Regional Fare Hikes Put Burden on Low-Income Residents
The entire Northeastern Illinois region took a hit when the Illinois House failed to pass SB 572, a comprehensive transit funding and reform bill, which would have restructured the governance system for transit in Northeastern Illinois as well as guaranteed a long-term source of funding for transit. The bill would also have prevented CTA and Pace’s “doomsday” scenarios from coming into effect on September 16.
Moving citizens from their homes to their workplaces is a regional dilemma. Because the Governor has failed to present an effective solution to the mass transit crisis, low-income resident have the greater burden of carrying the cost of transit, versus an equitable tax increase to all residents.
All residents benefit from a viable transit system. A sales tax increase to all residents makes sense when reduced transit service and increased fares not only negatively impact tens of thousands of household budgets, but result in adding more vehicles to the region’s clogged roads and contributing to the region’s air pollution.
Since the legislators cannot find ten more votes to fund mass transit in Northeastern Illinois, it is effectively shutting down our transit system. Instead of expanding to mitigate current congestion as well climate change conditions, the system can no longer handle every citizen who rides-from Harvard to Joliet, from Howard Street to 95th Street, from Oak Park to Aurora-not to mention visitors and new residents.
On the same day that the U.S. Olympic Committee officially accepted Chicago’s bid as the country’s most capable city for the 2016 Olympics, the region is losing one of its most important assets for the bid – its transit system. If Chicago is selected as the site of the Olympics, citizens will have to give up their cars and turn to mass transit as they did in Atlanta, but will there be a viable and reliable and affordable system to move our citizens and visitors?
All of us who care about getting around the region must contact our legislators and the Governor to stress the urgency of creating a sustainable transit system for our region. As transit riders, drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians, we all have a stake in a viable transit system. We cannot accept a do-nothing response from the people we elect to office to solve our problems.
We urge you to contact your legislator and express your disappointment in yet again failing to properly fund our mass transit system. Find your legislator at www.civicfootprint.org.
September 7th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
Hi – I am currently (but not for too much longer, because it is stressing me out) in an argument with a friend over this issue. I have made exactly the points in this article to her. She drives and she thinks that everyone should pay for what they use and it’s not her responsibility to subsidize the public transportion system.
I am looking for some additional information, and my question is this:
Have you done any projections as to what the “critical mass” point is at which current drivers would “feel the pain” of gridlock when former CTA riders become car drivers? In other words, how many thousands of cars would need to be added to our roads before drivers would experience much greater travel times and frustration?
Or, if you can direct me to that information, I would sure appreciate it.
P.S. I have already written a scathing letter to the Republican Minority Leader and copied Julie Hamos.