The Eisenhower Expressway Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) St

IDOT is required to study all the possible options. They
have postponed and NOT studied Park-N-Ride express transit service that would
provide a direct west I-290 corridor-to/from-downtown transit service. Such
service would be quicker than typical rush-hour vehicle travel times - and
provide west corridor commuters a viable option (as identified by a 2010
Chicago Tribune poll.) With express rapid transit, the result will be fewer vehicles
and thereby less congestion on I-290.

The Metropolitan Council 2030 Transportation Policy Plan
calls for regional transit capital will be invested to "expand the local
and express bus system and develop a network of rail and bus transitways to
meet the 2030 goal of DOUBLING TRANSIT RIDERSHIP and the 2020 goal of a 50%
ridership increase."

On the contrary, the IDOT Round 1 study simply looked at
existing transit without examining transit alternatives that actually will show
improvement to I-290 travel performance. Unfortunately, IDOT'S four selected
Round 3 ALTERNATIVES HAVE BEEN CALCULATED TO REDUCE RATHER THAN INCREASE THE
SHARE OF TRANSIT RIDERSHIP.

IDOT also proposes to convert existing transit easements in
the corridor the vehicle easements - thereby negating planning efforts made at
the inception of the Eisenhower to provide express transit service. This
petition requires IDOT to maintain existing rail / transit easements - that may
be utilized by express High-Capacity or Personal Rail Transit. This petition
requests that IDOT analyze Express HCT and PRT service from Park-N-Ride
facilities (similar in convenience to ITHA 'Oasis' models) as a viable means of
shifting to transit the larger market currently served by vehicles in the I-290
corridor.