State of public transit wont' change until it's a priority
Public transportation is as essential to me as Harold’s fried chicken or Stony Island Avenue, singing the Andriana Furs jingle or memories of Marshall Field’s on State Street.
I grew up taking Chicago Transit Authority buses and trains. Still do. We are a CTA family whether going to work, festivals, airports, museums or for croissants in Old Town. My brother uses Pace buses weekly. Trekking to summer Ravinia concerts via Metra is easier than driving. One of my stepdaughters recently relocated to Atlanta and returns home with a greater appreciation of our transit system.
Life as an urban denizen means learning how to navigate the L. It’s convenient, cheaper and climate-friendly. Public transit is a public good — just like our schools, parks, beaches and libraries. But the CTA, in particular, suffers from flimsy leadership, ghost buses and crime. Frankly, a bad reputation keeps riders away. COVID-19 upended travel habits, and ridership has not bounced back. Cigarette smoking on the Red Line hardly helps imaging.
Public transit tells story of a city
"If you show me a public transit system that has an influx of unhoused people, I can guarantee you I can show you a city that has a housing problem. If you show me a public transit system that is struggling with how to deal with folks who have mental health issues, I can guarantee you I can show you a city that has not necessarily done the right thing on mental health care. Everything comes to bear right here on this system. And when Chicago is doing well, I think the CTA is doing well, and you can see it on full display,” said Democrat state Rep. Kam Buckner, a self-described transit nerd.
What’s at stake is bigger than the CTA. Transit is in crisis in Northeast Illinois and is at a crossroads for sustainable transit of the future. A fiscal cliff of more than $700 million looms. Fickle service undermines rider confidence. Suburban and urban coordination lacks, with arguably too many agencies in place.
Buckner and other elected officials say a bold vision is needed for new funding and reform. Springfield must pass legislation by May. Buckner and I met up on a weekday morning this month at the 51st Street Green Line station near his Bronzeville home to chat up transit. On our ride downtown, he recalled his father taking him to ride the length of the Red Line, Howard Street to 95th. Today the South Side lawmaker keeps the tradition going by riding the 47th Street bus with his young son for school drop-off.
Buckner is advocating for the Metropolitan Mobility Act, which would put CTA, Metra, Pace and the Regional Transportation Authority under one umbrella.
"That was very scary to a lot of people. They're like, 'You're going to take away power from the mayor of Chicago. You're going to take away our autonomy. The suburbs are going to run the system,'" Buckner said.
Several months ago I logged into a "saving public transit" webinar put on by the Environmental Law and Policy Center. A speaker in favor of fixing the byzantine governance of multiple boards with dozens of people said, "If everyone is accountable, nobody is accountable."
Buckner admits consolidation is unlikely at the end of the spring legislative session, but the bill is "an attempt to very aggressively dramatize our situation and say we need to do something different.”
Labor has a different vision for reforming transit that doesn’t include consolidation into one agency. But there is agreement that better coordination should be on the table. Buckner said passengers would benefit from a shared fare structure to smoothly transfer from one transit system to another without having to use a different app or a different card. Whatever bill passes in the near-term, Buckner said it’s just the start.
Sprawl and segregation keep the region detached, so robust transit can further connectivity. Public transit is also an economic engine.
"If a transit system is working the way it's supposed to work, there's nobody, no group of folks, no socioeconomic group, no demographic in this city or in this region who won't benefit," Buckner said.
While on the Green Line, Buckner and I experienced multiple delays, and even before boarding we had to run on the platform to catch the train because the number of cars was shortened in the morning hour. Not how a global city should operate.
"My wife had to go to Japan for work earlier this year. She was blown away that the train was 20 seconds behind schedule and how effusively the people apologized for it. I'm like 20 seconds?" Buckner said.
On vacations, Buckner subjects family to his transit nerdiness. Istanbul’s train terminal has a library inside. London has one of the best in the world. Beijing’s rapid transit is top-tier. Paris' is fantastic. Seamless, quick and clean.
"And here's the thing: I'm not being Pollyanna. Chicago can get there. We've got the tools and the know-how and innovation to be able to deliver that type of system. We’ve just got to make this important to us. And right now, it's not important enough," Buckner said.
Natalie Y. Moore is a senior lecturer at Northwestern University and host of WBEZ’s soap-centric podcast, Stories Without End.
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