The coming Chicagoland mass transit funding crisis is a potential disaster. People in some cases won’t be able to get to work or school or medical care. Maybe there won’t be a bus close enough - or maybe childcare schedules and more limited bus schedules won’t work.
Chicagoland mass transit is already inadequate - especially in the collar counties. We need more mass transit - not less. We need more accessible mass transit - not more expensive mass transit. We need to move forward, desperately we need to move forward - not backward.
Jackie Grimshaw, Vice President of the Center for Neighborhood Technology is quoted in today’s Chicago Tribune saying, “Low-income people will be paying more for transit starting [Monday]. Are we going to build a casino by [Monday]?”
She’s right. This is pressing. It’s about getting people to work and school and medical care and to the grocery story. It’s about daily living. It’s about the economy. It’s not some future “what if” or “when” - it’s right now.
We need a fix right now. Call your state representatives and demand a funding solution without cuts to service. If Springfield doesn’t figure it out there will be a lot of angry voters come next election - politicians won’t want to find out what they think then.
Comments 1
My PACE bus route is scheduled to be eliminated. At a minimum, it will increase my travel costs by $360 per year, IF I can find parking near the train at a reasonable cost. Last week, my State Rep told me that he thought the bill would pass, but the governor would probably veto it. But the bill did not even pass.
A bigger issue is the cost of transportation for those people who ride the CTA and do not have cars because they cannot afford to have them. I cannot imagine someone who makes minimum wage having to cough up an extra dollar per ride for the CTA.
The issue does not only impact those who use public transportation. Anyone who runs a business with employees, or relies on goods and services from companies that have employees that use public transportation will feel the trickle down effect.
We need to keep up pressure on this issue.
Posted 11 Sep 2007 at 11:30 am ¶Post a Comment