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Also the UK's local councils have often been reorganised by central government to reflect changing population levels and the perceived correct size for efficiency. Central government shares revenues from rich areas to poor areas. Effectively none of this exists for greater Chicago. But rationalisation could occur if there was a political will for it. The creation of the Greater London Authority and the Mayors office and the London assembly arose after years of campaigning for better London government. There were packed lecture theatres all other the city held by various groups, the city's newspaper and eventually televised debates. Discounting the possibility of Cook and Du Page counties merging into a new Metropolitan council. What is the way forward. Illinois State surely must want it's most important city to prosper. What was successful in the UK in kickstarting development in derelict industrial areas in the UK was the creation of Urban development corporations, these entities had access to government funds but most importantly companies locating here faced zero capital investment taxes and zero commercial property taxes for 10 years, but also local planning control was taken from the local city council and few controls were placed on what could be built. Canary Wharf would never of happened without it. To say these were controversial was putting it mildly, local democracy was pretty much upsurped and the nimbies crushed. Could a deregulated and tax free zone on the South side work? The politics of regenerating these areas revolves around gentrification. I can see it soon getting mired in the politics of race and class. The people who will travel to the centre are predominately college educated and white. While new condo towers around existing stations could attract the young and elderley, people with kids are not going to go to the existing schools. One way to attract them would be brand new schools that are not only well funded but have high academic standards. The down side of that is that it would be seen as elitist, discriminating, because other inner city schools are not getting the same funding and racist because it was effectively designed to get suburbanites to come back to the city. The best hope is to continue with the charter movement that uplifts the standards in the city's schools. I would think that transport is your best bet at the moment as there is a metropolitan agency that covers it, and at least their is a method of communication. The city and the suburbs need to find common ground to fight for funds from the State to make any progress. Metro wide rapid transit could become a clarion for the city. But the both sides of the political spectrum will need to reach a consensus for it to happen. |
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The Trib has been diluted over the past year or so. The "breaking news" that appears all over the Trib's front page online has a lot to do with it, IMO. It is basically a red eye light. Terrible. |
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Oh wait. Almost forgot. We are planning for the future - 20 years from now when people will want to live off the green line stop at 43rd street. Nevermind that exurban Kendall county has gained exponentially more people over the past 8 years than Chicago. We'll just continue to dream until Chicago once again reached 4 million people. |
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The South Side is mostly served by Metra, an agency that is based around serving suburban commuters and catering to their desires. If that means running Metra trains non-stop through dense, impoverished black or Hispanic neighborhoods, so be it.
The Red Line extension to 130th is a response to this stupid infighting. If CTA provides the service to the Far South Side instead of Metra, then stops can be placed frequently and there will be no denial of service. Quote:
New York, IIRC, has attempted to do similar things in Long Island City and in the downtown of Jersey City. Both places now have gleaming office buildings (and converted warehouses) that rely on the transit accessibility that already existed in those places. These buildings largely house "back-office" functions that in Chicago are scattered along the Tri-State and out in Downers Grove/Schaumburg/Naperville. |
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Besides, 25 years ago, you could have said the same thing about Lincoln Park. |
Hello, while we are dreaming, I put together my thoughts on a Midwest high speed rail system.
http://theurbanophile.blogspot.com/2...d-part-1b.html |
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I completely disagree with you about the Red Line extension though. The 95th Red Line stop is the busiest el station in the city, something most North Siders (not necessarily you) refuse to believe. If you take income (transit reliance), population density, and distance to the nearest train station into account, the Red Line extension area is exactly where the greatest unmet transit need is. If you live in Streeterville, you can walk six blocks to your home from the Red Line or from any of the constant stream of buses on Michigan, and you are directly adjacent to the Loop. If you live on 130th, you have to take a slow, infrequent bus five or six miles just to get to the last stop on the line. |
^^^ I agree, I still don't see why people continue to claim that Streeterville needs a subway line. I have to go to Streeterville very often for various things and never once has it occurred to me that it would be easier to get there if there was a train line... There is no traffic in streeterville, so why do we need a train? The Michigan Ave. buses are way better than any train and its at most a 3 or 4 block from those buses. If you had a train going through streeterville you'd probably have to transfer to get on it and you could out walk the train in the 5-10 min it'd take to wait for it. Not to mention its almost entirely residential so its not like there are going to be a ton of commuters coming in and out of there, most people that live there are either retired or live within walking distance of their jobs (I know several people who live there and either work on Michigan or in Illinois Center and just walk to work).
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Rather than building the Redline out too low density areas we should just make CTA/Metra passes usable on both transit systems and increase the Metra trips and add stations on existing lines. |
Mass-transit 'doomsday' looms yet again
RTA projects huge tax-revenue shortfalls for CTA, Metra and Pace
http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...5244322.column (Complete Article found with link) Jon Hilkevitch | Getting Around February 16, 2009 The sinking economy is driving Chicago-area mass-transit agencies into the ground, according to new data marking a quick return to budget crises. The new numbers are so bleak that the "doomsday" service cuts and fare increases threatened more than a year ago appear mild in comparison to the sweeping measures that would be needed to fill gaping budget holes the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace are facing. That's the grim scenario, even though riders may be under the impression that recent fare increases at all three transit agencies have erased funding worries. Tax revenues the CTA receives for its operating budget are estimated to fall below projections by $58 million for 2008 when the final figures for December are received and $155 million less than targeted for 2009 out of a $1.3 billion budget, according to Regional Transportation Authority documents obtained by the Tribune. Jon Hilkevitch Jon Hilkevitch Bio | E-mail | Recent columns The RTA is also eyeing big funding reductions in the Metra and Pace budgets based on shrinking tax receipts: a $27 million reduction in funding in 2008 and $45 million in 2009 for Metra and $9 million in 2008 and $16 million in 2009 for Pace. The 2009 numbers represent 7 percent of Metra's $642 million operating budget and nearly 8 percent of Pace's $204 million operating budget. The dwindling tax revenue also means the $107 million budgeted for Pace to provide paratransit services to people covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act in 2009 would be cut by $5 million..... |
OK, I'm getting pretty sick of every budget shortfall facing the RTA being described as a doomsday by the local media. Its like they are trying to stoke the fires between the RTA and its customers.
Chicken little syndrome... Taft Quote:
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^^^So you don't think there is a real issue with the projected tax revenues dropping because of the economic crises? That take on the situtations seems a little clueless. The issue on how the media reports it is a different topic matter...how about the actual article? It has far worse ramifications to countless tens of thousands of people than a bi-line in the newspaper.
None of us like the idea of another funding crises with Mass Transit in Chicago....but seems like this will be the first of many large governmental budget problems in the near future....because of the economy..which I personally am sick of. |
Transit is heavily funded by sales and real estate transfer taxes - highly variable revenue sources in a down economy.
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UP the parking tax! Daley was about to institute that about a month ago but it fizzled away.
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I am just reacting to the sensationalism with which this is billed and general poor reporting. The word "doomsday" gets trotted out and all of a sudden you have several million downstaters yapping about the dysfunction of CTA and grumbling about their perpetual "doomsdays." The media sells these problems to the public as problems that can be fixed only by huge influxes of cash. No one really details the long term funding changes that need to be made to make public transit in Illinois tenable. And so, as we go round again on the funding-go-round, the public is perpetually surprised about the next "doomsday" which pops up and asks, "didn't we just fix this?" Sigh. |
I think the headline was more sensationalist than the body of the story, which at least makes clear in the first sentence that the economy is the culprit here. Let's hope that federal assistance will plug the gap.
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To some extent, increased Federal dollars for the capital budget will allow RTA to divert local capital dollars to the operating budget to avert/mitigate a subsequent doomsday. The stimulus may indeed help tremendously.
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The state needs to secure a permanent, recession proof way to fund transit. Come on Pat, it’s been a week. Whatcha got? |
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