Comment EI-13135
Received or sent (printed as 9/24/2008)
Regarding: the proposed purchase of the EJ and E rail line by Canadian National. I am very concerned about the negative impact this sale/purchase will have on our community: from the obvious - traffic delays/congestion, safety on our roads, extra noise and polution to the more subtle but heart of the matter - the impact on our children and our families. How? More train traffic and longer trains means longer waits at the crossing therefore longer time to/from school and after school activities for many children. According to Indian Prairie Superintendent Dr. Stephen Daeschner this will have significant impact on our school transportation system", as he has already outlined for you. Further, the trains will greatly impact already long commute times for many parents resulting in less family time and way more stress. We have many crossings on major commute routes that do NOT have an overpass - Diehl Road b/w Rte 59 and Eola; Liberty Rd b/w Rte 59 & Eola; Ogden Ave, Montgomery Rd, but you already know this. I encourage you to take a morning rush hour drive Montgomery Rd down Eola to Diehl to 88 & then consider exactly how dramatic even a 10 minute train delay will be to traffic flow. Addtionally, with the new high school on Eola, we will already have an influx of traffic, inexperienced TEEN drivers on this Eola route. Now you add in a few morning trains that back up traffic during the rush hour w/ commuters and Teens all vying to arrive on time, and without sounding cliche that's just an accident waiting to happen. You might think that I am exaggerating the impact of one 10 minute delay, but think of the back up with a minor fender bender or a routine traffic stop (& that allows for traffic to keep moving). Just this a.m. at 5:15 I had to wait for the train to cross at Diehl - thankfully, I caught the tail end as sometimes these trains creep forward then back up, again and again! It is disconcerting that despite public outcry and concerns raised by our aldermen and school officials that this sale could move forward. AND, that IF it does move forward, we, as a community, will foot the bill for mitigation of the resulting transportation and safety issues rather than Canadian National. This is just the tip of the iceberg as to the negative cause/effect on our community's day to day. Thank you for your consideration and time. Sincerely, Cari Pellegrini"
Submitted by: Cari Pellegrini
The Board publishes this comment in its environmental-comment table for this proceeding. It is quoted here as printed; nothing is inferred from it, and it states the commenter's own position in their own words, not this record's.
Permanent address docketyard.org/d/FD-35087/comment/EI-13135 · back to the docket sheet