Read what the Daily Herald has to say about the bill to keep the Chicago Transit Authority alive:
“…in the collar counties especially, it remains troubling that the makeup of the 20-member board for the new Northern Illinois Transit Authority, which will replace the current RTA as the slightly more empowered overseer of Metra, Pace and the CTA, was not modified to provide some exurban influence in agency decisions.
“Perhaps most annoying about the proposal, though, is the institution of a 45-cents increase in tolls [a 60% toll tax hike] to be used for tollway construction generally unrelated to the fiscal needs of the public transportation system other than the potential — not the requirement — for $200 million being pumped into the state’s Road Fund for public transit. Considering that suburban commuters are overwhelmingly affected by toll increases, this nod to the labor lobby is especially rankling.”
