2008 Woodie Awards
CTA bails out in light of tax increase
Amanda Wowk
Issue date: 2/25/08 Section: News
Media Credit: Ryan CalascanThe CTA bailout is bringing benefits to some - like senior citizens - but will mean a tax increase for others, including Chicago property buyers.
Public transit agencies across the state of Illinois will provide free rides starting Mar. 17 to senior citizens, aged 65 and older, who register with the state. This comes as part of Gov. Rod Blagojevich's amendments to the mass transit funding bill passed in the State General Assembly last month.
The contingency, proposed shortly before the bill passed, was required by Blagojevich before he would sign off on any bill passed by the Assembly. The state had been facing a mass-transit "Doomsday" in the Chicagoland area for months, and the bill that was passed alleviated the lack of transit funding by substantially raising sales taxes in the six-county area surrounding Chicago.
Along with the program entitling senior citizens to free rides, the CTA has also announced that they will begin weekend service on the Yellow Line, which will help riders in Skokie commute to the city, and will also begin to expand bus routes and trains. Many of these proposed improvements have come about in light of the possibility of Chicago hosting the Summer Olympics in 2016.
At this point, most of Chicago's citizens are supportive of the new programs that will come in the near future, which also include adding cellular modems to rail cars so that CTA riders could get text messages updating them on train delays or track construction.
The idea of free rides for seniors, which has come after the long period of uncertainty regarding mass transit funding, is more controversial.
"I approve of it," said fourth-year anthropology major Eugene Liebenson. "We should have deference for older people in our society. This is their perk."
Joseph DiJohn, a research professor at the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs (CUPPA) and the former Chief Executive of Pace, commented, "First of all, it's basically a public policy decision, more so than a need. You could find other groups of riders who would be in more need than just senior citizens - for example, working mothers with children in daycare, or disabled citizens. Also, if you look at the real estate transfer tax that the city council authorized to pay for this, you notice that it also authorizes the military to ride free as well. I don't think it's fair to criticize what is done for public policy."
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The contingency, proposed shortly before the bill passed, was required by Blagojevich before he would sign off on any bill passed by the Assembly. The state had been facing a mass-transit "Doomsday" in the Chicagoland area for months, and the bill that was passed alleviated the lack of transit funding by substantially raising sales taxes in the six-county area surrounding Chicago.
Along with the program entitling senior citizens to free rides, the CTA has also announced that they will begin weekend service on the Yellow Line, which will help riders in Skokie commute to the city, and will also begin to expand bus routes and trains. Many of these proposed improvements have come about in light of the possibility of Chicago hosting the Summer Olympics in 2016.
At this point, most of Chicago's citizens are supportive of the new programs that will come in the near future, which also include adding cellular modems to rail cars so that CTA riders could get text messages updating them on train delays or track construction.
The idea of free rides for seniors, which has come after the long period of uncertainty regarding mass transit funding, is more controversial.
"I approve of it," said fourth-year anthropology major Eugene Liebenson. "We should have deference for older people in our society. This is their perk."
Joseph DiJohn, a research professor at the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs (CUPPA) and the former Chief Executive of Pace, commented, "First of all, it's basically a public policy decision, more so than a need. You could find other groups of riders who would be in more need than just senior citizens - for example, working mothers with children in daycare, or disabled citizens. Also, if you look at the real estate transfer tax that the city council authorized to pay for this, you notice that it also authorizes the military to ride free as well. I don't think it's fair to criticize what is done for public policy."
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George Hand
posted 2/25/08 @ 11:04 PM CST
Do out of state seniors qualify for a free ride?
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