Transit Future

CTA Facing $35 Million in Budget Cuts

abjornberg — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 20:54:40 +0000

Chicago Public Radio reported yesterday that the CTA will be facing about $35 million in budget cuts this year. Stephen Schlickman, the RTA’s Executive Director said that this hit to the budget will most likely yield service cuts after a period of public notice in the next few months.

Successes, Room for Improvement in Oberstar’s New Federal Transportation Bill

abjornberg — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 20:13:00 +0000

Yesterday, a coalition of Illinois and national transportation advocates commented on the Federal Transportation Bill introduced by Rep. Oberstar (D-MN). Representatives from Center for Neighborhood Technology, Metropolitan Planning Council, Illinois PIRG, Environmental Law and Policy Center, and Transportation for America held a media briefing and issued a joint statement on this important piece of legislation. Their media release is well-reasoned and provides vital direction on shaping this bill to improve our national transportation program. If you haven’t already, please take a moment to read their statement here.

CNT has also written a very informative blog entry on this media briefing; you can read that here.

CTA to Host Open Houses for Red Line Extension project

omoy — Thu, 21 May 2009 21:05:53 +0000

The CTA is hosting a public presentation of locally preferred alternatives to the proposed Red Line Extension in the study area bordered by 95th Street on the north, Ashland Avenue on the west, Stony Island Avenue on the east, and the Cal-Sag Channel/ Little Calumet River and 134th Street on the south. These open houses are being conducted as a requirement for the project to receive funding from the Federal Transportation Administration’s New Starts program. To receive funding through New Starts, this project must be put through an alternatives analysis study, file an environmental impact statement, as well as complete preliminary engineering, final design, and lastly, construction. These open houses will be a great opportunity to learn more about this project and influence the planning process.

Open houses are scheduled as follows:

Wednesday, June 3, 2009
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
(Presentation will begin at 6:15 p.m.)
Olive-Harvey College Cafeteria
10001 South Woodlawn
Chicago, IL

Thursday, June 4, 2009
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
(Presentation will begin at 6:15 p.m.)
Woodson Regional Chicago Public Library
9525 South Halsted Street
Chicago, IL

$3.5 Million in Comprehensive Regional Planning Fund in Danger

abjornberg — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:27:53 +0000

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), the state agency which integrates land use and transportation planning in the seven counties of north-eastern Illinois, has been put in danger of having their $3.5 million for Comprehensive Regional Planning Fund (CRPF) written out of the state budget. This would have a deeply painful effect on transportation funding in Illinois, as CMAP needs these funds to be able to leverage $11 million in matched federal funds, which allow them to secure around $2 billion for transportation projects in Illinois. Legislators supporting this cut are in effect leaving a far larger pot of federal funding on the table in looking for an immediate budget shortcut.

Losing this funding would endanger some of CMAP’s vital projects; among them the preparation to the Go To 2040 plan, the first-ever comprehensive plan for investment and development in the region, currently scheduled to be released in 2010. If this legislation goes through, CMAP’s planning efforts to accommodate population growth, currently estimated at an increase of 2.8 million by 2040 will be severely hampered.

For further reading, CMAP has a summary of their case available here and a sample letter available here. Please contact your state legislators (the Illinois State Board of Elections can help you identify exactly who to contact) and let them know that you oppose cutting funding to CMAP’s Comprehensive Regional Planning Fund.

Fight Elimination of the RTA

omoy — Fri, 15 May 2009 21:06:25 +0000

Surprising rumors in Springfield have indicated that RTA may soon be eliminated. (See Greg Hinz’s article, “Madigan out to kill RTA?”) The RTA provides vital large-scale vision in allocating funds and coordinating services between the CTA, Metra, and PACE. Without the RTA, these agencies will no longer have a channel to coordinate with each other, drastically reducing their efficacy and rendering long-term planning between them next to impossible. We are urging our members to stop this bad decision in its tracks, by sending a letter to their legislators reminding them of the RTA’s central importance to maintaining an effective, healthy public transportation system in Illinois.

T4America’s National Platform

omoy — Fri, 15 May 2009 21:04:25 +0000

Transportation4America recently released their full Campaign Platform, offering advice to President Obama and his administration on how to forge their priorities in enacting a sustainable transportation plan. The current $286 billion SAFETEA-LU plan will expire this year, giving the Obama administration a unique opportunity to make a dramatic shift in transportation policy. T4America’s recommendations emphasize fiscal accountability, sustainability, and integrating land use planning with tranportation policy. Read more on their website, where you can download the full 31-page report or a 3-page executive summary. You can also sign a petition urging Congress to support these priorities here.

Transit Future is Back!

omoy — Fri, 15 May 2009 20:53:55 +0000

In response to recent developments in local transportation politics, CNT is reviving the TransitFuture coalition. Created in March 2007 to rally local support to avert the Doomsday defunding of public transportation in Northeastern Illinois, the TransitFuture’s organizing efforts paid off, and the crisis was averted. With the current funding crunch, that victory has revealed itself to be temporary, and the TransitFuture coalition is back in action to organize against the latest batch of harmful budget threats. Stay tuned to our website and listserv to learn how you can help stop Illinois’ budget crisis from doing irreparable damage to the public transportation system.

Last RTA Public Hearing to be Held 12/15

annette — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 16:01:39 +0000

On December 15th the RTA will hold the last of 26 public hearings this year on the 2009 budget and the capital needs of the region’s transit system. This marks the culmination of a vast public outreach effort by the RTA to solicit opinions and suggestions from the riders they serve and the broader public. Steve Schlickman, the Executive Director of the RTA, will conduct the Chicago Central presentation and RTA Board Director Michael Scott will offer opening remarks. Please come and share your thoughts.

TIME: 9 am
DATE: Monday, December 15
PLACE: University Center, 525 S. State St., Loop/River Room, 2nd floor

Support national ‘Complete Streets’ legislation

davids — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 16:21:06 +0000

Two U.S. senators have recently introduced legislation that would require states and Metropolitan Planning Organizations to take the needs of pedestrians and bicyclists into account when building roads. The bill, which is numbered as S. 2686, would be similar to many laws currently in place at local and state levels, including a recently passed Illinois Complete Streets bill. Please call Illinois Senators Durbin and Obama and ask them to support this bill.

Advocate for transit

davids — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:20:48 +0000

The Illinois House of Representatives is holding a series of public hearings where they hope to receive citizen input on the state budget. Please attend a hearing in your area and advocate for greater transit funding! The schedule of the hearings is as follows:

Decatur
3/10/2008, 6:00 p.m.
Lincoln Square Theatre
141 North Main St., Decatur

Marion
3/10/2008, 6:00 p.m.
Williamson County Pavilion (behind Illinois Centre Mall)
1602 Sioux Drive, Marion

Northwest Suburbs
3/17/2008, 6:30 p.m.
Prairie Center for the Arts - Theatre
201 Schaumburg Ct., Schaumburg

Tazewell County
3/17/2008, 6:00 p.m.
The Festival Building
2200 E. Washington, East Peoria

Champaign
3/18/2008, 6:00 p.m.
Parkland College
2400 West Bradley Avenue, Room D244, Champaign

Aurora
3/18/2008, 6:00 p.m.
Copley Theater
8 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora

McHenry County
3/19/2008, 6:30 p.m.
McHenry College Conference Center
8900 US Highway 14, Crystal Lake

Cicero
3/19/2008, 6:00 p.m.
Morton College, Building A
Jedlicka Performing Arts Center
3801 South Central Ave., Cicero

Joliet
3/20/2008, 6:00 p.m.
Joliet Township High School, West Campus
401 North Larkin, Joliet

Rock Island
3/24/2008, 6:00 p.m.
County Building Board Room, 3rd Floor
1504 3rd Avenue, Rock Island

North Suburbs
3/24/2008, 3:00 p.m.
Northbrook Village Hall, City Council Chambers
1225 Cedar Lane, Northbrook

Kankakee
3/24/2008, 6:00 p.m.
Kankakee Community College Auditorium
100 College Dr., Kankakee

South Suburbs
3/25/2008, 6:00 p.m.
S. Suburban College, Kindig Performing Arts Auditorium
15800 State St., South Holland

Chicago: South Side
3/25/2008, 5:30 p.m.
Kennedy-King College Theatre
6301 S. Halsted St., Chicago

Rockford
3/25/2008, 6:00 p.m.
Zeke Giorgi Building Auditorium
200 S. Wyman, Rockford

Chicago: West Side
3/26/2008, 6:00 p.m.
Bethel New Life Auditorium
1150 N. Lamon St., Chicago

Metro East
3/26/2008, 6:00 p.m.
Belleville West High School, Commons Area
4063 Frank Scott Parkway, Belleville

Chicago: North Side
3/27/2008, 6:00 p.m.
Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center
Olson Auditorium, 836 W. Wellington Ave., Chicago

Chicago: Southwest
3/27/2008, 6:00 p.m.
Oak View Community Center
4625 W. 110th St., Oak Lawn