CLTV Local News

Finally.. Transit Moves

Well he may not be too happy with it, but it appears Governor Blagojevich is poised to sign the bail out plan for Chicago's mass transit. It's going to raise sales and real estate taxes in the area, but it will keep Chicagoland’s transit moving.
Now there is finally some positive movement to get this long drawn out transit saga under control. What is wrong with this state? I say that more as a rhetorical question. I'm from Chicago but being in news I have moved around to a half dozen states in the last 12 years reporting on state government and I am dumbfounded at how money in the state of Illinois is handled. We live in one of the largest city's in the U.S. our sales tax is already enormous and still our local and state leaders cannot find money to keep public transportation, which I'd argue isn't that great to begin with, a float. It seems crazy to me; transit problems, the state budget, the county budget, the city budget, and just about anything else where money is involved take so long for our politicians to agree on. Given the number of people who live here and the amount of money in taxes we all pay, shouldn't there be enough? There seems to be enough money in other cities, with less people and arguably better public transportation.
Why can't Chicago model its Public transportation after Washington D.C., New York, or London? In London you pay for public transportation by zones. Why would that be so hard for Chicago? It only makes sense for someone traveling from Rosemont getting off at Clark on the Blue line, to pay a little more than someone getting on at Grand. And what about O'hare? Why not leave everything the same and jack up prices to O'hare? Make it a $5.00 ride every time, with a special pass for O’hare employees to pay normal fare routes. Five bucks is still cheaper than a 30-dollar cab ride or paying to park.
I agree special concessions should likely be made in those cases of the elderly, disabled, and for students. But I venture to guess many CTA riders wouldn't mind paying a little more if it meant things showed up on time, and were occasionally clean.
At least with the new legislation things will still keep showing up. And we’d like to think it couldn’t run the way it is forever, right?

Posted on January 10, 2008 7:31 PM | Permalink

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Comments (2)

Paul:

I'm glad this is ALMOST a done deal. What I don't like is the Governer playing games. Why the cloak and dagger comments?

I'm not against paying for something I use daily (The tollway comes to mind) but a sales tax to bailout an institution that and should be reformed is just wrong. Perhaps letting the doomsday senario come to pass would have been the best thing for the public in general. It would show just how selfish and lack of caring the politicans are when it comes to those who put them in office.

It seems to me this hasn't been about transit more than ego's and those who think they control the purse strings.

Personally, there needs to be one oversight transit authority which has direct management of the CTA, Pace, Metra and will work to ensure that the needs of the region are being met. With commuters traveling to/from Chicago and the suburbs plus from WI, IN and MI this isn't just about Chicago or the collar counties anymore.

If real progress wants to happen, boundries will need to be dropped, ego's put aside and some hard decisions made.

The RTA (Regional Transportation Authority) is the oversight body for the CTA, Metra, and Pace.
For its reaction to the new legislation, head to the website, rtachicago.com.

Posted by Paul | January 11, 2008 8:56 AM

Posted on January 11, 2008 08:56

tracey king:

Well i'm glad the governor has finally come to his senses about public transportation. This is a bill that should be pass based on how important public transportation is just as health care. This city needs transportation without a doubt. How will the public get to and from school, work, doctors appointments etc... And on the comment of Amy as well as everyone who has one about how CTA is never on time. I beg to differ as a bus opertor. First of all, as for the buses you tell me how can we be exactly on time always when we are not the only one's driving on the street. Ask any professional driving, we are driving for other drivers. Especially in the loop, we have to not only answers tons of questions at almost every stop not to mention trying to avoid those crazy cab drivers who jump in front of us with a blink of an eye as soon as a hand on the curb raise. And to top that off you have the pedestrians whom walk out in the streets as if there is no traffic at all. So believe me when I say every minute counts and with all those incidents that occur while driving, that will delay the time a bus should be at a certain time point. I think for the most part the drivers of CTA do a very good job despite how hard it can be. For those who always have a negative opinion about this company you should spend a few hours riding back and forth and then see how your opinion will change.

Tracey,
You no doubt have a difficult job every day. I do frequently take the bus and see the problems you encounter. The responsibility does not fall squarely on the shoulders of the drivers. It would be interesting to see how other cities operate. In a recent trip overseas I was amazed at how timely trains & buses were in Zurich. I don't know how they managed but both arrived to the minute. Hopefully we'll all see some positive changes with this new legislation!
Amy

Posted by tracey king | January 11, 2008 5:02 AM

Posted on January 11, 2008 05:02

Finally.. Transit Moves

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