Pace Bus, Mount Prospect
Testimony
October 29, 2024
Addressing Chicagoland’s Transit Fiscal Cliff
For too long, public transit has been treated as a mode of last resort rather than the most efficient, sustainable, and equitable transportation option.
On October 23, 2024, the Cook County Transportation Committee met to review the new budgets from Chicagoland’s transit agencies (CTA, Metra, Pace, & RTA). Lena Guerrero Reynolds, ELPC’s Communications & Policy Advocate, testified to the importance of public transportation for the environment and economy of the region.
“For too long, public transit has been treated as a mode of last resort rather than the most efficient, sustainable, and equitable transportation option,” ELPC’s Lena Guerrero Reynolds said in her testimony.
Transportation is the leading source of carbon emissions in Illinois, the only sector of our economy polluting more now than decades ago. Emissions grew by 43% from 1990 & to 2017, though cars are more fuel efficient because people keep driving more distance more often cause many times it’s their only option.
On average, taking transit results in 60% less carbon pollution than driving a car by yourself, and a lot of the time, it eliminates all your footprint because you’re just one more passenger on an already traveling bus or train. The more people take transit, the more efficient it gets, unlike driving, which worsens as more people do it by creating traffic. Over a quarter of Chicago households have no car, and more should be able to save the money and still get around.
But for too long, public transit has been treated as a mode of last resort rather than the most efficient, sustainable, and equitable transportation option. Service has declined over the decades. Bus routes I used as a kid no longer exist. When my dad was a conductor in the 1970s, it took just 16 minutes to go from Montrose to downtown. It takes 25 minutes on today’s blue line, and don’t even get me started on the slow zones on the West Side blue line to Forest Park. Every time there’s a financial crisis, they cut service and lose ridership, and then wonder why we have some of the worst traffic in the nation.
“The more people take transit, the more efficient it gets – unlike driving. which gets worse as more people do it by creating traffic,” ELPC’s Lena Guerrero Reynolds said in her testimony.
Travel needs have shifted, and many jobs in the suburbs now are not served well by transit for the reverse commute. We move as a region, but our agencies are divided by city & suburbs. More people work from home, but they’re driving just as much for different trips like errands, healthcare, recreation, and care work. Traffic congestion is now worse than pre-pandemic, with vehicle miles traveled up 5% since 2019 in Chicago.
Our transit system needs the funding to adjust and meet those new travel needs. I applaud some of their latest efforts. Some long overdue fare mechanisms make it easier to pay across cta, metra, & pace, though it could be better. Thousands of students use the new unified U-pass and the super-important South Cook fare transit program. Allowing bikes & scooters on board supports last-mile travel. And Metra’s shift to regional rail is just what’s needed, but it won’t be easy.
The transit fiscal cliff next year could mean 40% service cuts, making it harder for everyone to get around. New state bills offer funding & governance reforms to improve regional coordination and restore and revamp transit for the future. But it will depend on everyone. Funding transit is a matter of economic opportunity & environmental justice. We need the county’s support for budgets today and those financial conversations ahead.
Tell your legislators to pass the Clean & Equitable Transportation Act
Lena Guerrero Reynolds,
Communications & Policy Advocate
Lena Guerrero Reynolds is the Communications & Policy Advocate at ELPC, where she works to educate and update our supporters with our victories and impact.
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