The original POGO routes had features that were positive: It literally stopped at the "door" of Arrowhead Towne Center, Sunrise Mountain Library and Walmart on Lake Pleasant Parkway (POGO driving toward discontinuation).
The post-COVID routes included stops "inside" Westbrook Village, and at Rio Vista Recreaction Center, both really great. It would have been great if the Westbrook and Rio Vista stops were part of the original route scheme; then I would have been a regular rider. I'm not familiar with south Peoria but I'm sure there are similar shopping centers, communities and recreation venues that could have benefited from close pick-up locations. How about a stop at the city complex main library?
Both routes could have used some major improvements, but the post-COVID routes made the least sense. It was the bus to nowhere. I rode it once from my hou-se at Westbrook down to Old Town Peoria just to see what the route was like. It was more like a tour bus to show you Peoria, and not necessarily the best parts. We passed several grocery stores, a Goodwill store, Sprouts, 99 Cent Store, the post office, but were not allowed to get off at these prime stops, because they weren't planned stops. Then, when we did land at one of the planned stops, Pioneer Park, perhaps a place to use the restroom and get out for a few minutes while the driver takes a break; we got there just in time to watch a young homeless guy get cuffed, frisked and detained by Peoria Police. It was around 11:30 a.m. Not a great look.
On the post-COVID route, the closest stop to Arrowhead Towne Center was the parking lot of Arizona Broadway Theatre. Why not stop at a major store at the mall instead? Regarding the Four Corners area at Lake Pleasant Parkway and Happy Valley Road, the stop in that area is also far from any stores.
The people who would ride POGO are going to be lower to middle income or those who may not want to drive or maybe can't drive for various reasons. They are going to use it to run errands close to home or within a small radius, especially when it is too hot to walk or ride a bike.
I sent an email to the city with suggestions on how to improve both pre- and post-COVID routes. So I did try to give feedback because I hoped it would improve, but the city just kept beating a dead horse and poured money into a boondoggle. Maybe the person who came up with the Peoria 83 campaign hoped it would breathe life into that unfortunate failure by forcing people to disembark behind Arizona Broadway Theatre and keeping them away from the mall?
I would be against any more money being spent on this unless the route scheme clearly reflected the needs and preferences of people most likely to use it. I would pay a small fare if the routes were geared toward more frequent strategic stops and targeted toward shopping and community/recreation venues like Rio Vista.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing but expecting a different result. Very disappointing.
