This is why transit funding matters

Let me preface these remarks by noting that I am a transit rider and I vote.

As the inaction on transit funding goes on, Joe and Jane Blow probably wonder: "Why do I care? No rail line connects where I live to where I want to go."

For one thing, it could. The proposed STAR Line would run between O'Hare and Aurora via Elgin and open up a lot of commuting opportunities. It is already funded at the federal level, and if the state agreed to fund its share, every dollar would result in $2 of capital investment, bringing in millions to the state. Can you think of a good reason to leave all that money on the table?

Perhaps you remember that time you rode Metra downtown for a festival. In addition to avoiding the hassle of driving, wasn't the $5 weekend fare a better deal than $10 in gas and another $20 to park?

Maybe the biggest benefit you receive is less traffic on the roads. The North Central already carries about 5,000 riders a day, and even Pace buses carry thousands. With the roads already at saturation, even a few hundred extra drivers can cause cascading delays. Furthermore, a transit funding package could be combined with additional highway funding.

How to fund it is not so important as that it gets funded. Gambling has been mentioned, as gamblers seem willing to drop money on just about anything. Cigarette taxes won't do it because "nobody smokes anymore." Even the proposed one-quarter percent sales tax wouldn't be that burdensome; it's estimated the typical family would pay $25 per year. That's one candy bar per week!

The major piece of good news is that the next election is only three months away. Two rounds of service cuts will have taken place by then. So if you are a transit rider, get registered, and, by all means, vote. If the politicians can't enact transit funding with all the extra time they've been given, they deserve a one-way trip home.

Peter VandeMotter

Mundelein