Transit Future Update, April 2007
Thursday, April 19th, 2007
Transit Future Update
Contents
Transit Future Announces Launch of Website!
Transit Crisis Update: Mass Transit Hearing Examines Auditor General’s Report
Brief Transit Survey
Important Upcoming Meetings
Recent Articles on Transit
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Transit Future Announces Launch of Website!
Transit Future’s website is now up and running, so check it out at www.transitfuture.org.
On the website you can find out about the campaign, access background information on the transit crisis, find links to recent articles, and discover how you can take action. It is still a work in progress, but there is a wealth of useful information on how you too can help advocate for better transit in the region.
Transit Crisis Update: Mass Transit Hearing Examines Auditor General’s Report
State legislators, transit officials and reform advocates convened Monday at an all-day joint state legislative committee hearing to discuss the recent report by state Auditor General William Holland. The hearing included a presentation of the report by the Auditor General’s consulting team, remarks from the heads of the RTA, CTA, Metra and Pace, a question and answer session lead by the state legislators, and a period for public comment at the end of the day.
Despite several intensely debated issues addressed in the report, there was a universal consensus behind the key finding that Chicago area’s transit agencies are in “dire” financial condition.
Legislators were quick to acknowledge that transit desperately needs funding, but warned that members of the General Assembly will not simply hand out a “blank check” to the RTA and the service boards. In order to obtain the operational and capital funds, the RTA’s funding formula needs to be revisited. Additionally, the RTA and service boards must provide greater transparency about how they plan to spend the money.
Rep. Julie Hamos, the Head of the Mass Transit Committee, argued that the problems with transit funding will not be resolved until the RTA has greater authority to conduct strong, centralized planning for regional transit. Her proposed legislation, House Bill 1841, gives the RTA greater coordinating and planning powers, such as the ability to set fares for and arbitrate disputes between the service boards, create a regional transportation plan and distribute funding based on set performance measures.
The Auditor General’s report states, “The absence of a long-term plan that incorporates financial, programmatic and operational aspects of the service boards and the RTA contributes to the problems that face mass transit in northeastern Illinois.”
As part of the public commentary at the end of the day, CNT’s Vice President, Jacky Grimshaw, expressed CNT’s support of the Auditor General’s suggestions. She further stressed the need for a unified fare media, advanced information systems that can help with traffic flow improvements and advanced traveler notification, and more incentives for transit-oriented real-estate development.
Brief Transit Survey
Illinois PIRG has created a short transit survey focusing on the average transit user’s satisfaction with recent service. The group hopes to take the aggregate results of the survey down to Springfield to aid their advocacy efforts for more adequate transit funding in Northeastern Illinois. Take a few minutes to go through the survey and ensure that your opinions are heard downstate.
You can take the survey at this link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=83363676092
Pace Public Meeting for Chicago ADA Paratransit
Acknowledging there’s room for improvement, Pace is embarking on a round of meetings starting April 17 to get out and talk to Chicago ADA Paratransit riders. The purpose of the meetings is to get as much public input as possible on plans to revamp the service and hear what people have to say about their service needs and issues. Each meeting will cover the same material and provide time for public comment. Anyone who requires special accommodations in order to attend can contact Pace Customer Relations at 847-364-7223.
Chicago (West): April 23, 12 – 2pm
Bethesda Church, 4538 West. Fullerton Avenue Chicago 60639
Chicago (West): April 24, 3 – 5pm
Garfield Park Conservatory, Jensen Room, 300 North.Central Park Avenue Chicago 60624
Chicago (South): April 28, 2 – 4pm
Olive Harvey College, Cafeteria, 10001 South Woodlawn Chicago 60628
Chicago (Southeast): April 30, 12:30 – 2:30pm
Chicago Department on Aging, Southeast (Atlas) Senior Center, Dining Room, 1767 East 79th Street Chicago 60649
Chicago (Southwest): May 3, 5 – 7pm
Westside Technical Institute, Conference Center, 2800 South Western Chicago 60608
Connecting Communities Through Coordination: Workshops on Paratransit
The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) will be conducting a total of eight workshops on the coordination of public transit and human transportation services throughout the region. As part of the Connecting Communities Through Coordination planning effort, the RTA is seeking input from the general public on how to best coordinate existing community transportation services that focus on the elderly, disabled and low-income populations.
Wheaton: April 26, 10:30am – 12pm
Wheaton Park District Community Center (Lower Level), 1777 South Blanchard Road., Wheaton
Read some of the extensive press coverage about the regional transit crisis by going to the “Transit in the News” page of our website, or http://transitfuture.cnt.org/news/.
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For more information or comments, please contact David LeBreton at dlebreton@cnt.org or 773.269.4043.
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