(The Center Square) – A new poll commissioned by a coalition of environmental groups shows public support for consolidating Chicago’s mass transit agencies.
The Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition said by a 2-to-1 margin, Illinoisans want to combine the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra, Pace and the Regional Transportation Authority. Statewide, 46% of respondents supported the unification of the agencies, while 21% were opposed.
Earlier this year, state legislators proposed the Metropolitan Mobility Act, to create a single transit system out of the agencies.
“Our transit agencies face a $730 million funding cliff, and legislators in Springfield have said very clearly that there will be no new revenue unless there is real reform,” said state Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado, D-Chicago, chief sponsor of the MMA.
Supporters of the consolidation of the agencies said it could save up to $250 million a year.
“Making transit cleaner, safer, and more frequent is what riders and taxpayers want, not the present system that stands in the way of regional connectivity,” said state Rep. Mary Beth Canty, D-Arlington Heights, a former member of the Board of Directors of the RTA.
In July during a Senate transportation hearing, Pace Executive Director Melinda Metzger said consolidation would not be beneficial for commuters.
“We all want to do the best job we can,” said Metzger. “I do not believe that combining us into one organization will make us better.”
CTA President Dorval Carter pointed to a lack of funding, rather than cooperation among the agencies, for the region’s transportation issues.
“What I know hasn’t been adequately addressed is the fact that the funding that’s been provided for public transit has never, ever aligned with the governance that was put in place,” said Carter.
Transit leaders noted that among the major transit systems in the country, Chicago ranks last, at 17%, in terms of the percentage of their budgets coming from local and state tax dollars.
