Quote:
Originally Posted by ardecila
^ What comes first, though? Why should we trust those same transit agencies with even more tax dollars, when they can't even work together to better use the resources they already have?
I have no faith that pumping a bunch of cash into the existing system will lead to better outcomes. Maybe we get a few flashy new projects that benefit small areas of the city, but the overall transit system in Chicagoland will still be status quo.
For what it's worth, Preckwinkle's pilot program to lower Metra Electric fares was awesome and a breath of fresh air. I had zero faith in Preckwinkle as a leader when she ran for mayor, but she deserves a lot of credit for pushing this pilot. Lightfoot, on the other hand, deserves plenty of scorn for letting her personal feud with Preckwinkle stand in the way of what's best for South Siders (and south suburban residents).
The great thing about Metra Electric is that it already exists. Metra could start running frequent trains tomorrow and start accepting CTA bus transfers. No environmental work or community meetings needed. It would just require them to readjust their priorities. Yes, long term they need to rebuild stations for accessibility and add some infill stations, but we're not talking about a megaproject here. It's an incremental upgrade that starts with service changes only.
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I'm absolutely in agreement that Metra and CTA need to stop butting heads and actually work together on the best way to move forward, which is most definitely fare integration! Metra Electric and SSL both can be much more frequent very quickly, perhaps with some signaling and electrical upgrades if necessary.
Lightfoot and Preckwinkle DO need to work together. Simple as that.
To whoever commented about L.A.'s massive investment in roads, I wonder if they have seen the massive transit investment they've made in the last 20 years? L.A.'s transit system is already quite large and is becoming ever-larger, it's actually quite remarkable! But that took several votes by the electorate to make it happen. Several sales tax increases solely for transit improvements/expansions. I doubt Chicagoans have the appetite for this, unfortunately.
Aaron (Glowrock)