People rallied in downtown Chicago on Saturday to advocate for public transit funding throughout Illinois as the state faces a multi-million dollar fiscal cliff.
The city’s sprawling network of trains and transit could soon get smaller and slower as supporters of public transit urge state lawmakers to call a special summer session to find $770 million.
Multiple big cities, including Chicago, are set to lose federal COVID dollars that supported trains and buses.
The news comes as CTA faces pressure for quality of life issues such as smoking and crime onboard.
“So if I ride the trains, need to make sure it’s clean, need to make sure it’s safe, make sure the service is good,” one rider told NBC Chicago.
It’s unlikely any more federal money is coming, and without more funding, CTA, Metra and Pace warn stations will close and bus routes will end.
“We need to protect systems that bring us together and not keep us separated in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the highway,” said Dr. Chloe Groome with Strong Towns Chicago.
Impacts would also be felt by commuters in the suburbs.
“Suburban mayors should be at the front of the parade demanding funding for transit because the suburbs would not operate with transit,” Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss said.
A special tax on food and package deliveries, which would’ve provided dollars for mass transit, did not pass in Springfield at the end of the session. It remains unclear how nearly a billion dollars will be funded.
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