A FINE EXAMPLE of how Transit Planning SHOULD work -- As opposed to CTA's attitude of: "We DON'T give a FLYING P H U C K what you want or don't want!!!
http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/...b342123491.txt
By Michigan City Mayor Ron Meer and City Planner Craig Phillips
Michigan City, IN
Published: Friday, February 15, 2013 5:06 PM CST
More than 130 citizens gathered for a workshop last Thursday on the South Shore realignment project and work they did! After remarks by Mayor Meer and City Planning Director Craig Phillips and a presentation by the City’s consultant, Stuart Sirota, of TND Planning Group, who presented several updated alignment concepts for consideration, citizens gathered in small groups at tables and discussed the pros and cons of each alignment alternative. The updated concepts were developed in order to explore ways to overcome the negative impacts associated with the earlier options presented in the formal TIGER II Realignment Study, while providing substantial benefits to both Michigan City and NICTD.
After an hour of deliberation, a spokesperson for each table presented the results to the full group. The overwhelming result by citizens was support for the revised central option, which keeps the South Shore Line on 10th and 11th Streets but provides a more incremental approach to improving South Shore Line operations without many of the negative impacts associated with the earlier proposal. While the northern option variant also was highly supported, it was felt that there are also numerous potential impacts which could impede revitalization of the North End. At the same time, the southern option variant was ruled out by a majority of the tables taking part in the discussion because most participants understood the importance of keeping the South Shore Line station in close proximity to Downtown in order to leverage redevelopment opportunities associated with Transit Oriented Development (TOD).
It is important to note that although there are differing viewpoints, the process in which we engage the community to help inform the decision is every bit as important as the final outcome. It was inspiring to see a room full of citizens engaged in this critical issue that will impact Michigan City for the next 100 years.
There is no doubt that the road ahead will have bumps and detours as we negotiate with NICTD, but the public process worked last Thursday and will have an impact on the position that the city takes regarding the realignment alternative. The Central option variant has not been ruled out by NICTD, and is actually a major subject of current negotiations with them. We are hopeful that NICTD will stay engaged with the city and show willingness to compromise in order to achieve a fair and balanced outcome.
Mr. Sirota and the team of railroad experts he has assembled from world renowned transportation consulting firm Parsons Brinckerhoff collectively bring over 100 years of technical expertise about rail operations, design, engineering and city planning to Michigan City and will continue to advise the city on the best course of action.
It is critical that the public stays engaged in this issue by continuing to participate in the public process and by visiting the “South Shore Realignment in Michigan City” Facebook page, which shares regular updates on the project and has links to the City’s NICTD realignment webpage.