WBEZ’s Reset podcast asked listeners who ride the CTA, Metra or Pace to share what would happen if the Illinois legislature fails to fill a $770 million gap in regional transit agencies budgets. Here’s what they said, lightly edited for clarity:
“I started taking transit alone when I was 11 or 12. … Being able to go to concerts, cultural events, getting to school, getting to a job … visiting family members — it’s extremely important for young people and for people that just cannot drive with disabilities and people who also just prefer not to.”
— Ruben, Albany Park
“I’m a daily CTA rider. I moved to the city about five years ago, sold my car, just fell in love with the freedom that comes with taking public transit. … I take the bus and the train because I want to. It’s stress-free. I like being around other people. I don’t like driving. … If service gets cut, it just tells me that maybe the state’s values don’t align with mine. It would take me longer to get to work, harder to visit friends or do things I love …. I’d probably have to start looking at other cities like New York, San Francisco, even if they’re more expensive. It’s just important for me to live somewhere that views public transit as a necessity, not a liability. But I love Chicago. Before last week, I didn’t ever see myself leaving.”
— Jackson, Wicker Park
With the region’s transportation budget still on the line, riders face uncertainty.
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“The CTA, I mean, that’s my life. That’s how I get to school, that’s how I get home, that’s how I get to work. … I know all my friends, who are also students, we all rely heavily on transit. We really can’t get around without it, especially from the West Side. With these proposed budget cuts and the proposed train lines and bus lines getting cut, we just don’t know what to do. We’re feeling really scared.”
— Franny, Pilsen
As a multi-disciplinary artist, I’ve taken client work and gigs from Niles to Evanston all the way to Chinatown and Hyde Park. I’ve taken it all from the Metra to Pace to CTA. My access needs make it difficult to drive, and cuts to public transportation would make my commute even longer. I’m grateful to have access to it all the way out in the suburbs, but time is precious and longer wait times between train and bus services mean I can’t take on as much work or be in community with my friends in the city in the way that I currently am able to.”
— Abby, Des Plaines
“Five years ago, Toni Preckwinkle suggested … additional service added to the Metra electric line that runs very close to the footprint of where the Red Line extension would be. I don’t know why the powers that be are not working to make that project the reality and scrap this ridiculous Red Line extension project. This is going to be the most expensive per mile mass transit line in the country’s history, and the studies on how many people are actually going to use it show it’s going to be very lightly used. This is just an example of how the various operating agencies are completely irresponsible in their planning and financial decision making.”
— John, Edgewater