The Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District (CUMTD) board unanimously approved several resolutions Wednesday, including the operations budget for the fiscal year that began Thursday, as well as an agreement with T.Y. Lin International, an infrastructure consulting firm, to study bus and bicycle safety in Champaign-Urbana.
“It’s been a long time since I saw this many bicycles in the community,” Board Chairman Willard Broom said.
With the notice of an increase in bicycle use on campus, CUMTD Managing Director Bill Volk said the University is already working toward establishing a bike plan on campus to make bicycle lanes on campus more efficient.
Some changes brought about by the plan could affect the CUMTD, prompting their move to work with T.Y. Lin International to develop ways for buses and bicycles to safely share the road.
The proposed study will examine the bike plan and how it would impact the MTD structure, Volk said.
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“It’s a defensive move on our part,” he added.
A public hearing was also held before the board meeting Wednesday. Several concerned residents attended to voice their thoughts, including Jennifer Putman, a 40-year resident of Champaign County and former Champaign County Board member.
Putman told the board how pleased she was with CUMTD for maintaining its $60 annual pass in spite of the economic downturn.
“It’s a great value for your dollar,” she said.
Another area resident, Susan Taylor, asked the board to consider the noise issues plaguing her and her neighbors along West University Avenue.
“Our block suffers from noises from four types of buses,” Taylor said, citing the MTD’s Orange route, Not-In-Service buses, school buses and Greyhound buses.
Taylor also asked the board about upcoming changes to the Orange route, one of several routes being revised in August.
Other routes also experiencing changes in August are the Red, Green, Brown and Teal lines.
A public hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, July 7, from 4 to 6 p.m., at Illinois Terminal, 45 E. University Ave., about the route and schedule changes for the fall.
Jan Kijowski, marketing director for CUMTD, also presented the board with the results of a public telephone survey of residents from Champaign, Urbana and Savoy. The survey, which was done in early April, found that 91 percent of respondents rated the CUMTD as good or excellent, an increase from 72 percent in 2005.
Kijowski also reported that “98 percent of riders were satisfied with their MTD experience.”
Earlier in the meeting, Volk had also said that over 12 million riders were reported to have used CUMTD in the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2009, and ending June 30, 2010.
“It was a good year from a ridership standpoint,” he said.
