LINCOLN SQUARE — It's deja vu all over again as busloads of angry citizens plan to converge on Chicago Transit Authority headquarters Monday to protest the elimination of the No. 11 Lincoln Avenue bus and rally support for the route's return.
Similar to 2012, when hundreds of residents packed CTA's annual budget hearing to complain about service cuts — including the Western-to-Fullerton leg of the No. 11 — Ald. Ameya Pawar (47th) is once again chartering buses to transport people to the meeting.
"Please join me to demonstrate our community's support for the reversal of this decision, which has affected so many residents and businesses along Lincoln Avenue," he wrote Thursday in an email to constituents.
"Together, we can show the CTA that our community will continue fighting for the restoration of this critical piece of neighborhood infrastructure," he said.
The CTA's position, laid out in 2012 and reiterated in statements since, is that the No. 11 route between Western and Fullerton is redundant with "L" service at nearby Brown Line stations.
But a survey of residents, conducted in late summer by the 47th Ward office, showed 85 percent of the 2,500 respondents rejected the CTA's claim.
The CTA's public hearing regarding the agency's proposed 2015 budget is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, 567 W. Lake St.
Those interested in hitching a ride with one of the 47th Ward charters to attend the meeting should email info@chicago47.org or call 773-868-4747 to reserve a seat and receive a list of pick-up locations.
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