CTA budget includes 'devastating' cuts
(Crain’s) — The Chicago Transit Authority moved on Friday to impose "devastating" cuts in service and yet another fare hike effective Jan. 6, unveiling a so-called Doomsday budget for 2008 that fully lives up to its name.
Unless it gets more help from Springfield, the agency said it will have to eliminate an additional 43 bus routes, three of eight bus garages, lay off 1,800 more people, and raise fares at least 25 cents a ride.
Combined with other cuts that are due to take effect Nov. 4, the CTA will have eliminated roughly 20% of all service and 53% of all bus routes, leaving most areas of the city as much as a half a mile away from the nearest bus.
"The CTA does not want this budget ever to become reality," said CTA President Ron Huberman. "This budget is about meeting our legal obligations" to present a balanced budget.
Among the 1,800 additional layoffs are those of 168 administrative workers.
While base fares would rise 25 cents, to a maximum of $3.25 per ride for rail riders, the price of CTA’s passes would rise more. For instance, the 30-day pass would go from $75 now to $84 in November and $94 in January.
The cuts will particularly impact the North Side lakefront, where many people commute daily downtown and rarely use automobiles now.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
da link doesn't work...
Worked for me...
Well, it still doesn't work for me, says something about the site requiring me to log on or something. Perhaps the Smiff already has permission.
They would eliminate BOTH my express buses in Jan under this proposal. So it's either the red line + 2 miles more walking per day (some say I need the exercise), sit on the local 151 for like 90 minutes, I'm gonna have to break the bike out, or (gasp) finally learn how to drive one of them cars. Scooter maybe? The possibilities are endless!
I say bike if you can, when you can't red line it and when the weather's really bad, say 201 out the 260 week days during the year, take a cab and charge it to the city,county,state,country.
People rarely use cars on the North Side lakefront? Then why do Corms & Corporal have to park on the other side a Broadway each time they come to eat Barry's Spot Pizza & watch Da Bears?
Post a Comment