[il-talk] Fw: Pace Moving Forward: October 28, 2011

[Hap Holly]

Many thanks, Robert, for posting this newsletter.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert A Hansen" <roberthansen33 at yahoo.com>
To: "NFB I'll Talk" <il-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, October 30, 2011 7:40 AM
Subject: [il-talk] Fw: Pace Moving Forward: October 28, 2011



------Original Message------
From: Govt Affairs
To: Govt Affairs
Subject: Pace Moving Forward: October 28, 2011
Sent: Oct 28, 2011 4:39 PM

Thank you for subscribing to the text-only version of Pace's weekly 
e-newsletter, Moving Forward. If at any time, you have questions, feedback, 
or wish to change or update your subscription, please reply to this message 
or contact us at govt.affairs at pacebus.com.

Thank you,
Pace External Relations

+ + + + +

Pace Moving Forward
Volume 8, Issue 21
October 28, 2011

Bus on Shoulder Project Begins Nov. 14
The Chicago region suffers from some of the worst traffic congestion in the 
U.S. Travel times and the cost of driving continue to rise. Commuters 
heading to Chicago from the southwest suburbs who have always wished they 
could simply go around the traffic jams plaguing I-55 will finally have 
their chance on November 14 with the advent of the Bus on Shoulder pilot 
project, a joint program with participation from Pace, IDOT and RTA.
Amendments to the Illinois Vehicle Code passed by the General Assembly and 
signed by Governor Quinn earlier this year set the guidelines for the 
project that include the following:
-Only Pace buses can use the shoulder, and are limited to designated 
sections of I-55 between the hours of 5am-9am for inbound trips, and 3pm-7pm 
for outbound trips.
-Buses can only use the shoulder for travel when traffic in the regular 
lanes is flowing at 35mph or less.
-When on the shoulder, buses can travel at a max speed of 35mph or 15mph 
more than the flow of traffic- whichever is less.
-Each bus is well-marked with signage clearly indicating it is authorized to 
use the shoulder.
The program guidelines are closely modeled after those used in Minneapolis, 
where a Bus on Shoulder program has existed for more than a decade. Similar 
operations also exist in Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio and Miami, Florida. 
The Illinois State Police will vigilantly enforce traffic laws and will 
ticket other cars that attempt to illegally follow buses onto the shoulder.
A webinar has been scheduled to present the concept and guidelines to anyone 
interested and unable to attend a public forum held earlier this week. The 
webinar will be held Thursday, November 3 at 12 noon and will be posted 
afterward to the PaceSuburbanBus YouTube channel. Webinar registration is 
available at www.pacebus.com.
The program impacts Pace Express Routes 755 and 855, connecting free 
Park-n-Rides in Plainfield, Romeoville, Bolingbrook and Burr Ridge with the 
Illinois Medical District (755), and downtown Chicago (855). Visit 
pacebus.com for more information.

ASSOCIATED PHOTO CAPTION: The coach buses that will be used on routes 755 
and 855 for the Bus on Shoulder program feature high-backed reclining seats, 
free Wi-Fi and a special livery that includes messaging that the bus is 
authorized to use the shoulder.

Hybrids Come to Schaumburg's DART
The first Pace-owned hybrid vehicles in the agency's fleet are in operation 
on the Village of Schaumburg's DART service, a local program offering 
dial-a-ride service anywhere within Schaumburg and to Harper College in 
Palatine. The vehicles were purchased for Pace by IDOT using federal TIGGER 
(Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction) funds. Pace 
received ten of the hybrid vehicles from IDOT- the five now in use in 
Schaumburg and the others operating Dial-a-Ride and paratransit service in 
the Elgin Area.
Pace is carefully monitoring the performance of the hybrid vehicles as the 
agency plans for future vehicle purchases and investment in green 
technology. "Before making a large scale investment of taxpayer dollars, we 
want to do our due diligence to review the various forms of green technology 
available," said Pace Chairman of the Board Richard Kwasneski. "We want to 
do what's going to be the most cost-effective and reliable in both the short 
and long term." Pace is also reviewing data on the advantages of CNG-powered 
vehicles.
For more information on Schaumburg's DART program, visit 
www.ci.schaumburg.il.us.

The newsletter for stakeholders of America's most efficient suburban transit 
agency www.pacebus.com Customer Relations: (847) 364-7223 Copyright 2011, 
Pace Suburban Bus



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