(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Illinois lawmakers say a majority of Cook County residents surveyed support their efforts to consolidate the state’s four major transportation agencies: The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra and Pace.
W. Robert Schultz III, an organizer with the Active Transportation Alliance, said he rides mass transit every day — so he knows the problems.
“Too often, buses and trains are not on time, not clean and sometimes not as safe as they can be,” he said. “We have a responsibility to do better.”
Northwest suburban state Rep. Mary Beth Canty, who previously served on the RTA board, said the state can do better if it passes legislation to combine the four major transit agencies.The public, she added, agrees.
“The overwhelming majority of voters in Chicago, Cook County and the collar counties don't want to hear parochial political arguments,” she said. “They want solutions making transit cleaner, safer and more frequent.”
A poll for the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition found that respondents in Chicago and suburban Cook County support the consolidation plan by a 2-to-1 margin.
Chicago State Rep. Eva Dina Delgado said the new entity would be the Metropolitan Mobility Authority.
“People want to see real solutions,” Delgado said. “They don't want to see band-aids, and they don't want to see a failed status quo.”
The agencies are fighting the plan, but the lawmakers say there'll be no additional funding for transit without reforms.
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