Transportation and Mobility Subcommittee

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Work to Date

The Transportation and Mobility Sub-Committee has sought to understand the key hindrances to mobility in Peoria’s underserved and disadvantaged areas. With that understanding, we are committed to enhancing the transportation infrastructure of our region in order to attract prospective businesses, match residents with available job openings, and bring prosperity to everyone. The Sub-Committee started its work by reviewing the available data regarding transportation disparities among Peoria citizens, noting serious issues with car ownership in an area that is heavily dependent on personal vehicle transportation.

Committee Members:

  • Antwaun Banks
  • Kathy Brown
  • Lenora Fisher
  • Tina Foley
  • Lorene King
  • Catherine Lawless
  • Ronald Rasberry
  • Ursula Towne
  • Mary Peterson, Steering Committee Liaison

Next Steps

Our Sub-Committee will be working with like-minded local agencies to develop solutions to the identified problems. We have identified several local organizations to partner with on this initiative including Peoria County, Central Illinois Agency on Aging, Illinois Pupil Transportation Advisory Committee, Illinois Central College, Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce, Greater Peoria Economic Development Council, Tri-County Regional Planning Commission, Greater Peoria Mass Transit District (CityLink/ CityLift), and private organizations like Support A Friend Transportation.

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Indicators of Racial Disparity

Transportation is a critical factor in accessing education, jobs and services that allow all residents to fulfill their potential. Peoria’s prosperity depends upon the ability of residents to travel to their places of work and of freight to move freely throughout the region.

Proximity to Critical Services

Map showing proximity to critical services in PeoriaThis map from the Greater Peoria Mass Transit District (GPMTD) Microtransit Study of 2021 confirms that areas of Peoria that are populated by a majority of people of color (zip codes 61602, 61603, and 61605) are food deserts, lacking any grocery stores that sell fresh produce, meat, and fish. These areas are well served by public transportation (city buses) during the weekdays, but less so in the evenings and on weekends. Yet even with bus stops within a half mile of your residence, it’s difficult to buy a week’s worth of groceries when you are depending on a city bus as your primary means of transport.

Dependence on Public Transportation

Not only are Black people much more likely to use a city bus to get to and from work, they are about six times more likely than Whites to rely on public transportation in general.

More than three quarters of commuters who depend on public transportation to get to work are Black.

Zero-Vehicle Households

Map showing households with zero transportation in Peoria CountyPeoria residents, like those of many midsized cities, depend on having a reliable car to travel to work, to shop, and to go nearly everywhere. About 15% of Peoria households do not own an automobile. The areas with the highest incidence of households without cars are shown in this graphic, also from the GPMTD Microtransit Study. The most problematic areas are again those areas with a higher population of people of color. Not coincidentally, there is a significant overlap between households without a car and the food desert areas. This places citizens in very difficult situations just to meet their basic daily needs.