You’d think that a “blue” state completely controlled by “blue” legislators and ruled by a “blue” governor would be a paradise for all “blue” leaders, but things aren’t too great for Governor Rod Blagojevich — more people like President Bush than they like Blago. The free bus rides for seniors don’t seem to be paying off because the seniors’ children know they’ll be paying the bill for years to come.

Writes the Chicagoist:

The CTA bailout passed, and now we can move on to that other chronic political problem: Governor Blagojevich. Just how much of Mr. Testicular Virility are Illinois residents willing to take? Judging by a new Chicago magazine article about the embattled gov, “Mr. Un-Popularity,” not much. In that article, the Capital Fax Blog’s Rich Miller suggests that Blago is the most unpopular governor in the country, with approval ratings that have sunk as low as 16 percent (which, Bernstein notes, is worse than President Bush polls in Illinois, one of the country’s bluest states).

Technorati Tags: Illinois, opinion polls, President Bush, Rod Blagojevich

A Illinois news report suggests that the proposed Illiana Expressway’s creation might be influenced by the ability of the Illinois Toll Road Authority to catch toll cheaters who abuse open road tolling lanes.  Illinois’ Toll Road officials don’t know how much money is lost to cheaters, according to the Daily Herald.

Writes Joseph Ryan of the Daily Herald:

Tollway officials announced last month that they would look at building a Route 53 north extension, the West suburban Prairie Parkway, the O’Hare western bypass and the south suburban Illiana Expressway.

They also are considering tolls on the Eisenhower Expressway and raising fees during rush hour to discourage congestion.

The success of all these projects hinges on Open Road Tolling, which eliminated backups caused by cars lining up to pay their tolls in favor of electronic charges. If the electronic system that catches toll cheats in I-PASS lanes isn’t sound, experts say, the public may find it that much harder to accept the expansions officials envision.

“This will really erode public confidence in (the tollway’s) ability to carry out what they are supposed to do,” said Joseph DiJohn, director of the University of Chicago’s Metropolitan Transportation Support Initiative.

“It will make it very difficult to get public support” for future projects, he added, if the problems aren’t fixed.

Technorati Tags: Electronic Toll Collection, Illiana Expressway, Illinois

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