing high speed rail infrastructure. The 685-million dollar agreement means work will begin this spring on an updated signal system between Dwight and Alton. April 5th is the targeted start date for constructing new rail track between Lincoln and Dwight using concrete ties. State officials hope the first 110 mile per hour trains along the Chicago to St. Louis corridor will begin chugging on a straight section of track between Pontiac and Dwight sometime next year. The Alton to Dwight section of the corridor is expected to be finished by 2014.
There's very little scientific data linking gas prices to the use of mass transit, according to a spokeswoman for the Bloomington-Normal Public Transit System. Melanie Overend says if ridership does rise in the twin cities, there's enough capacity to handle it without buying new busses. That's good news, because there's currently a long wait to get the vehicles. Overend says the infusion of stimulus, money has many systems lining up to buy busses:
Overend says BNPTS is already waiting for delivery on a couple of buses. She says going to another manufacturer would likely not help, because the demand for the specialty vehicles has resulted in backlogs at all the companies that make them. The former head of Shell Oil said on NPR he expects gas prices to hit five dollars a gallon sometime next year.
Community leaders want to dub Bloomington-Normal "EVtown" and are setting a goal of having a thousand electric powered vehicles on twin cities streets within four years. The Bloomington Normal EV task force is launching a public-private partnership to establish a car-charging infrastructure. Chairman Jeff Pritts says the stations will be located in the busiest areas of town....
Mitsubishi is helping out by promising to reserve for the twin cities a thousand of its new "i" electric vehicles that are being introduced in the United States. The task force and Mitsubishi are enlisting Ohio-based Eaton Corporation to install charging stations. The task force will lease two European versions of the "i" beginning next month as promotional models.
The state of Illinois is entering into an agreement with Mitsubishi to test out a limited number of electric-powered vehicles being introduced into the US by the Japanese automaker. WGLT's Willis Kern reports...
Mitsubishi is helping out by promising to reserve for the twin cities a thousand of it's new "i" electric vehicles that are being introduced in the United States. The task force and Mitsubishi are enlisting Ohio-based Eaton Corporation to install charging stations. The task force will lease two European versions of the "i" beginning next month as promotional models.
Government incentives to get car buyers to switch to electric vehicles could backfire according to an auto industry analyst. Paul Eisenstein of the Detroit-Bureau-dot-com says that's even though electric powered cars would be better for the environment.....
Eisenstein says even a million all-electric vehicles driving an average number of miles per year will sap government revenues by 100-million dollars. And he says hybrid vehicles will also reduce gasoline tax revenues sharply. Some state governments are already talking about ways to tax electric vehicles. Oregon wants to charge owners per mile driven/. But, Eisenstein says that reduces the incentive to buy electric vehicles and may make owners unwilling to put up with the limited geographic ranges for those kinds of cars.
The Constitution Trail could be more usable next winter. Town of Normal and City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation officials are discussing clearing snow off the trail starting next winter. Normal Parks and Rec Director Gary Little says he is recommending that move when two or more inches of snow falls...
Little says the trail could be damaged by salt, so the asphalt would not be down to bare pavement. Little says only three high-use stretches would be scraped or brushed off....from Raab Road to Emerson, Along Raab Road around Prairieland School, and From Towanda Avenue west to the main trail path. Little says his department would not schedule any overtime for the work, so it would be nearly budget neutral. The City of Bloomington has just begun its budgeting process, so plans are less advanced in that city.
The chair of a task force looking into making Bloomington-Normal an electric vehicle friendly community says the progressive nature of the area make it a good place to test the feasiblity of electric cars. WGLT's Jim Browne has more with Jeff Pritts:
The route for Constitution Trail through Uptown Normal could be changing. That's one of the potential results a study of pedestrian access to the new Multimodal Center could yield. WGLT's Willis Kern has more with town of Normal City Manager Mark Peterson.
Normal City Manager Mark Peterson says a commuter rail line from Peoria to the twin cities is very do-able. He says a task force is examining the idea of using Norfolk-Southern lines between Peoria and and old Amtrak station site in Bloomington. He says they could then link to the multi-modal transportation center in Normal...
U-S Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood praised the idea during a February speech in Bloomington and Peterson says they are close to getting federal funding for studies.
The McLean County Board has signed off on an application for federal money to extend the Constitution Trail between Normal and Towanda. The more than four mile stretch from Shelbourne Drive in Normal to County Highway 29 in Towanda would largely use Old Route 66 bed. Board Member Eric Rankin says the extra trail would not only be a recreational asset, it would improve safety for cyclists...
The 96-thousand dollar county share of the largely federally funded project gathered opposition only by board members George Wendt and John Butler. Wendt said with a poor economy, now is not the time to add to governmental burdens. Board member Diane Bostic says the economy will eventually improve and area citizens will be able to take advantage of the nearly two million dollar addition to the hiking and biking system of trails. Construction will take place over two years.
Amtrak says ridership on its rail line between Chicago and St. Louis is up 11 percent over the last fiscal year. Amtrak says that from October 2009 through July, more than a half-million passengers have taken the route. The Chicago-St. Louis route is one of the rail line's most popular, and ridership has been steadily increasing. The Illinois Department of Transportation has received $1.1 billion in federal stimulus money for high-speed trains on the route. Trains will be able to travel up to 110 mph. The improvements will help reduce the travel times between the two cities by 90 minutes and increase the number of daily round trips from five to nine.
A top transportation department official in McLean County over the weekend says the bad economy helps show the value of mass transit. Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff (ROH-gawf) says demand for transit has remained high during the recession...
Rogoff says he recognizes that governmental bodies have fewer resources right now, but he argues they should be putting them toward transit. He says the federal government also tries to offer incentives like the grants that are helping build the Multi Modal Transportation Center and the new Bus District headquarters and terminal building.
A top transportation department official is touring Bloomington Normal's new bus terminal this afternoon. Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff says he hopes planners and government officials will help communities connect the various forms of transportation to make living more sustainable...
Rogoff also says transit districts need to be able to respond to increased demand as people respond to a poor economy or as gas prices increase. Congressman Debbie Halvorson says the new Transit District Terminal is being built in part through two and a half million dollars in recovery act money. The 75-thousand-square foot facility is expected to open in September.
A former executive for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency is the new head of a Chicago-based alternative transportation group.
Ron Burke is an environmental policy specialist who will take over at the Active Transportation Alliance later this month. The alliance advocates for better biking, walking and public transit. It bills itself as the nation's largest transportation advocacy nonprofit organization.
Burke most recently served as Midwest office director of the Union of Concerned Scientists. Before that he worked as associate director at the state EPA.
He is the third executive director in the group's 25-year history.
Normal is moving forward with more fully integrating bicycles into its transportation plan. Town engineers will begin painting bicycles on sections of Adelaide and College Avenues that don't have on-street parking. The move is seen as a compromise to the proposal to ban onstreet parking on certain streets to make way for bike lanes. The painted bike images denote shared bike lanes rather than dedicated paths for bikes only as originally proposed. The stretch of College to be marked with bike images is on the west side from Kingsley to White Oak Road. Adelaide from College to Warriner will be marked for shared bike use. Some councilmembers are asking for shared lanes in the uptown and on the east side as well, and they say enforcement is necessary to make the plan work.
Planning continues for the groundbreaking of Normal's Multi Modal Transportation Center this weekend. Streets will be closed off at five a-m Saturday in the area. Mayor Chris Koos says the event is a significant one for the town and the center will make life more convenient and comfortable for many...
Scheduled to attend the ceremony are U-S Senator Dick Durbin and Congressman Debbie Halvorson. U-S Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood was forced to cancel his attendance. Roads will re-open after noon.
The Green Party candidate for Governor spent the day in Peoria riding busses while talking about sustainable transportation and jobs. Attorney Rich Whitney of Carbondale took public transit from the Metrolink station to RetroTech, an all-volunteer electronics recycling firm. At the bus station, Whitney told reporters a billion dollars spent on rail infrastructure creates seven-thousand more jobs than a billion dollars spent on highways...
Whitney says his so-called "green capital bill" would include new urbanism measures to help curb urban sprawl he says would complement sustainable transportation. He says high speed rail efforts are critical, but sustainable transportation should also include light rail transit between cities and within larger communities.
The withdrawn proposal to create bike lanes on Linden and Gregory Streets in Normal doesn't mean the entire concept is dead. Mayor Chris Koos says bike lanes will likely move forward...
Koos says Jersey is already wide and has no parking, so area residents should not object as they did to Linden and Gregory. Koos admits the process was poorly handled on those streets and more consultation should have been done, even though there were solutions to concerns about parking losses.
Busses on twin city streets could soon see even more students and educators in the seats. Heartland Community College Trustees will vote this evening on a proposal that would allow students, staff, and faculty to ride free by showing their Heartland I.D.'s. Marketing and Public Information executive Director Janet Hill-Getz says it was the students that got the ball rolling:
Getz says students also indicated a willingness to pay higher fees to help fund the deal. The total cost for the campus in north Normal is expected to be around 46-thousand dollars. If trustees agree to the plan, it will go to the Bloomington Normal Public Transit System Board Tuesday for consideration. Illinois State University, Lincoln College, and State Farm Insurance already have such partnerships with the transit system.
Governor Pat Quinn has announced construction will start in September on Illinois's high speed rail corridor from Chicago to Saint Louis. The initial track improvements including new rail and concrete ties will be in southern Illinois between Alton and Springfield. Workers will hop over Springfield because of a study on track alignment in that city and continue later through Bloomington Normal and on to Chicago. The track improvements on the initial 90 mile stretch could be done by the end of the year. The goal is to have rail travel from Chicago to Saint Louis take less than four hours. One point one Billion dollars in federal stimulus money is funding the project. Meanwhile, work on the Multi-modal transportation center in Uptown Normal is gearing up in anticipation of the arrival of the high speed trains.
Bicycles will no longer be allowed to race along uptown Normal sidewalks, or the pedestrian walk-way of the town's traffic circle. The city council last night voted to ban both activities, and impose a 50-dollar fine on violators as an incentive. The new law means cyclists using the Constitution Trail will have to dismount, walk their bikes by the traffic circle, then get back on their bikes to continue using the recreation trail.
llinois State University is combining it's on-going recycling efforts with education as a group of undergraduate students converts cooking oil into fuel. Tom Bierma is the lead faculty member on the biodiesel project. He says almost any diesel engine can run just fine on the re-processed cooking oil:
Bierma says right now the campus converts 50 gallons of deep fryer oil into fuel at a time for the I-S-U recycling truck, and a few off road vehicles. He says the dinning halls produce about 6-Thousand gallons of waste fryer oil annually, and if it were all converted, it would power about half the schools diesel machines.
There's mixed news on high speed rail appropriations for the next federal budget year.The House Appropriations committee has approved slightly more than the Obama Administration asked. But, the one point two billion dollars is far less than the four billion a coalition of rail interests had sought. Rick Harnish of the Midwest High Speed Rail Association says the glass is still half full...
Harnish also notes House lawmakers have given highway funding significantly more. Harnish says there is still a lot of time and room for high speed rail investment numbers to move before the budget is finalized late this fall.
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