Transit hearing Tuesday 4/26

The big CTA event this week will be the House Mass Transit Committee hearing Tuesday morning, with the leadership of Metra, Pace, CTA, and the RTA all appearing in Springfield. This will be the first meeting of the Committee after it issued its report (PDF) highlighting both the need for more investment in public transportation, and some of the bizzare imbalances in the way our region funds public transportation. Out of the top 25 metropolitan regions in North America, Chicago is the only one that funds transit through a differential tax rate. It's no wonder funding for the entire RTA has trailed inflation for the last 21 years.

The RTA and CTA boards passed resolutions last fall calling on the Illinois General Assembly to help our region increase funding for public transportation. Please lend your support to the 5 Core Principles for regional transit funding to help guide our state elected officials to a solution.