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NEWS & LETTERS,
January-February 2003
Community tees off against CTA cutbacks
Chicago--The Chicago Transit Authority is catching heat
from several Chicago activist groups such as the Tri-Taylor group, Citizens
Taking Action, and Citizens Against Terrible Transit Service. The NEAR
WEST/SOUTH GAZETTE newspaper featured John Vespo of the Tri-Taylor group who
became active around CTA issues when the mid-day bus that runs to the east side
of Taylor street was cut. Bill of Citizens Taking Action said the CTA had way too
much money and was spending it foolishly. He said that CTA should be
audited for the savings from service cuts in the past 10 years. Cuts are in the
off-peak hours, in which case they are not really saving that much. Reduced fares, reliable service, courteous drivers, and
restored transit to service areas that were cut during the CTA’s 1997 purge
were also concerns. The Citizens Taking Action group has been around for 10
years and is responsible for CTA's decision to keep the monthly pass, according
to Kevin Peterson of Citizens Against Terrible Transit Services. Peterson said that CTA lifts for those in wheelchairs
hardly work, so handicapped riders cannot ride the bus. Many stations do not
have elevators for those in wheelchairs. Peterson said the PACE suburban bus
services are set up to fail. He used the example of a last bus that runs in the
suburbs at 4:25 p.m. He said that one would have to leave from Chicago at about
1:00 p.m. to catch that bus. So many people could not meet that time schedule,
it would appear that many people do not need the last bus and services would be
further cut. Bill said, “Neighborhoods need CTA, not just
downtown.” He said that CTA receives a 1% sales tax from shoppers in expanded
service areas and should do more for those who go outside their communities to
shop. "The goal of Citizens Taking Action is to encourage
people to use public transportation," Charles Paidock said. Pissing them
off isn’t the goal of the organization. Paidock can be reached by e-mail at cpaidock@hotmail.com
or the website at www.CTAriders.org
for further information. --Samantha "Akili" Mattox |
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