No Bike-N-Ride In St. Clair County Illinois
ABOVE: A bike rack on the front of a Metro bus at the CWE station
Using bike racks on the front of local buses is a great way to combine two efficient modes of transportation but interestingly those in St. Clair County don’t know the benefits.
Sometimes two-wheel transportation just isn’t enough to get you there. All MetroBus vehicles, except those in St. Clair County, IL, are equipped with easy-to-use external bike carriers. (emphasis added)
The above is the first sentence of Metro’s Bike-N-Ride page. Really, no bike racks? Metro buses in Missouri all have racks as do buses operated by Madison County Transit.
ABOVE: Bike rack on a Madison County Transit bus at 5th & Missouri in East St. Louis IL
I found it hard to believe that one county in our region had bus service sans bike-n-ride. I had to see for myself.
ABOVE: Metro bus without a bike rack at 5th & Missouri in East St. Louis, IL
Sure enough, the buses operated by Metro and serving St. Clair County IL don’t have bike racks. I’ve been told if a bus from Missouri is reassigned to St. Clair County the rack is removed. For me this is a “WTF?” moment.
ABOVE: Metro bus without bike rack at the Belleville IL MetroLink station
Don’t blame Metro, they are under contract with the St. Clair County Transit District:
The St. Clair County Transit District (SCCTD) was created in 1981 under the Illinois Mass Transit District Act. SCCTD does not operate any buses directly but has executed contracts with others to provide transportation service for the fifteen townships that make up the District. The fifteen Townships in the District include:Belleville, Canteen, Caseyville, Centreville, East St. Louis, Engelmann, Lebanon, Mascoutah, O’Fallon, St. Clair, Shiloh Valley, Smithton, Stites, Stookey, Sugarloaf
How is it possible that a transit board, appointed by the chairman of the St. Clair County board, could short change so many? So I asked why no bike-n-ride. I received a very prompt reply:
“Because the chairperson of the st. Clair county transit district board does not want them on the buses. Her name is Delores Lysakowski. You can contact her mon- fri at 618-628-8090.”
ABOVE: bikes at the Belleville IL MetroLink station in St. Clair County
So one person decided an entire county should receive a different level of bus service than others in the region! Thankfully she hasn’t disconnected the wheelchair lifts — yet. If you disagree with Delores Lysakowski’s decision to prevent bike-n-ride in St. Clair County, please contact St. Clair County Transit to let them know.
- Steve Patterson
