Saved at the breaking point
For those who live and die by public transit, patience for the political drama in Springfield over funding Pace, Metra and the CTA was wearing thin in the hours leading up to the General Assembly's approval of financial aid.
Numerous commuters expressed frustration with elected leaders and reiterated how important public transit was to their daily routines.
"Without public transit, I wouldn't be able to get to school at all," student Andrew Nigro said Thursday.
Every weekday, the 15-year-old's mother drops him off at the Pace Bus No. 250 stop next to the Des Plaines Metra station on her way to work in Arlington Heights. He takes a combination of buses to reach Roycemore School in Evanston.
"It was a real problem when I thought they were going to have to shut down the buses," the Wheeling teenager said.
Faced with shrinking revenues, Pace, Metra and the Chicago Transit Authority all had threatened service cuts and fare increases. After months of stalemate and bickering, lawmakers agreed Thursday to boost sales taxes in the metropolitan region to avert a crisis. Gov. Rod Blagojevich is expected to approve the measure with the proviso seniors are allowed to ride free, which will require another vote from legislators.
Deirdre Rose of Aurora took lawmakers to task for the prolonged debate while she watched for her Pace bus Wednesday evening at the Lisle Metra station.
The Aurora resident doesn't drive, so Pace and Metra are her only means of getting around. Her children also need public transit to reach their school.
"This is America. We're not broke," Rose said. "If they're not able to get a little itty-bitty problem fixed, what happens when there's a big problem?"
Woodridge resident Sean O'Connor catches the Metra train in Lisle and switches to the CTA to reach his job at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago as an archival assistant.
If transit funding fell through, it would be a black eye for the region, he said.
"How would it look to the world when Chicago is trying to compete for the Olympics?" O'Connor asked.
Commuter Isidro Vargas of Bolingbrook relies on Pace buses several times a week to reach his job at a Lisle factory.
"Taking a taxi is too expensive," he said.
As the transit saga unfolded in Springfield, commuters in downtown Des Plaines Thursday feared the worst.
"I don't want to drive; it would be rough," said Deb Kuhn of Des Plaines, who rides the train Monday through Friday to her Chicago job.
Des Plaines Mayor Tony Arredia, Chicago-bound for a morning meeting, regretted the amount of time the transit bailout was taking.
"The longer we wait, the more expensive it gets," he said.
As she waited for Bus No. 234 to whisk her away, senior Sophie Genza of Des Plaines said Pace takes her everywhere -- "shopping, the beauty shop, my doctor, the hospital."
Genza's advice for state leaders? "Don't be stingy."