Transit Future

Transit Future is announcing three upcoming events where your participation is critical to ensuring a successful outcome of the looming transit crisis. Read on to get details about each of our events, and also to hear about transit updates in Springfield and in the news. Please plan on joining us for at least one of the three events–the more support you show by attending, the stronger our message will be to the General Assembly and Governor!

GET INVOLVED! Important Upcoming Events

Rally in Support of Transit
Monday, May 7, 10 a.m.
State of Illinois Building (Thompson Center) Room 2025 (2nd Floor), 100 W. Randolph (Randolph and Clark)

The Transit Future Campaign is co-sponsoring a rally in support of mass transit with Concerned Commuters of Northeast Illinois. Together we will send a message to Gov. Rod Blagojevich that transit funding and reform need to be priorities now! The more people in attendance, the stronger our message will be, so show your support of transit by attending this event. Come to the rally and make your voice heard!

RSVP to David LeBreton at dlebreton@cnt.org or (773) 269-4043.

Lobby Day in Springfield
Thursday, May 10

The Transit Future staff members are heading down to Springfield on Thursday, May 10 to talk to our state representatives face-to-face about the importance of funding for mass transit in Northeastern Illinois. If you want to let your legislator know why you believe mass transit is critical for our region, contact Emily Metz for more information at Emily@cnt.org or (773) 269-4070. We want as many coalition-members as possible with us on the Amtrak going down, so come and impact the General Assembly’s decisions about the funding and reform of mass transit!

Meeting with State Representative Julie Hamos
Saturday, May 12, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
The Center for Neighborhood Technology
2125 W. North Ave.

The Transit Future Campaign is coordinating an event for our members to hear about the political lay of the land down in Springfield from the Head of the Mass Transit Committee, Rep. Julie Hamos. Come hear about the transit funding crisis that is taking place right now, and what we can all do to get involved and help influence the General Assembly to address the issue. Do not miss this opportunity to talk directly with one of the most widely respected advocates for transit in the Illinois Legislature!

RSVP to David LeBreton at dlebreton@cnt.org or (773) 269-4043.

Recap of House Mass Transit Workgroup on RTA Reform Meeting 4/25

Members of the transit community met Wednesday morning in Springfield to discuss changes to the 1983 RTA Act. The session focused on the RTA’s role in securing federal funds for existing and future New Starts Project and setting performance measures for each of the service boards. State Representatives Bassi, Colvin, Mathias, Fortner, Ryg, Arroyo, and Hamos were joined by representative from RTA, CTA and Pace, along with transit advocates from the entire six-county region. Overall, those present were in agreement on increasing RTA’s role in evaluating and prioritizing New Start Projects among Metra, Pace and CTA. Increasing RTA’s role in the expansion and enhancement of transit in Northeastern Illinois would allow for improved regional planning and more effective allocation of state and federal funds.

The discussion of House Bills 520 and 1841 centered on the RTA’s ability to set performance measures for all three service boards. While there was general agreement on the need for performance measures, there was no consensus on whether they would be set by statute or by a stronger RTA. Regardless of the means by which performance measures are set, there must be a means by which all three service boards’ efficiency and effectiveness are evaluated and compared.

With recent progress among the service boards towards creating universal fare media, those present discussed RTA’s ability to set a universal fare structure across all three service boards to promote greater intersystem transfers. Once again, while there was consensus around the concept whether it would be accomplished by a stronger RTA or law was unclear. The experiences of other mass transit agencies have shown that ridership increases when reduced transfers between transit systems are implemented. In order for this to take place, RTA must have the authority to mediate between service boards.

The next meeting will cover RTA governance and funding.

Recent Articles on Transit

Read some of the extensive press coverage about the regional transit crisis by going to “Transit in the News.”

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 here.

Important Upcoming Meetings

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 (Southwest): April 20, 10am - 12pm
Daley College, Main Lobby, 7500 South Pulaski Road Chicago 60652

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

Recent Articles on Transit

Read some of the extensive press coverage about the regional transit crisis by going to the “Transit in the News” page of our website.

Update on Transit Crisis

Several events in the past week have raised the stakes of the transit crisis in Northeastern Illinois. The beginning of the three-year construction project on the Brown Line triggered protests and cries of frustration from leaders and residents alike in several North Side communities. The reductions in service and deterioration of our transportation system in Chicago have garnered national and international media attention; our region is being pointed out as a warning to government officials around the country as an example of the consequences of insufficient funding of mass transit (see our list of links to articles in New York Times and the Economist). Finally, Mayor Richard Daley urged the Illinois General Assembly yesterday to address the transit funding problem and strongly advocated reforms of the RTA funding formula.

With the past week’s events drawing greater attention to the challenges facing transit, we believe the time is now to contact your state representatives to begin a dialogue about its future.

Also, please do not forget to sign up for these regular updates through the Transit Future listserv by sending an e-mail message to transitfuture-subscribe@cnt.org. Signing up for the listerv makes it more likely that message will get through to your inbox!

In this newsletter we include:

I. Act Now: Take Action This Week!
II. CNT Calls for Greater Cooperation on CTA Brown Line Construction
III. Upcoming Meetings
IV. Recent News

I. Act Now: Take Action This Week!

The current two week recess of the Illinois General Assembly presents the ideal opportunity to start a conversation with your state representative and state senator about the importance of transit funding and transit reform. The Illinois General Assembly is facing many serious issues this year, but we need to tell our representatives that transit funding and transit reform should be at the top. We ask that you go in person to convey the seriousness of the issue and also to get to know your legislators. Of course, if you are unable to meet them in person, please write them a letter and send us a copy. If you have a meeting, please let us know how it went so we can keep track. The goal in talking with our legislators is to convey to them the value we place as citizens on the importance of mass transit to the long term viability of Northeastearn Illinois. Whether driver, pedestrian or transit user, transit affects us all!

How to approach your representation in the Illinois General Assembly:

1. First determine who represents you in Springfield and where their offices are located. For help, please refer to CNT’s Civic Footprint at www.civicfootprint.org or the Illinois Board of Election website at www.elections.il.gov/DistrictLocator

2. Call and request an appointment with both your state representative and your state senator. Tell them that you are a constituent and that you would like to discuss mass transit and how it affects you. Remember to be polite. If you are unable to schedule a meeting with the legislator, ask to meet with the district director or chief of staff.
3. On the day of your meeting, come prepared to discuss how mass transit affects you on a daily basis:

• How long does it take you to get to work and home and what form of transit do you use?
• How many times a week are you on the CTA, Metra, Pace, or Paratransit?
• Which trains and buses do you ride regularly and when?
• What form of transit did you take to get to your legislator’s office?
• Where do you live and why did you choose to live there? Did you choose your home or apartment due to its proximity to transit?
• Start a stopwatch when you leave for the office and stop it when you arrive. Tell them exactly how long the trip took and the route you chose.

Below you will also find some additional talking points to help you focus your case. The most compelling argument is your own, so please speak to what brought you to the office.

Need for operations funding:

• Transit service in my area has not kept up with increasing demand. Trains and buses do not come as frequently and reliably as they should.
• Buses and trains are not clean and they reflect poorly on the system and the region.
• With the CTA currently on a six-month budget that expires on June 30, I want to know how I am going to get to work/school/home on July 1, 2007.

Need for capital funding:

• Mass transit in my area has not grown to accommodate the needs of my community. We need to expand the system to include more bus and train lines.
• Many of the train cars and buses used by the CTA are old and in need of replacement.
• Transit in Northeastearn Illinois has defined this region and made it as economically competitive as it is today. We must reinvest in the system in order to maintain our competitiveness and attract future investment in our region.

Transit is a vital part of my community and I am willing to invest in its future!

II. CNT Calls for Greater Cooperation on CTA Brown Line Construction

CNT President Scott Bernstein offered remarks last Friday at a special CTA board meeting at which CTA President Frank Kruesi recommended that one of four tracks serving the Red, Brown and Purple/Evanston Express Lines be shut down at the Fullerton and Belmont stations starting April 2. The 25 percent reduction in Brown Line service is expected to continue for almost three years to allow for construction on platforms. However, the construction’s great inconvenience to commuters drew a number of protests from community leaders, many of whom called for a delay in construction until the CTA has solicited more feedback from the public on ways to improve service while construction is underway.

In the public hearing, Scott Bernstein shared some findings from CNT’s research into the effects of transportation on the cost of living in Chicago. The average household transportation costs vary from as little as $580 per month in the most transit-friendly neighborhoods to as much as $1,200 per month in the farthest suburbs. Bernstein explained that the reason for the discrepancy in cost is attributable to the fact that residents of communities with good amenities and access to mass transit own fewer cars per household and use them less frequently.

Bernstein recommended that the CTA form partnerships with the City of Chicago, suburban municipalities, the Illinois Department of Transportation, and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency on Planning in order to identify best practices for easing the negative impacts of rail construction. Strategies could include finding increased funding for enhanced levels of bus service and making a variety of traffic flow improvements. Despite calls for a delay, the CTA board voted unanimously to begin construction on schedule.

III. Upcoming Meetings

Northwestern University Transportation Center Seminar Series: The Politics of Chicago Transit Finance - Rep. Julie Hamos

www.transportation.northwestern.edu/

Rep. Hamos was elected to the State House of Representatives in 1998, having served on the staff of the U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee, as counsel to then-State’s Attorney Richard M. Daley, and as an advocate for low income families and labor interests. As chair of the Transit Committee, Rep. Hamos is on the front lines of the battle to ensure financing for transit in the Chicago region and across Illinois.

Evanston: April 5, 7-8 p.m.
Northwestern University Transportation Center (Chambers Hall, Lower Level), 600 Foster, Evanston

Joint Hearing of the Legislative Audit Commission and the House Mass Transit Committeewww.juliehamos.com

The Illinois House Mass Transit Committee and Legislative Audit Commission will be holding a joint hearing to discuss the recent audits by the Illinois Auditor General of the RTA, CTA, Metra and Pace.

Chicago: April 16, 9-11 a.m.
Thompson Center Auditorium (Lower Level), 100 W. Randolph, Chicago

Connecting Communities Through Coordination: Workshops on Paratransit

http://hstp.rtachicago.com/participation/workshops.html

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. The following is a list of the workshops, dates, and locations:

Chicago: April 16, 6–7 p.m.
United Way of Greater Chicago (1st Floor Conference Room), 560 West Lake Street, Chicago

North Cook County: April 16, 6–7 p.m.
Oakton Community College (Room 1604), 1600 East Golf Road, Des Plaines

South Cook County: April 17, 6–7 p.m.
Tinley Park Village Hall (Rooms C and D), 16250 South Oak Park Ave., Tinley Park

Lake County: April 18, 5:30 – 7 p.m.
Libertyville Township Center (Meeting Room), 359 Merrill Court, Libertyville

Will County: April 18, 6–7 p.m.
Joliet Historical Museum (Caterpillar Inc. Auditorium), 204 North Ottawa St., Joliet

Kane/Kendall County: April 19, 5-7 p.m.
Kane County Government Center (1st Floor Auditorium), 719 South Batavia Ave., Geneva

McHenry County: April 19, 5–7 p.m.
McHenry County College (Rooms B166 and B167), 8900 US Highway 14, Crystal Lake

DuPage County: April 26, 10:30 a.m. -12 p.m.
Wheaton Park District Community Center (Lower Level), 1777 South Blanchard Road., Wheaton

Red Line Extension – Alternatives Analysis Public Meetings
www.transitchicago.com/news/ctaandpress.wu?action=displayarticledetail&articleid=102659

The Chicago Transit Authority will hold public meetings to receive input on the proposed extension of the Dan Ryan branch of the Red Line. The meetings are part of a federally required Alternatives Analysis study.

April 10, 6-8 p.m.
Chicago State University New Academic Library (4th Floor Auditorium), 9501 S. King Drive, Chicago

April 11, 6-8 p.m.
West Pullman Chicago Public Library, 830 W. 119th St., Chicago

IV. Recent News

“A Rail System (and Patience) Stretched Thin in Chicago” - New York Times, March 26
http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30614FD39540C758EDDAA0894DF404482

“Gridlock on the Lake” - The Economist, March 31
http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8934810

“Nightmare starts for commuters” - Chicago Tribune, April 2
http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/automotive/columnists/chi-0704020103apr02,1,3604544.column

“Stay on Track” - New York Times Op-Ed, April 4
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/04/opinion/04weds4.html

“Daley: CTA’s plight not on state’s ‘radar screen’” – Chicago Sun-Times, April 5, 2007
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/328447,CST-NWS-daley05.article

For more information or comments, please contact David LeBreton at dlebreton@cnt.org or 773.269.4043.

Transit Oriented Links:

Campaign for Better Transit

Chicagoland Bicycle Federation

Ask Carole – CTA Board Chair Carole Brown’s Blog

Illinois PIRG

Little Village Environmental Justice Organization

Metro Seniors in Action

Midwest High Speed Rail Association

Moving Beyond Congestion

Neighbor’s Project

Save Chicagoland Transit

Work, Welfare and Families

State Government Links:

Special Committee on Mass Transit for Northeastern Illinois

Illinois General Assembly

Governor Rod Blagojevich

Service Providers:

Chicago Transit Authority

Metra

Pace

Regional Transportation Authority