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Group Supports More Rural Transit Options
An environmental group says residents of rural areas need transportation other than their own cars -- the sort of thing a Knox County group has been working on.

Howard Learner, director of the Environmental Law and Policy Center, says the issue isn't strictly environmental either.

Learner believes in many cases, having a rural transit system in parts of Illinois is just plain practical.

"For many years, transportation in rural communities has been cars and pickups and highways and bridges," Learner said. "But, we ought to be more creative than that. We ought to find more options for people. These days, senior citizens are about a third of the people living in some rural communities. For some people who are disabled, cars aren't always a good option."

Learner also suggests the proposed addition of high speed rail service in parts of rural Illinois will help -- providing nearly instant access to places like Chicago and Saint Louis and even elsewhere throughout the Midwest, if the full Midwest high-speed rail network were to come to fruition.

Speaking of transit, Learner says he'd also like to see what in many areas is a dying inter-city bus service replaced with more on-demand-type transportation services.
08 09 10 by Newsroom
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