Transportation Funding
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Shifting money from roads to public transportation saved Illinois transit. A new map shows how other states can benefit from this approach.
Last October 31, Illinois public transportation boosters rejoiced after state legislators passed a robust transit reform/funding bill with $1.5 billion in new annual funding during the early-morning hours. This legislation rescued Chicagoland bus and train service from a looming fiscal cliff that would have resulted in drastic cuts and layoffs.
January 13, 2026
Transit agencies, expert clap back at Tribune editorial calling the looming budget crisis a “so-called fiscal cliff”
Read the Tribune editorial here.
May 2, 2025
When the levy breaks: Taxpert Maurice Scholten says updating IL sales tax could help fund transit, but not soon enough to avert fiscal cliff
Want to urge state legislators to properly fund Chicago-area transit during their spring 2025 session, so as to prevent drastic service cuts in 2026? The Active Transportation Alliance recommends going to the webpage "Support the Clean and Equitable Transportation Act!" to send letters to your state reps.
April 2, 2025
Illinois could help avoid the transit fiscal cliff by shifting federal funding from highways to public transportation
Let's get real: Illinois has a looming public transportation crisis on our hands. Federal COVID-19 subsidy money, which has kept the CTA, Pace, and Metra running despite lower post-pandemic ridership, is projected to run out by 2026. How can we dodge this transit fiscal cliff in Chicagoland, the metro region where roughly three-quarters of Prairie State residents live? Here are some possibilities that have been discussed:
December 16, 2024
The Active Transportation Alliance is helping Illinois communities win ITEP grants for walk/bike projects
ATA is collaborating with the Illinois Public Health Institute and the Illinois Department of Transportation on webinar info sessions.
August 23, 2024
At Transport Chicago, experts discussed creative ideas to save the region’s transit system from looming fiscal cliff
One particularly intriguing idea is congestion pricing. While that strategy is on hold in NYC, one of the panelists thinks it would work here.
June 19, 2024
Transportation advocates share potential solutions to avoid the CTA’s coming fiscal cliff
The Active Transportation Alliance, Commuters Take Action, and Metropolitan Planning Council shared ideas.
November 13, 2023
