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| Group Says Better Economy Equals Better Transportation |
Transportation is a must to boost our state's economic performance, according to one non-profit group.
Chicago Metropolis 2020 on Sunday released a report which proposes a new perspective on transportation -- to see it not as an end in itself but as a means to produce long term employment and economic expansion.
Chicago Metropolis 2020 spokesman Jim LaBelle says the Illinois economy from Rockford to East St. Louis has changed over the last several decades.
The report says that tourism and business will grow and freight volumes will likely double within 20 years and Illinois must be prepared for it.
Proposals include:
* Consolidate county into county governments the responsibility for building and maintaining roads and bridges in 1,400 townships to cut government costs.
* Create an Illinois Freight Authority to plan, fund and coordinate freight system improvements, in order to maintain Illinois' status as freight capital of the U.S.
* Redesign and increase investment in Chicago's transit system.
* Expand transit in Bloomington-Normal, Decatur, Peoria and Illinois' other metropolitan areas.
* Double the gas tax and reserve a portion of the new revenue for transit.
* Ensure rural residents have access to on-demand transit options.
* Expand the use of tolling to better manage traffic and fund improvements.
* Create a reliable, convenient passenger rail system to connect the state's metropolitan areas.
* Stimulate investment in freight centers including the development of intermodal cargo port facilities in Southern Illinois.
On line: www.chicagometropolis2020.org
(Illinois Radio Network) |
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| 09 13 10 by Newsroom |
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