CTA Tattler

Doomsday imminent as state "leaders" scramble

Usually on Fridays, I post info and links about weekend CTA work. There's still plenty of that here, so be an informed rider before heading out.

But of course the big story this weekend is whether Doomsday I officially dawns on Sunday. Oh, and isn't it ironic that we get an extra hour to "enjoy" the first day of bus service cuts and fare increases (pdf) with the change to Daylight Saving Time?

Bottom line: We still don't for sure if Doomsday dawns Sunday, but it doesn't look good.

Below are some recaps and links to coverage.

Blagojevich floats new temporary fix (Sun-Times): Another short-term bailout plan to be released today. Favorite quote: Blago urged the the CTA and RTA "not to turn away the help we'll offer by trying to use the riders ... as pawns."

Funding for transit eyed warily (Tribune): Neither the CTA nor RTA leaders had seen the latest bailout plan, so they didn't feel very comfortable accepting a deal they hadn't seen. Quote: "We can't say 'no' to something we haven't seen," RTA Chairman Jim Reilly said. "But the RTA board very reluctantly accepted" the governor's last short-term cash infusion." And . . . state transit committee "members were dumbfounded that transit officials had not been given any details of the governor's plan. 'We have to operate on the facts of today,' Huberman said. 'And the facts of today are we have no dollars.' "

Doomsday could spur huge City College dropout rate: The Redeye's Kyra Kyles reports (no link) that more than one-third of the 41,000 City Colleges of Chicago students who use the CTA will be forced to dropout if the cuts go into place. 

And these:

• Transit leaders' optimism wanes -- Crain's Chicago Business
• Governor's statement on mass transit funding -- via Illinois Transportation Issues
• Gas Tax vs. Sales Tax: Which Wins -- more good analysis from Illinois Transportation Issues

See you on packed trains and what's left of the buses Monday.

And here's hoping I'm wrong about that.

Check back here this weekend for updates as they become available.

Stop the madness!

This is pathetic. The whole notion that the city, suburbs and state can survive without adequate public transportation is moronic.

So it's quite vexing when I read this nonsense from the director of Illinois leading conservative action committee:

“Why should the heavily taxed suburban commuter now be asked to pay for the mismanagement of the Chicago Transit Authority? Let Chicago pay their own way for a change. The state has done nothing to demand that the CTA put its fiscal house in order and now is the time to make that demand, rather than making suburban families the fiscal scapegoats.” (Business Wire)

Last time I looked, there was money in SB 572 for both Metra and Pace -- transit agencies that serve primarily the suburbs. And when those suburban riders get off the trains at Ogilvie and Union Station, many of them hop on CTA buses to get to their CHICAGO jobs and CHICAGO shops, such as American Girl.

Last time I looked, the Skokie Swift, the Purple Line, the Blue Line and numerous CTA bus lines operate in the SUBURBS, to bring SUBURBANITES to Chicago to make a living and enjoy city life.

Last time I looked, SB 572 contained many CTA and RTA reforms to hold both more accountable.

Last time I looked, SB 572 contained "Funding for new $20 million Suburban Commuter Mobility Fund – flexible services provided by Pace."

Chicago is the tail that wags the dog. Without it, there would be no suburbs.

Rumors of CTA funding deal

Check out this CBS2 news report: CTA Deal Rumored To Be On Horizon.

From the report:

"With just four days until the Chicago Transit Authority's "doomsday," the governor and state legislators are getting ready Wednesday night to return to Springfield. There are hopes that a leaders' meeting Thursday will lead to a Friday vote for new money for mass transit.

"I think it's a good bill and it will pass," House Speaker Michael Madigan said Monday.

"Madigan last spoke publicly on Monday while proposing an increase in gaming, a casino in Chicago and a new boat downstate. Tax revenue from that would go for road construction, satisfying downstate lawmakers balking at the CTA bailout.

"I expect that bill will pass on Friday if not linked to anything but the merits of the bill," Madigan said.

"But the promise of new casino money could persuade Republicans to back it. And there are indications Wednesday night that they are so close, that Gov. Rod Blagojevich, before leaving Thursday for Springfield, is leaning toward asking the CTA not to start implementing its contingency plan, even though it's not the solution he envisioned last month."

Hold on to your transit seats, we're in for a wild ride as we head to Doomsday Sunday.

Assault and baggery

Four more days till Doomsday I, including today. And this is the day the Illinois House is scheduled to meet and consider SB 572 -- the quarter of a percent sales tax increase. That's 25 cents on $100. Check back here later today for the Yahoo news feed on the status of that vote.

In the meantime, here's a Tattler tale -- just like I used to write about before it was all Doomsday, all the time.

A guy in his late 30s boards the Red Line at Grand. On his back he wields a lethal weapon -- a backpack that juts out from his body two feet that must contain 50-pound sandbags.

He assaults two people with it as he boards the car -- including a professorial-looking guy with a University of Chicago lanyard who is himself wielding a nasty-looking cane with a nifty brass handle. The guy is fuming as he gets hit, banging his cane three times on the floor and muttering vengeful thoughts.

Fortunately, backpack man moves down the aisle and avoids a confrontation. But of course he hits two more people who are trying to exit.

A seat opens on the aisle and backpack man settles into it. But of course he flings the pack into his seatmate's personal space, narrowly missing her left foot as she desperately yanks it out of the way.

To all backpack-wearers, we've been through this before -- please be more cognizant of your surroundings and treat fellow riders politely.