New legislation calls for creation of new agency to oversee public transit in northeastern Illinois
State Sen. Ram Villivalam and State Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado have introduced the Metropolitan Mobility Authority Act, which aims to avoid overlap and competition for funds between the RTA, CTA, Pace and Metra.
Sun-Times file
State legislators are proposing legislation that would create a transit agency to oversee public transit across northeastern Illinois and provide an additional $1.5 billion in annual funding for public transportation.
State Sen. Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago) and State Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado (D-Chicago) have introduced the Metropolitan Mobility Authority Act, which would create the Metropolitan Mobility Authority to oversee all public transit operations and replace the Regional Transportation Authority.
They say the measure aims to avoid overlap and competition for funds between the RTA, CTA, Pace and Metra — which they said has led to a delay in integrated fares — and instead provide “coordinated” services. The metro area once had just the RTA and CTA, and Metra and Pace were created later.
“The status quo doesn’t work for taxpayers either, who are paying for duplicate bureaucracies performing overlapping functions instead of funding one agency that makes transit work better across Chicagoland,” Delgado said in a news release. “Reform must come first.”
“We need to have a robust conversation and make major strides to achieve the regional transit system our constituents deserve, one that is integrated, and commuter-centered,” Villivalam added.
The new office would consist of 18 voting directors — the governor would choose three, the mayor of Chicago president of the Cook County Board would select five each and the chief executives of DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties will each get one. A chair would then be chosen by the 18 directors, but not be someone from that body.
Six non-voting members would also join them: the secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation, the chair of the Illinois Tollway, an organized labor representative chosen by the governor, the chair of the agency’s citizen advisory board and a representative each for the business and disabled communities, chosen by the board.
A companion bill would also set aside $1.5 billion every year from state funds for operational costs for the transit agencies, though Delgado said it wouldn’t come without “restructuring transit governance to put safety, frequency and reliability for riders first.”
Transit plays a key role in ensuring equitable access to economic opportunities for Illinois residents, said Jeremy Cuebas, a CTA rider and transportation organizer in Belmont Cragin.
“Equity starts with affordability — that means no more giant fare hikes and ending double charging riders if they use CTA or Pace to connect to Metra or vice versa," Cuebas said.
The proposed legislation is the first part of the Clean and Equitable Transportation Act (CETA), a three-part campaign that seeks to reform and fund transit, expand the use of zero-emissions vehicles, set targets to curb greenhouse gas emissions and make the transportation industry 100% carbon-free by 2050. The entire legislative package will be unveiled in Springfield on Tuesday.
A report published last year and prepared by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning at the behest of the General Assembly recommended organizational reforms, including consolidating the four regional transit agencies under one board, new taxes and changing fee structures.