Chicago Tribune Editorial: CTA's tough reality

Chicago Tribune Editorial: CTA's tough reality
Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune
October 13, 2009
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/chi-1013edit2oct13,0,6713689.story


There's plenty of pain to go around in the Chicago Transit Authority's proposed 2010 budget.

Buses and trains wouldn't run as often or as late.

Nonunion workers wouldn't get raises -- again -- and would take up to 18 days off without pay. Up to 100 of them would lose their jobs, along with up to 1,000 union workers.

Commuters would pay $2.50 for a bus ride and $3 for the train, both up from $2.25.

It's not pretty, but it represents a thoughtful and responsible plan for dealing with a $300 million shortfall blamed mostly on a poor economy. The mass transit bill that was supposed to end the CTA's annual budget emergency relies mostly on revenue from sales taxes and real estate transfer fees, but nobody's shopping for shoes now, much less houses.

You have to admire CTA President Richard Rodriguez's straightforward approach to the situation. Despite the harsh realities, his $1.3 billion pitch comes with none of the fear-mongering of the old Frank Kreusi era. The cuts are designed to minimize rush-hour disruption and spare routes whose riders are most dependent on mass transit, not to stir up a voter backlash to pressure lawmakers into finding more money. There's not a hint of the D-word, just an honest assessment of what can and can't be done in a year when public funding comes up 30 percent short.

Asking the legislature for a handout isn't in the cards. The state has massive money troubles of its own. Instead, Rodriguez and new CTA board Chairman Terry Peterson plan to ask lawmakers for increased flexibility to spend anticipated capital dollars on operating costs. The plan already calls for shifting $90 million from capital to operations. An agency with $7 billion in unmet capital needs can't afford a habit like that.

A better place to look for relief is in those union contracts. Rail and bus union employees are due for a 3 percent pay raise this year and 3.5 percent for each of the next two years. Nonunion workers, meanwhile, have forgone raises, taken furlough days and watched their ranks shrink by 12 percent since 2007. If union employees took the same cuts their nonunion counterparts already have been forced to swallow, it would save the CTA about $77 million. If they don't, 1,000 of them could be laid off.

Seems like an obvious choice: The union can save some of its members' jobs and spare riders from some service cuts.

Next in line are CTA riders, who are already howling that they've been dinged with fare increases again and again and again and again.

Yes, the price of a ride is up to a whopping $2.25. But compared with the actual cost of providing that ride, it's a steal. So is the proposed $3.

Despite a recession and the grousing about this year's 25-cent increase, ridership has held pretty steady. Why? Because considering the cost and aggravation of driving and parking, it's far cheaper and often faster to take mass transit. Even with the economy on the slide, train ridership is still up; bus ridership is slightly down.

If commuters have a legitimate gripe about fares, it's this: Seniors ride for free whether they're rich or poor. That freebie -- a demand made by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who wouldn't sign the transit bill without it -- costs the CTA $30 million this year, and the figure is rising.

That's one thing lawmakers could fix today. They can help the CTA stay afloat by eliminating the Blago-inspired free rides.