CTA

This week’s Chicago Reader "First Tuesdays with Maya [Dukmasova] & Ben [Joravsky]" at Nighthawk on the topic of “Public Transit Crisis” lived up to the theme. The conversation with state representative Kam Buckner and activist (and former Streetsblog reporter) Lynda Lopez touched on familiar CTA woes: the ongoing triple-whammy of sub-par cleanliness, safety, and reliability; the predicted $730 million Chicagoland transit system budget shortfall by 2026; and a punishing funding structure that keeps the system hobbled. But it was the audience Q & A where on-the-ground frustrations of riders—and CTA workers in particular—gave a pulse to the urgency of the crisis at hand.

Monday I wrote about the Chicago Transportation Authority hosting a meeting tomorrow morning to introduce disadvantaged business enterprises and small businesses to the three CTA-identified bidders for the Far South Side's Red Line Extension Project as potential subcontractors. After I asked a colleague to review the article before publication, he had some interesting questions.

The CTA didn't provide me a FOIA response for months, and then finally did so at a time when I was unable to read it.

Despite the significantly longer Kennedy travel times, there hasn't been much uproar about the project creating a carpocalypse.

Since launching the program in August 2022 on the #22 Madison Street Route, the agency has installed 1,300 tactile signs at stops along 12 of the city’s bus lines.

Unfortunately, the CTA won't be able to run significantly more trains systemwide until staffing is closer to full strength again, and that means improving conditions for workers.

While the CTA continues to make increment progress in reliability and staffing, Commuters Take Action says it's not nearly enough to get the system where it needs to go.

IDOT and other local transportation agencies are taking steps to address the challenges this project may pose for people commuting by both cars and more sustainable modes.

Local leaders need to get serious about permanently reducing the farebox recovery ratio; finding new funding sources; and abolishing Rauner's collection fee ASAP.