Transit Future

Join fellow transit advocates Monday June 11th at the UIC Student Center as we call on Gov. Blagojevich and the Illinois General Assembly to fund and reform transit in Northeastern Illinois. As the legislative session extends into overtime, help send us send the message that our leaders in Springfield cannot adjourn without addressing the transit crisis.

What: Transit advocates speaking on the need for Governor Blagojevich and the Illinois General Assembly to address the transit crisis

Where: UIC Student Center, 750 S. Halsted

When: 6:00 (30 minutes before the beginning of the CTA Board hearing)

For questions or to RSVP, please call 773/269-4043.

In this Update

1. Illinois General Assembly Goes Into Overtime
2. Upcoming CTA Board Meetings
3. Become a Transit Partner
4. Latest Transit News

Illinois General Assembly Goes Into Overtime

Thursday night marked the end of the Illinois General Assembly’s regular session, and with it came progress but no relief for the RTA or any of the three service boards. SB 572 (incorporating HB 1841) was passed by the House Mass Transit Committee, but has not yet been called for a vote before the full House. For more information on the two amendments that were approved, please refer to Rep Julie Hamos website under “Latest Transit Updates.”

Unfortunately, overtime session means that legislation requires a larger majority to pass either house before heading to the Governor’s desk. Additionally, Governor Blagojevich has promised a veto of any sales tax increase, the funding mechanism called for in Amendment 2 of SB 572.

What does this mean for advocates of mass transit in Northeastern Illinois?

We must continue to communicate with our state legislators and the Governor to tell them that they can not adjourn this legislative session without reforming and funding the RTA. Please continue to contact your legislator to let them know that transit must be a priority this year! For talking points, a map of your area, and the average transportation cost in your legislative district, please refer to the Transit in Your Area section.

Upcoming CTA Board Meetings

The CTA has scheduled four meetings to discuss proposals to reduce service and/or raise fares to bus routes and rail lines. Transit Future is encouraging individuals to attend these meetings to express their frustrations with the service cuts and with the lack of activity on the issue from Springfield. For transit reform and funding to be a reality this session, elected officials and the general public must understand what is at stake. Please plan on attending.

Hearings will be held on:

Tuesday, June 5, 6:30 p.m.
Sherman Park Fieldhouse
1301 W. 52nd Street
Chicago, IL 60609

Wednesday, June 6, 6:30 p.m.
Michelle’s Ballroom
2800 W. Belmont Avenue
Chicago, IL 60618

Monday, June 11, 6:30 p.m.
University of Illinois at Chicago
Student Center East
750 S. Halsted, Room 302
Chicago, IL 60607

Wednesday, June 13, 9:00 a.m.
CTA Headquarters
567 W. Lake, Chicago, IL 60661

Become a Transit Partner

Help us grow our list! We are asking organizations throughout Northeastern Illinois to become partners in Transit Future by:

1. Communicating with their membership about the issue and encouraging them to contact their state legislators.
2. Participating in Transit Future events (rallies, press conferences, meetings, lobby days).
3. Adding their name to the Transit Future website.

To find out more on becoming a Transit Partner, please contact David LeBreton at 773/269-4043 or dlebreton@cnt.org.

Latest Transit News

There has been considerable interest in the transit crisis by media outlets all over the six county area. For the most recent news, as well as past news, please visit Transit in the News.

In this update:

I. Recent Events
II. Upcoming Transit Future Events - GET INVOLVED
III. District Maps and Tables Now Available

Recent Events

• Transit Future successfully hosted its first Lobby Day in Springfield last Thursday. The group headed downstate to talk to legislators and hand deliver 111 letters and maps showing transit infrastructure and average annual transportation costs per household in each district. Members of the Illinois General Assembly were interested in learning about how transit affects their communities and were very receptive to the group. You can view and download the maps here.

• This past Saturday morning, over 40 Transit Future members attended the Meeting with Representative Julie Hamos at the Center for Neighborhood Technology. Rep. Hamos discussed the challenges that Mass Transit Committee members are facing down in Springfield to ensure transit funding and reform. She strongly encouraged Transit Future members to contact their legislators to let them know that they support transit funding and reform.

Upcoming Transit Future Events

Transit DAY OF ACTION!
Tuesday May 22nd

Transit Future is organizing a Transit DAY OF ACTION to bring attention to the transit crisis in Northeastern Illinois. We are asking volunteers to take at least one (or all) of the following actions:

1. FLYER: Hand out flyers at your transit station or stop during the morning or evening commute. Download a flyer here to hand out with information on the problem and what every transit rider can do to help! If you are able to help, please email us where you will be and what time(s) you will be there.
2. MEET WITH YOUR REPRESENTATIVES: Schedule a meeting with your representatives or their staff on May 22nd. While most members will be down in Springfield, call the staff in their district offices and schedule a meeting with them to talk about transit. If you are not sure of your schedule, make a plan to stop by at some point in the day.
3. WRITE A LETTER: Write a letter to your state representative, state senator and the Governor. Make sure to include information about why you support transit and ask for their help in securing its future.
4. PHONE BANK: Volunteer to phone bank! Transit Future needs help spreading the word about the transit crisis and will be phone banking the evening of May 22nd from 5:30 - 8 pm at our office, 2125 W. North in Chicago. If you are able to attend, please send an email to emily@cnt.org.

Lobby Day in Springfield – Round 2!
Thursday, May 24th

Due to the overwhelming success of our first trip to Springfield, the Transit Future staff is heading down to Springfield again on Thursday, May 24th to continue our dialogue on the importance of transit reform and funding. We will be on the 7 AM train from Union Station and returning on the 4:57 PM train from Springfield. If you want to let your legislators 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. Please make plans to get on the train!

PLEASE HELP SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT TRANSIT FUTURE AND THESE EVENTS!

District Maps and Tables Now Available

Legislators respond to issues that affect the voting constituents in their own districts. Transit Future has created a series of maps and tables for all of the legislative districts within the RTA region. The maps show transit infrastructure as well as the average annual transportation costs per household in each district. You can view and download the maps here.

The tables include the average annual cost of transportation, average income, and transportation expenses as a percentage of total income. Tables with this information by state senate district, state house district and by place are available for viewing and download here.

Transit Future’s rally for mass transit Monday May 7th garnered attention from Chicagoland’s media, sending our message loud and clear to Gov. Blagojevich that transit needs to be a priority now!

However, our work is far from over.

We have two more events this week whose success is dependent on your attendance. Both our lobby day in Springfield and our meeting with Rep. Julie Hamos are great opportunities for you to voice your vote for transit. Here are the details for both events. If you have any questions or would like to attend, please contact David LeBreton at (773) 269-4043.

Lobby Day in Springfield
Thursday, May 10

The Transit Future staff is heading down to Springfield on Thursday, May 10 to talk to our representatives face-to-face about the importance of funding for mass transit. If you want to let your legislators 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 need as many coalition-members as possible with us on the Amtrak going down, so please come and help guide 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 the public to hear about the political lay of the land down in Springfield from the Chair of the Mass Transit Committee, Rep. Julie Hamos. Come hear about the transit funding crisis that is unfolding now and how you can help with the solution. 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.

Transit Future in the News!

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.

The Transit Future is Now

Welcome to the Center for Neighborhood Technology’s Transit Future campaign! Thank you for your support and willingness to advocate for the future of mass transit in Northeastern Illinois. By coming together and coordinating our efforts, we will work to ensure that mass transit in our region, which is so essential to our economy, quality of life, and environment, will be protected and funded as a 21st century, world-class transportation system should be.

As public transit users in the Chicagoland area, we have all recently been forced to endure major setbacks in our daily trips on the CTA, Metra, and Pace, whether it is slow zones on the Blue Line, stations under repair on the Red and Brown lines, delayed METRA trains when it rains or snows heavily, or lack of bus frequency in the middle of winter.

The significant drop in quality of service is a result of a veritable transit crisis in Northeastern Illinois, due both to lack of funding at the state and local levels and the overall funding mandates of the Regional Transportation Authority. Limited funding has left our transit system sorely lacking appropriate maintenance, sufficient operating costs, and investment for expansion projects.

As operating funds have dwindled in recent years, capital funds have been used to fill the gap, resulting in poor maintenance of the current system. This current method of financing is not sustainable for much longer, and it has left the Regional Transportation Authority—the parent agency for the CTA, METRA, and PACE—almost entirely void of operating funds.

Congress provided capital funds for Illinois in the 2005 SAFETEA-LU Act, but these federal dollars require a local match in order to expend the funds. The state has so far failed to provide the capital match, which costs the state money while our infrastructure continues to deteriorate. Just recently, the President ordered a $116 million rescission for the state of Illinois, a process that sends federal money back to the US Treasury. The General Assembly has the power to prevent rescissions, which would allow those federal transportation funds to go towards transit.

In addition to the funding crisis, there is a huge and inequitable funding disparity within the RTA that needs to be addressed. For over 20 years, the RTA has not been structured to provide equitable transit funding throughout the region. In 1983, the method of funding was changed, ignoring transit ridership and other system performance measures in favor of an arbitrary formula based on geography.

As a result, the CTA is facing a structural deficit with no way to get to black, and it has not been able to maintain its commitment to provide quality service. The funding formula needs to be changed and equity restored to the system.

Launching the Campaign

In response to this urgent transportation crisis, the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) has launched this campaign of advocacy and communications aimed at the grassroots members of our CTAQC coalition (Chicagoland Transportation and Air Quality Commission). CTAQC has close to 200 organizations with diverse constituencies in our six-county region who all share a common interest in transportation.

CNT’s Transit Future campaign is different from the RTA’s Moving Beyond Congestion campaign because of the targeted audience we intend to reach. As a public agency, there are limits to the positions taken and advocacy that the RTA can do. On the other hand, our partner CM2020 (Chicago Metropolis 2020) is not doing grassroots outreach but is working directly with members of the General Assembly.

To fill the void that exists, our campaign will galvanize organizations and stakeholders that have a vested interest in the future of public transit in Northeastern Illinois, and engage them to communicate directly with their Legislators and the Governor to advocate for transit reform and adequate funding.

The Transit Future coalition believes that the resolution of the transit crisis requires several changes that we can achieve through advocacy on a grassroots level and with citizen mobilization. The first step requires some short term, low-cost transit system improvements, which are necessary to prove to transit users that increased funding and organizational reform will result in palpable day-to-day improvements.

We will advocate for:

Priority bus lanes for buses ;
Restricted parking on major bus routes paralleling rapid transit construction corridors;
Cooperative traffic and incident management planning;
Improved cleanliness on buses and rail cars and on rail stations and platforms;

Not only do we want situations to improve right now, we do not want to fall behind the rest of the world in building a world-class 21st Century Transit System. We can all agree that we do not like congestion, high transportation costs and global warming effects. Transit Future will help to create a vision that voices the interests of every sector and every part of the Region in the rapid growth of transit as an answer to these serious issues.

This is how we will do it:

Widespread distribution of the Campaign’s Platform and fact sheets about the transit crisis
Convening of broad-based coalition built on CTAQC’s 200 member organizations
Web-based solicitation of proposed improvements from transit riders on a system-wide and route and rail-line basis
Web-based voting on transit service improvement priorities
Inform and educate Legislators to understand the needs of our coalition
Weekly email updates
Outreach to and engagement of the media

Finally, Transit Future will conduct research that seeks to document the stake of every Illinois legislative district in transit reform. We will develop a series of maps depicting the transportation costs in each legislative district in the region. These maps will expose the real cost of transportation as compared with the relatively small tax burden of transit, and will examine transit’s impact on household income, property values near transit, local retail near transit, and available transportation options for residents.

The ultimate goal of these collective actions will be the reform of transit governance and planning. The RTA must exert financial and planning authority for CTA, Metra, and Pace in order to ensure exemplary service. This strategy will help reduce auto dependence through the rapid growth of transit. This transit system will require adequate funding of a 21st century transit system based on clear measures of performance, which will be determined through public input on quantifiable and qualitative performance measures.

Active Legislation: RTA Reform

Illinois State Representative Julie Hamos, a longtime transit advocate and head of the Mass Transit Committee in the Illinois General Assembly, has introduced a bill to restructure the RTA. The RTA currently distributes funding resources to the three Service Boards (CTA, Metra, and Pace) according to the 1983 Regional Transportation Authority Act, which bases funding priorities on geography instead of ridership levels or system performance measures. The act fails to give the RTA authority to coordinate the three Service Boards, demand accountability based on performance measures, or plan for transportation on a regional level. The impact of this flawed structure over the past two decades is a deteriorating transit system, lack of coordination among Service Boards, and constant rivalry for funding.

In response to this transit crisis, Hamos sponsored and introduced Bill HB1841 to the General Assembly, which grants the RTA appropriate regional planning powers and responsibilities, including the power to require a Service Board to change its fare and transfer charges, the power to intervene in and arbitrate disputes between Service Boards, the power to conduct financial audits, and the power to create a “Regional Transit Innovations Fund.” The Bill also provides that the RTA will establish regional goals, objectives, and performance standards for the Service Boards based on the forecasts, assumptions, and plans of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP). To that end, the Bill also calls for the RTA to use CMAP’s research as a basis for designing its 5-year plan, Annual Capital Improvement Plan, and other capital improvement plans.

The Transit Future campaign is in support of these legislative changes and hope they spur additional dialogue about the transit funding crisis. You can find more information on the Bill here.

Planning Ahead… the Olympics

While it is obvious how transit fits into our everyday lives, it is also important to understand how it fits into a regional outlook for economic prosperity. Recently, Chicago has been put under the microscope by those wondering if we are up to hosting the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Such a monumental event would certainly test the critical functions of our transit system.

The February visit to Chicago by the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) allowed committee members and media to tour the proposed site for the $366 million Olympic Stadium in Washington Park on two buses. While Mayor Daley has asserted that no public tax-payer money would be used for the Games, one has to hope that there is a plan for moving athletes, visitors, and everyday Chicagoans around as seamlessly as the USOC was shuttled here and there.

The potential to highlight the world-class city that Chicago is to visitors and viewers from around the world is undoubtedly appealing and very real. The prospect that Olympic visitors and area residents will get bogged down in transportation delays and waylaid by decaying transit infrastructure is also very real.

At a time when we are highlighting the region as worthy of hosting the attention of the world at the 2016 Summer Olympics, do we really want to limit our options for safe and
reliable transportation?

Look to this column in upcoming Transit Future newsletters to learn more about the “ripple effects” that could occur if Chicago’s transit service and system continues to decline.

Demand Reform Now

Right now is the time to quit complaining about mass transit woes and expect a higher quality of service that living with the nation’s second largest transit system should mean.

What can you do? Start by documenting each time you wait unreasonable periods of time for the bus or when the train gets ‘stuck’ on the tracks with no explanation as to why. Send these stories to your legislators: state representative,and state senator as well as the Governor. Don’t know who they are? You can find who represents you and how to contact them at CNT’s Civic Footprint website- civicfootprint.org. Also, please send us a copy of your correspondence so we can track our efforts.

What will Transit Future do? We will be tapping our coalition of over 200 broad-based organizations to advocate and lobby our legislators for the reform that we hear from citizens like you. We will be launching a web-based system to hear proposed improvements from transit riders on a system-wide and route or rail-line basis as well as a web-based voting on transit service improvement priorities. Our coalition will take these issues to our legislators, the RTA, and the media with the expectation of both immediate improvements and long-term goals based on clear measures of performance.

Make sure to sign up for Transit Future’s weekly email news to be a part of the discussion. We will keep you informed of the issues, continue to give you talking points and tips for contacting your legislators, as well as share with you the ideas and thoughts of other citizens. Our campaign is just getting started and the goals are to unite the voices so we can reform the RTA.

To sign up for the listserv for weekly updates, send an email to transitfuture-subscribe@cnt.org.

Note: We will be moving this newsletter to subscribers of that listserv, so to stay informed please sign up.

If your organization would like to be a part of this coalition, please contact Transit Future Project Manager David LeBreton @ dlebreton@cnt.org.