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This has been a hectic week for Illinois lawmakers and Chicagoland transit professionals and advocates as we try to avert the prophesied $771 budget cliff. As I type this, we're only about 33 hours away from the end of the spring legislative session, Saturday at midnight. If bills aren't passed to fund and/or reform public transportation in our region, the result will be apocalyptic service cuts and layoffs next year. Therefore, Springfield had better step up soon or, as last week's Soldier Field performers AC/DC would say, we're on the "Highway to Hell"

• Highway to the danger zone: "Cuts To CTA Could Begin Soon If State Doesn’t Fill $770 Million Budget Gap" (Block Club)

Photos by John Greenfield.

This is itMake no mistake where you areThis is itYou're going no furtherThis is itUntil it's over and doneThis is itOne way or another

• More coverage of new state bill to replace RTA, reduce Chicago mayor's control of CTA, w/o funding solution (WTTW, Crain's, NBC)

Sadly, Chicago saw its first bike fatality of 2025 on Memorial Day, when a Hummer driver fatally struck Yader Castaneda, 18, while he was riding an electric Divvy bike-share cycle in the Loop.

We're in the eleventh hour for the state legislature to address the looming $771 million Chicagoland transit fiscal cliff. The end of the regular legislative session is this Saturday, May 31, and transit budgets that need to be in place by the end of fall. Facing increasing labor costs, slow ridership recovery, and a state-imposed farebox recovery ratio of 50 percent, the options are either to reach a state agreement on additional funding, or balance the budget through a combination of service cuts and fare increases.

• Johnson urges "expediency" in addressing CTA fiscal cliff, wants funding increase and governance reform: "My position is we have to do both." (Tribune)

By Micheál Podgers