this just shows what is wrong with the public transit process, they have to dance through hoops to get even the most logical projects done. They shouldn't even have to ask for community support, if qualified people say that a stop there makes sense then just do it. Heck, they should have a stop at 16th and cermak.
You have to wonder if any new lines will ever be constructed after the decades it will take to do feasibility studies, alternatives analysis, impact studies, just freakin' grab the land and build the damn thing. If there is one area other than education where you can generally throw indiscriminate amounts of money and expect a return on investment, it's in infrastructure. Due process blows.
also, you have to remember that its not just the condo commandos that make up nimbies. the ghetto communities have some of the worst nimbies out there.
The "i want to pretend i still live in bloomingdale" nimby doesn't want the new stop because it will encourage new development thus bring more people, life, action to the area (things most of us consider good in an urban environment)
The "i do nothing to help my neighborhood because we're disenfranchised" nimby doesn't want the new stop because it means new people will be heading into their area and they'll lose the power they have in the community. They don't care if their community stagnates just so long as they control what happens (i.e. pretty much the entire south side, especially chatham)
And if people in the area are worried about crime, they shouldn't be. All the gang bangers already hang out at the roosevelt station when they either come over from douglas park on the #12 bus (like the 3 guys who murdered another by pushing a kid onto the tracks) or from the green or red line.
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