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Time to emphasize mass transit options

The March 2 article "Rauner's Transportation Budget: Bikers Up, Transit Down" underscores how shortsighted Gov. Rauner's proposed budget is in cutting $130 million for mass transit while adding $120 million to the state highway fund.

The proposed cuts will do economic harm to the entire Chicago area. In 2014, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning issued an updated version of GoTo2040, the agency's comprehensive plan for the region. CMAP emphasized, "Making transit a better 'first option' for more residents to get around the region will help keep cars off the road, reduce congestion for drivers, and improve air quality."

The state and the region should be investing resources to improve suburb-to-suburb mass transit. One attractive option is express buses. Since 2011, Pace has been running express buses on the shoulders of the Stevenson Expressway. The program has been a resounding success, with ridership tripling. But instead of expanding on successes like this, the governor proposes to starve mass transit.

Gov. Rauner's cuts will also increase air pollution and the amount of carbon dioxide that the Chicago area emits into the atmosphere. Studies have shown that fully 21 percent of carbon emissions come from cars, trucks, buses, and trains, making vehicular traffic the third-largest source of CO2 in the region.

According to the American Public Transportation Association, by using mass transit, a household can reduce its carbon emissions by 4,800 pounds a year - or 10 percent of the carbon sent into the atmosphere by a typical family.

For more than 100 years, the United States has privileged automobiles. It's time to start privileging mass transit.

Christopher Johnson

Evanston

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