$4 a gallon? OK, where's that train?

A year ago, would you have even considered taking a train or bus to work?

Probably not. But we'll bet $4-plus-per-gallon has you rethinking how you do lots of things. In fact, if you take those high gas costs, add construction congestion and congestion-caused traffic crashes, we think you've got just the mix to turn car-loving, suburban Chicago residents into instant mass transit fans.

The problem is many of those Metra trains are already packed. And who can find a bus in the suburbs?

If ever there was a time to make a case for better mass transit in the Chicago region, this is it. The combined exorbitant costs of commuting, the constant negative impact on air quality and the excruciating toll that construction takes have turned many a motorist into overnight supporters of anything that doesn't cost $4 a gallon.

One given out of the exorbitant gas price rise -- which prompted the Internal Revenue Service recently to up mileage deductions 16 percent to 58.5 cents for the rest of this year -- is taxpayers are guaranteed to put the pressure on Illinois lawmakers to finally free up road money to ensure the road widening and fixes needed to keep us moving rather than stuck in traffic. Time lost in traffic is now a very expensive venture. Are you listening, Mr. Governor?

We've got the makings of a perfect transportation storm -- and the perfect opportunity for transit and legislative honchos to show vision and leadership. Until recently, it was pretty tough to get car-loving commuters to listen to anything that wasn't four-wheel drive. And the only time commuters paid much attention to the Regional Transportation Authority, the CTA, Metra or Pace was when there was a budget crisis or a high-profile crash. Now, coincidentally at a time when the RTA wields new power thanks to General Assembly action last January, we're all ears thanks to that unpleasant thump an empty wallet makes at the gas pump.

These are trying times for businesses and individuals alike. But the challenge also brings an opportunity to take a hard look at the way we get around. If high gas prices get more people on the bus or on the train, it means fewer are on the road, a win-win for us all.

To make that happen, our mass transit agencies need to make sure those commuters can find a ride when -- and where -- they need it. Clearly, budget woes are affecting everyone and rare is the business or agency that has lots of extra cash just lying around. But adding extra rail cars to an already-existing train, making more trains an express ride or shifting existing equipment to fill the demand seem viable options even in financially strapped times.

It likely won't be as simple to expand bus service in the suburbs -- a thought that will prompt many commuters to laugh and say "What bus service?" -- but it's clear the opportunity is there. And, with no promise of any relief in gas prices, it's a challenge that must be answered.