Our Vision: A Statewide Solution
Our Vision
Transit planning and funding must be conducted at a statewide level to be successful.
Traditionally, transit has been thought of a Chicago-centric issue. Funding transit was a political horse trade between Chicago transit supporters and downstate highway supporters. We cannot afford that type of thinking any more.
The belief was that only Chicago could support the grid of bus and rapid transit routes needed to make transit service attractive. Metra's role was incorrectly limited to moving commuters from suburban parking lots to their Downtown jobs.
Meanwhile, Pace, downstate transit agencies and Amtrak were performing important roles, but never received the attention they deserved.
This way of thinking has been costly, resulting in a higher cost of living and disconnected communities. We thought we could get away with it when gas was 50 cents a gallon, but we cannot afford it as gas approaches $4.00.
Just as every community needs highways, every community in the state needs transit, in one form or another, and the services need to interconnect.
We need a new transit paradigm. We need to recognize that transit is a statewide issue, redefine transit's role and develop new funding streams to make transit thrive.
