In-depth reporting by Illinois Public Media News
Listen to the latest Illinois Public Media Newscast:
Play now:
Story category: transportation
Getting Rural Residents Where They Need to Be
Story air date: Thursday, June 30, 2011
The Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District gives passengers about 10 million rides each year. But as Dan Petrella of CU-CitizenAccess reports, for Champaign County’s rural residents, getting where they need to go isn’t as easy as walking to the nearest bus stop.
(Photo by Dan Petrella)
Audio archives:
Play now:
Download: mp3 file
Story links:
- Rural Poverty Presents Unique Challenges (Related Story)
- CRIS Rural Transit
- Champaign County Rural Transit Advisory Group
Story categories:
community life • government • Champaign County • United States • transportation • urban planningLIFE ON ROUTE 150: Racing Tradition Kept Alive in Farmer City
Story air date: Sunday, June 12, 2011
Traveling along Route 150, you’ve got to obey the rules of the road, but at one popular hangout in Farmer City, those same rules don’t apply. Illinois Public Media’s Sean Powers took a trip there for the wild and fast world of dirt late model racing as part of the series “Life on Route 150.”
(Photo by Sean Powers/WILL)
Audio Slideshow of the Farmer City Raceway
Historical Photos of the Farmer City Raceway
Audio archives:
Play now:
Download: mp3 file
Story links:
Story categories:
history • sports • transportationThe Arguments For -- and Against -- Olympian Drive
Story air date: Tuesday, March 23, 2010
The debate over the Olympian Drive extension will continue at an Urbana City Council committee-of-the-whole meeting in three weeks. Council members have put off a decision on a state-funded design engineering study for the road. It would be just the latest phase in a long-standing project that Mayor Laurel Prussing says would bring economic development --- and jobs --- to the north edge of the city. But opponents like Bill and Virginia Ziegler (left) and Leslie Cooperbrand (right) argue it would do more harm than good. AM 580’s Jim Meadows reports on the Olympian Drive debate.
Audio archives:
Play now:
Download: mp3 file
Story links:
Story categories:
business • community life • government • Champaign • Champaign County • Urbana • transportation • urban planningWalk to School
Story air date: Thursday, October 09, 2008
Some grade schools in Champaign-Urbana could soon see a lot more of their students forgo at least part of the morning bus ride.
Around 2-thousand kids from 12 schools participated in International Walk to School Day Wednesday. It’s aimed at promoting fitness and pedestrian safety. The students were accompanied by parents, teachers, police, and area officials as part of the annual event. But some of those parents could be recruited on a more regular basis. Rose Hudson is the local event co-chair:
The schools are really starting to take some ownership of it by really taking the day and incorporating more of their students by having the bussed students dropped off a block or two from school and feel like they’re more a part of it. We get more parents that will actually walk or bike with their kids in the morning.
A $25,000 federal ‘Safe Routes to School’ grant pays for not only today’s events… but a bike rodeo, which encourages the wearing of helmets and another safety tips… and billboard campaign to remind motorists of proper rules to follow when driving through school zones.
Nearly 4-million people in 40 countries participated in International Walk to School Day.
