Promoted

On May 31 as the spring Illinois legislative session was wrapping up, the Senate passed the transit funding and reform bill HB3438. It included the last-minute addition of a "climate impact fee of $1.50 [for] each retail delivery that meets specified conditions."

Earlier this month, a federal judge ruled that the City of Chicago must install about 2,000 accessible pedestrian signals over the next ten years.

Streetsblog Chicago readers know all too well by now that our region's public transportation system, and therefore the fortunes of the entire state of Illinois, are at a crossroads right now. That's a result of what happened last May 31 in the state capitol, a day that will live in infamy as "The Night Transit Funding Didn't Go Down In Springfield."

Watch a video of the speech here.

Update 6/17/25, 10:30 PM: Today the statehouse news website Capitol Fax ran a blog post supposedly debunking this guest op-ed . After publishing his piece, Capitol Fax Editor Rich Miller stated in his comments section that Streetsblog Chicago was "doing harm by spreading misinformation/disinformation." Ellen Steinke, the author of this SBC article, provided a response to Miller's criticisms, posted at the end of her piece. The Capitol Fax post seemed like a very odd turn of events, given recent interactions I've had with Rich, which I discuss at the bottom of this webpage. - John Greenfield, editor

"This is an outcome that was preventable, but we stand ready to do the work and respond to what's coming down the path," said RTA Executive Director Leanne Redden.

Update 6/30/25, 2:45 PM: According to the most recent info from the 32nd Ward, represented by Ald. Scott Waguespack, there will be a meeting on this project Wednesday, July 7, 6 p.m. in the community room of Illinois Masonic Hospital, 836 W. Wellington. Here's how to get to the entrance to that building from the local Brown Line station.

Recently, Streetsblog Chicago heard from Phil D'Anieri, Teaching Professor at the University of Michigan's Department of Urban and Regional Planning. This week, he's leading a class on a transportation-themed trip to the Windy City. These students are in a new degree program called Urban Technology, and they'll be spending their time in Chicago looking at issues and opportunities related to sustainable transportation.

Recently, the Chicago Tribune, and three difference articles in Crain's, have questioned the $5.7 billion cost of the the 5.5-mile Red Line Extension. It would connect the current 95th Street terminal with the Far South Side's Altgeld Gardens housing project. An editorial in the weekly business newspaper went so far as to say, "There's still time to avoid one of the costliest boondoggles City planners have dreamed up since the parking meter fiasco... even to pull the plug on it."