As many Chicago Transit Authority riders already know from the audio announcements playing in the buses, the CTA has decided to cut several routes and reduce service on others beginning Feb. 7 due to financial difficulty. Three of the routes on the chopping block are the x9 Ashland, x20 Madison and x49 Western. These bus routes all provide essential service to the Near West Side.

Recent press coverage has highlighted how South Shore trains do not pick up passengers on the South Side, cutting off minorities from convenient transportation to downtown Chicago. CTA riders also recently filed a class-action lawsuit contending racism in how transit funds are split among Metra, Pace and the CTA. Like these two issues, eliminating the x9, x20, and x49 routes will have a negative impact on the mainly minority, lower-income residents of the Near West Side. Forcing our community to bear the brunt of these cuts is yet another sign of racism and economic injustice in how transit is provided in Chicago.

The three express bus routes are essential to connect Near West Side residents to their jobs and other parts of the city. I rely on both the Madison and Ashland express buses to get to work. Having to wait for the much slower, non-express buses would more than double my commute time. Moreover, the non-express buses are already overcrowded and would not be able to handle the additional usage, particularly since regular bus service will also be cut.

Concentrating so many cuts within one community is unjust, particularly when the affected community lacks transportation alternatives. In particular, West Side residents take the x20 Madison bus to reach downtown work locations quickly; many individuals living on the margins will not have the option to drive and will not have any additional time to ride non-express buses.

In addition to the immediate impact of the cuts, planned development projects will also be adversely affected. Pete’s Fresh Market is slated to build a full-service grocery store on the corner of Madison and Western. Since no similar store is located anywhere within or nearby our community, the project’s success will depend on public transportation to bring in customers. Similarly, Johnny’s IceHouse is building a new facility in the 2500 block of W. Madison that will double as both the Blackhawks’ new training facility and a public rink. With no nearby train stop, rink users ought to be able to take fast, convenient express buses on either Madison or Western to reach it. Alderman Robert Fioretti has been very public with his involvement in bringing these developments to our community. It would be great to see the same sort of leadership regarding the CTA cuts. To date, I have not received a response to a letter I sent to his office last October, nor have I seen any press highlighting his efforts to address the problem.

As an alternative to eliminating bus routes, the CTA should heed the Regional Transportation Authority’s October 15, 2009 suggestion to limit free rides to low-income seniors only. Free rides for all seniors are a $38 - $120 million annual burden, according to a recent University of Illinois at Chicago study. This revenue could be spent to maintain express bus routes instead.

In summary, the proposed cuts to the x9 Ashland, x20 Madison, and x49 Western express routes disproportionately affect our community at a critical time when transit is needed to fuel economic growth. The cuts will choke off residents from their jobs and impede planned commercial projects. I urge the CTA to consider other options, ones that are not concentrated so unjustly in one part of the city.

Forrestal lives on the Near West Side.

---

By Dr. wod from north side
Posted: 01/28/2010 7:53 AM

Mayor Daley don\'t care about the people of Chicago he just enjoying his multiple homes and cars and his big salary he don\'t care if he hurt the working people why is everybody so blind That\'s why he put people in them jobs not for what they know but to do what he say and that is to lay people off eliminate jobs raise parking make people suffer for electing him as Mayor you have School closing and lay offs and mass transit cuts which means crime is going to go up with more murders. GET HIM OUT.

---

By L. E. Light from Pilsen
Posted: 01/28/2010 6:42 AM

Chicago is one of the most segregated large cities in the USA. That's from 40 years of absolute control by Democrats.