Eye On Illinois: Existing transit agencies seek more money and power over struggling systems

Don’t kill the messenger is a concept that dates as far back as Shakespeare and Sophocles. But what happens when good concepts come from a bad source?

Having written a few times about the $730 million “fiscal cliff” facing Metra, Pace and the CTA by 2026, there was much interest in Wednesday’s “Transforming Transit” report from the Regional Transportation Authority. The first few paragraphs absolutely delivered:

“A Chicago where public transit isn’t just an option, but the obvious choice for travel, is within our reach. Frequency unlocks freedom; the freedom to step outside and trust that a bus or train will be there. It’s the kind of freedom that transforms a city, connects a region, and opens doors to opportunity for everyone.

“This bold vision to transform regional transit isn’t far-fetched. Cities around the world have shown us what’s possible – trains arriving every few minutes, buses moving swiftly along dedicated lanes – a system designed with riders at its heart. That’s the way it should have been all along, but reality hasn’t measured up.”

Then things went off the rails. Rather than cover the expected funding gap, the RTA said doing things right actually would cost twice as much: $1.5 billion. Further, the report calls for “a strengthened RTA to oversee regionwide minimum service standards.”

In other words, the proposed solution is giving more money and more power to an agency that hasn’t been able to effectively deploy a $4.147 billion annual operating budget, manage $160 billion in physical assets or execute an $9.469 billion capital plan to provide satisfactory service to more than 2 million daily riders in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties.

For this, we can thank the 16 people appointed to the RTA board, including former state Sen. Kirk Dillard, the chairman since 2014. Dillard appoints the RTA’s executive director, adding another layer. CTA, Metra and Pace have their own appointment-based governance structure. There are dozens of ostensibly public officials with their hands in this broken system.

The RTA report has good ideas. Reliable, frequent service will lead to more efficient spending. Vehicle drivers benefit from people choosing public transportation, as do business and service providers who need clients and customers to have reliable rides. Not only is this an apparent rejection of creating a Metropolitan Mobility Authority in favor of preserving and bolstering an underdelivering bureaucracy, but it perpetuates perceptions the mass transit fiscal cliff is a Chicagoland problem rather than an invitation to address the needs of all Illinoisans without a personal vehicle parked in the family garage.

This report isn’t worthless just because it comes from the RTA. But any good ideas it contains are best assigned to someone else for implementation.

• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Local News Network. Follow him on X @sth749. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.