hyde park herald Wednesday, July 14, 2004 Pg. 4
letters to the editor
To the Editor:
While the City and CTA very correctly state that without an increase in operating funding, CTA fares will have to be raised and some services cut; this is well known here and in Springfield.
It is also known that some of the extremely scarce operating funds that the CTA is seeking, will be used to operate in direct competition with parallel Metra services; rather than attempting to coordinate the services to utilize what funds may be available the most profitably.
Particularly on the Southeast Side of Chicago, where the CTA Red and Green 'L' Lines, and many CTA bus routes (especially the South Lake Shore Drive express routes 2, 6, 10,14, 26, and X28), operate in direct competition for passengers and operating funds with Metra Electric's parallel and adjacent South Chicago and Kensington in-city suburban train routes; sort of lke pumping air into a tire with a slow leak.
There is a highly recommended Major Capital Project included in the Chicago Area Transportation Studies Shared Path 2030 Program for the future of the NE Illinois Region (CATS RTP Proposal ID # 01-02-9003 - "CTA Gray Line 'L' Route).
In 2003 it was ranked the Most Eligible Project for Funding of all those submitted to CATS Shared Path 2030 by CTAQC (the Chicagoland Transportation and Air Quality Commission - a program of the Center for Neighborhood Technology).
The proposal would integrate and coordinate the parallel SE Side CTA and Metra services at a very low capital implementation cost of $100 million.
It would greatly reduce CTA's SE Side operating budget, reduce air pollution and traffic congestion, and greatly increase ridership; mainly by allowing buses to be used as feeders to the electric rail line, rather than wasting fuel and manpower, and creating pollution running many buses to operate competing long-haul services.
Metra would make money selling the service to CTA, just as they purchase operation of their commuter train services from the BNSF and UP Railroads; a win-win-win situation for all.
It would also provide a new 37 station 22-mile Regional CTA 'L' Route serving all the SE Lakefront Corridor with it's many attractions, detailed information about the proposal is available at: www.Grayline.20m.com
There are many other proposals submitted by citizens, groups, and community organizations to CATS 2030 RTP that should be looked at (rather than just those provided by the transit operators themselves), as a way of reducing capital and operating costs, and making the best use what funds are available.
Maybe the people in Springfield feel that CTA, RTA, and Metra aren't exploring all the options (for using the very scarce funds that they are seeking - the most efficiently) so why listen to them ask for more.
Mike Payne
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