Note: The following is satire.
It looks like we've got a new nominee for Streetsblog's sustainable transportation heroes of the year awards!
Dr. Willie Wilson, the Chicago millionaire and perennial political candidate, who has run for mayor of our city, U.S. Senator from Illinois, and president of the United States, showed himself to be a true man of the people today. He donated $200,000 of his personal fortune to ease the pain for Chicagoans currently struggling with transportation costs with a free CTA ticket giveaway this morning.
In 2018 Wilson handed out $200,000 in free cash to residents, which had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he was running for mayor at the time. "But as a man of faith, this time I decided to take a 'teach a man to fish' approach by giving folks a hand up rather than a handout," Wilson told Streetsblog Chicago in an interview this morning. "In the long run, it's more helpful to make it easier for people to commute to school, jobs, and medical appointments than to simply give them money."
As such, Wilson purchased $190,000 worth of CTA Ventra tickets, and then spent $10,000 to pay young people $25 an hour to distribute the tickets at 50 bus stops and 'L' stations in South and West side communities. In these neighborhoods, transportation costs disproportionately impact low-income and working-class residents.
"And free gas would actually make things worse for vulnerable residents," the McDonald's franchisee and medical supplies mogul added. "Just think of the long lines of drivers waiting to get into gas stations, causing massive traffic jams. That would slow down CTA buses, making it harder for folks who rely on transit to get where they need to go. Heck, it would make getting around the city a pain in the neck for all Chicagoans, including motorists. Not to mention that all that extra driving and idling would mean more crashes and pollution, which is the last thing our city needs. Lord, what a foolish idea!"
WGN-TV, Skycam 9 reporter Sarah Jindra marveled at the refreshing lack of traffic jams during the morning commute. "Wow, if one day of free CTA rides can have such a positive impact on congestion and air quality, just think of what our city would be like if we had affordable, fast, and reliable transit 365 days a year!"
FREE GAS LINE for the Gulf Station at 99th/Halsted runs NB on Halsted from 114th to 99th (about 2 miles) pic.twitter.com/uPOCqKFI2C
— Sarah Jindra (@SarahJindra) March 17, 2022
And CTA spokesperson Brian Steele said that the agency is very grateful for the millionaire's forward-thinking generosity. In fact, Steele said, the CTA board voted this morning to rename Uptown's Wilson 'L' station in his honor as the Willie Wilson stop. Check out one of the new signs below.
Sadly, this post is a work of fiction. In reality Dr. Wilson gave away $200K in free gasoline, causing drivers to waste time and fuel while waiting in incredibly long lines, creating horrible traffic jams all over the city.
