Full Text of HR0798 102nd General Assembly
HR0798 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, As gas prices continue to rise, long-term | 3 | | solutions are needed to address the increase in travel | 4 | | expenses many Chicagoans are facing; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Over 25 percent of households in Chicago do not | 6 | | have a car; therefore, creating a network of public | 7 | | transportation options for all Chicagoans is of the utmost | 8 | | importance to get them where they need to go; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Making transit more affordable, safe, and | 10 | | convenient is a smart way to reduce our demands on foreign oil, | 11 | | which fuels war and dictators; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Improving public transit will lead to cleaner air | 13 | | and reduced congestion; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, In January 2021, Metra launched a pilot program | 15 | | that improves transit services while lowering costs and, up to | 16 | | now, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has refused to | 17 | | participate in this program; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, If the CTA were a full partner with Metra, this | 19 | | pilot program could have an even greater impact by allowing | 20 | | transfers to and from Metra to CTA for free or at reduced rates |
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| 1 | | and by better syncing bus schedules with Metra; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, This pilot program could enhance ridership by | 3 | | installing pop-up bus priority lanes and reconfiguring the | 4 | | timing on stop lights to make the bus service more attractive | 5 | | and welcoming to more riders; this would address both racial | 6 | | equity and improvement to Chicago's economy; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, The CTA could further improve public | 8 | | transportation by reducing fares along key corridors during | 9 | | these peak inflationary and high gas prices; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, In Boston, the top 10 highest ridership routes | 11 | | during the pandemic were identified, and the city increased | 12 | | the number of buses on these routes, with fares being either | 13 | | made free or cut in half; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Long term, Chicago also needs to accelerate the | 15 | | adoption and deployment of electric buses; together, CTA and | 16 | | Pace must plan now for the conversion of their fleets to | 17 | | electric, so money is not wasted buying two separate systems | 18 | | to charge and maintain these new buses; through these changes, | 19 | | Chicago could possess the cleanest transit system in the | 20 | | country; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, The current high gas price crisis should be a |
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| 1 | | moment for us to reflect on how Chicago can prioritize | 2 | | alternatives to driving by reducing our reliance on oil and | 3 | | directly address flaws within the public transit system; | 4 | | therefore, be it
| 5 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 6 | | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 7 | | we urge the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) to join the Metra | 8 | | pilot program to aid in reducing transfer costs; and be it | 9 | | further
| 10 | | RESOLVED, That we urge the CTA to adopt reduced fares | 11 | | along corridors with the most essential workers; and be it | 12 | | further
| 13 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 14 | | delivered to the CTA.
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