'Ride in Kane' near starting line at last
Buses and cabs: New paratransit system is a leap forward for county
BY
STEVE LORD
Aurora Beacon
January 26, 2008
GENEVA -- As Darlene Marcusson spoke Friday, she told of how she really
was representing someone else. Her friend, Pat, would love to have been at the
kickoff of Ride in Kane, a new comprehensive paratransit system for all of Kane
County. But he is dependent on special paratransit rides and could not get to
the Kane County Government Center.
Ride in Kane
• Service begins on new paratransit system: Feb.
16
• Number to call (beginning Feb. 15) to register: (888)
480-8549
• Cost of ride: $3 up to 10 miles; additional $1.50 each mile
after that
She also spoke about her friend, Bill, who was permanently
injured when a car hit him while he was riding his bicycle home from work at
midnight.
"The driver didn't do anything wrong; he just did not see him
because he didn't expect a bicycle to be on the roads at midnight," she
said.
Beginning Feb. 16, both her friends will be able to get rides at
any time of day, to any destination within Kane County. That is when people can
begin riding as part of the Ride in Kane program, combining paratransit buses
with handicapped-access and private, subsidized cab service.
For $3 for
any ride up to 10 miles, and $1.50 a mile after that, people can get to and from
work, the store, doctor's appointments or anywhere else. The system replaces
Dial-A-Ride services and similar systems.
Now, political boundaries such
as city or township lines will not matter. A person needing to get somewhere in
Kane County can do so by calling one central number.
"This is exactly how
it is supposed to work," said state Rep. Tim Schmitz, R-Batavia, one of a number
of area political dignitaries at Friday's kickoff. "Political boundaries are
done. This is just all Kane County."
Also on hand Friday was the person
with a lot of the money for Ride In Kane, Steve Schlickman, the Regional
Transportation Authority director. The RTA provides some of the local match, as
well as being the conduit for about $2.4 million in federal transit money coming
to the county for the program.
The local match also is coming from
governmental and private agencies, such as the cities of Geneva and St. Charles,
who committed their $60,000 Dial-a-Ride money to the program, and private
agencies and the Association for Individual Development. In total, governmental
and private agencies committed $1.7 million toward the program.
County
Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay called Ride in Kane "a bold step
forward."
"This bridges the boundaries of many local governments and
private agencies," she said. "By working together, we were able to pool
resources."
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Annual Call for Projects
June 2008
FFY 2008 JARC/NF Application
FFY 2008 JARC/NF Program
Call for Projects Released
July 10, 2008
RTA Programs Open House
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
University Center- Loop/River Room
525 South State Street
Chicago, Illinois 60605
August 8, 2008
FFY 2008 JARC/NF Applications
Due by 4:00 p.m. CST
August-September 2008
Selection Process and
Applicant Follow-up
September 2008
CMAP Endorsement of Proposed
FFY 2008 Program of Projects
October 2008
RTA Board Approval of Proposed
FFY 2008 Program of Projects
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