Why is the city so Hell bent on approving, again and again, new centers of living and shopping far, far away from the core of the city?

Every new strip mall out in the hinterlands doubles the miles that Peoria needs to plow and doubles the miles of sewer and water lines we have to build. And when we move these things north, we also move crime, and we worsen crime and despair when we move job opportunities away from where people live, and we move families away from other family members who are their support system.

And I am thinking that we need to implement changes in how we think about public transit. When I lived in Randolph-Roanoke neighborhood, I had to literally get in my car to drive to Campustown to use the free internet at Starbucks (I use a cane so walking the mile or so to get there isn’t an option). I would much rather have walked down to Main Street and caught a bus that came by every 15 minutes. Especially after I lost the ability to drive.

Peoria needs bus lines that are self-contained within neighborhoods. Call them “neighborhood circulators.” These will strengthen neighborhoods, support LOCAL neighborhood businesses and strengthen older, core communities. They would also provide a link between major bus lines and give more people an opportunity to use public transportation all over the city.

Imagine there were two or three local buses dropping and picking up passengers at the former Aldi store on Western. I rather doubt the South Side would be the grocery ghetto it is now.

And let’s not forget about the Warehouse District. There should be a circulator line running down Adams and Jefferson linking the Warehouse District with the nearby downtown. Right now, the Warehouse District is a pedestrian paradise … if there were any pedestrians living there.

A project like this can only contribute to the health of the city, and the city as a taxing body should pick up some if not most of the cost.

Right now, there might not be a lot of bus customers for these circulators. But there will be as the city becomes more New Urbanist. It would be worth an increase in taxes.

An accident waiting to happen at Union and Moss Avenue

I don’t drive anymore (long story), but an alert reader pointed this out to me. Northbound drivers on Union are now greeted by a stop sign at the intersection with Moss Avenue. Coming to a complete stop is problematic when driving a manual “stick” transmission. After they come to a complete stop, they then have a tendency to roll backwards a bit, making a collision more likely, especially if the driver behind them is a tad too close.

My source tells me he complained, and was treated politely, but is worried nothing will be done.

I used to experience the same problem at the intersection between northbound MacArthur Highway and Moss. Take your foot off the brake even for a moment to accelerate and you risk rolling backwards into the car parked behind you.

Billy Dennis is the owner and creator of the blog The Peoria Pundit and created The Blog Peoria Project. he also is a regular columnist for The Community Word.