Transit Fiscal Cliff
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A signature achievement: With Pritzker’s Hancock, Illinois’ groundbreaking transit reform/funding bill is a done deal.
Like many Prairie State politicians and transit officials, workers, riders, and advocates, I was overjoyed after state public transportation legislation surprisingly passed in the wee hours of October 31, aka The Halloween Miracle.
December 16, 2025
At RTA board meeting, Executive Director Redden discussed lessons from Asia, the move to NITA, and improving bike-ped access to transit
As far as I'm concerned, today's presentation by Regional Transportation Authority Executive Director Leanne Redden at the agency's monthly board meeting was this week's second biggest news story about an Australia native. The biggest headline was country musician and Nicole Kidman ex-husband Keith Urban's puzzling performance of Chappell Roan's LGBTQ anthem "Pink Pony Club" for Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago compound.
November 20, 2025
Illinois Policy doubles down on lecturing transit-friendly lawmakers about “no revenue without reform,” when that was literally their slogan
On the other hand, IPI's LyLena Estabine wrote a very solid piece on the transit bill's "People Over Parking" measure.
November 18, 2025
CTA board approves budget, lauds new transit bill. Car activist Roger Romanelli makes a disingenuous Grand Avenue bus lane proposal.
The general reporting on the meeting is by Igor Studenkov, and the commentary on the Grand Avenue project is by John Greenfield.
November 12, 2025
Partying like it’s 2026: Officials and dozens of advocates celebrated next year’s rosier transit picture, talked BRT, over pints at Beguile Brewery
In a recent post, SBC contributor Richard Day argued that it's time to move past rejoicing in the passage of the robust transit reform and funding bill that will save local bus and train service, and start getting to work on optimizing the win. "This is the last, best chance we have to deliver the sort of transformative transit system the region deserves," he noted. "We can’t afford to waste it."
November 11, 2025
We haven’t saved transit yet: What comes after the fiscal cliff
This piece also runs on the website A City That Works, a newsletter about public policy in the Chicago region.
November 10, 2025
We asked Mayor Johnson about the transit win, Leerhsen’s future, saving the bus station, and whether he’ll send a care package to Philly
Streetsblog has interviewed just about all the key players in the surprising win for local sustainable transportation, when state lawmakers passed a transit reform/funding bill in the wee hours of October 31, aka the "Halloween Miracle." (Governor JB Pritzker, if you're reading this, call me maybe?)
November 7, 2025
Lovefest at today’s RTA board meeting, as directors nix 2026 fare hikes, agency prepares to ride off into sunset to make way for NITA
The October 23 Regional Transit Authority board meeting, in the midst of Springfield's fall veto session on the brink of the transit fiscal cliff, was a contentious affair. It was basically a Spiderman Pointing Circle of people blaming each other for the dire straits Chicagoland transit was facing.
November 6, 2025
NITA celebrate? Hailing a historic win: the Northern Illinois Transit Authority and $1.5B in funding to save and upgrade service
New York City dominated the headlines today after electing Zohran Mamdani as mayor. But it wasn't the only big U.S. city that's made history in the past week.
November 5, 2025
“Trib-splaining”: Lawmakers, CTAction clap back against yet another naysaying Tribune editorial about the transit reform/funding bill
On Halloween, a Crain's editorial did a fine job of summing up the stressful, but ultimately successful, legislative process that led to the Illinois General Assembly passing a robust transit reform/funding bill earlier that morning. "A long night yields long-overdue action on transit" is definitely the best op-ed I've seen on the topic in the mainstream press since last Friday.
November 4, 2025
