A recently released Galesburg Public Transportation Vision Plan emphasizes the need for reimagined fixed routes and expanded transit options that serve the City of Galesburg and Knox County.
The plan, which was conducted over a 12-month period between December 2023 and December 2024, was unveiled during a presentation before Monday’s Galesburg City Council meeting.
“Overall, the GPT team is very happy with the finding of the study and are appreciative of the grant funds received to complete the study,” said Galesburg Transit Manager Kraig Boynton. “The study will provide a starting point and road map for GPT to work towards these improvements as well as providing necessary information to IDOT to help secure additional funding to help cover the costs of expanding into the county.
“Not all of these ideas will magically happen overnight; but this study opportunity has provided a map for GPT to work with the city, county, state and other community partners to better serve the citizens of our county.”
Here are some key findings of the plan, according to Boynton. You can view the full plan below:
Focus on bi-directional service (Short-term)
“GPT currently utilizes a looped system with routes that have remained pretty consistent since the 1990’s,” Boynton said. “The consulting team from Nelson-Nygaard recommend shifting to a bi-directional system which will increase the frequency of the bus on the route and provide for shorter ride times for patrons.
“Although we see this as an immediate improvement, it will require IDOT approval of the new routes, ensuring the budget can handle an additional route, and ensuring we have equipment in place to serve the routes. We are currently at least a year out on new fixed route buses from the State’s Consolidated Vehicle Procurement Program.”
Streamline service and reduce duplication (Short-term)
“The newly proposed bi-directional routes will provide for more efficient service to destinations, reducing routes following the same pattern and allowing for GPT to reach our riders faster and more frequently,” Boynton said.
Provide new demand response service throughout Knox County (Short-term)
According to Boynton, “One of the driving factors behind this study is the state’s desire for Knox County to have available public transportation countywide. We are one of only four counties left in the state that do not offer countywide transportation. By being able to offer an on-demand service for those in need of ride assistance out in the County, we will be able to provide opportunities for those individuals to potentially get to work, obtain groceries, get necessary medical services, or attend social gatherings. This service would allow many individuals to remain independent. I envision this taking 3-5 years to fully build out; but will ultimately be dependent on funding from the state as well as supply of equipment (fleet).”
Included in the long-term plan were were possible limited-stop service between Galesburg and Abingdon via Route 41, and regional limited-stop service between Galesburg and Monmouth via US 34.
Improve bus stop infrastructure and visibility (Short-term)
“One of the concerns presented by the consultant was that unless you really knew what you were doing, it could be hard to navigate the current system,” Boynton said. “Some of their recommendations included going to a designated stop system with signage designating the stop and potential shelters for high frequency stops in lieu of offering a flag stop service.
“The idea is that this will make it so patrons are clear on locations where they will enter or exit the bus as well as keeping the bus system on time.”
Serve new destinations (Short-term)
“As mentioned before, the fixed route system map has remained pretty consistent since the 1990’s,” Boynton said. “The newly designed routes proposed by Nelson Nygaard take into consideration where people are living now that would potentially utilize the fixed route system as well as where they need to go (i.e. work, groceries, medical, etc.) The newly proposed routes address how our community has changed.”
Establish a new transfer center (Long-term)
According to Boynton, “While designing the new routes, the Nelson Nygaard team were asked to take into consideration that the state is also looking for interoperability. This means that ideally a person would be able to step off of a train at the Amtrak station or bus with Trailways and easily find a public transit system that they could utilize to get where they need to go in Galesburg. A designated spot in the future would be of benefit for this purpose as well as alleviating some of obstacles patrons face when we have to move our current downtown on the street transfer point due to other events occurring downtown.
“Further, a dedicated area would provide additional safety for the patrons as they transfer buses. The process for completing this realistically would be five plus years when considering property acquisition, design, and development as well as funding.”
