* Background is here on politically connected Black church leaders being appointed to the CTA board who have little to no transit experience. And click here for some mass transit fiscal cliff background. Click here for live video…
This, in a nutshell, is why the transit governing system needs to be reorganized and professionalized.
…Adding… And he’s one step closer to the RTA board…
…Adding… Illinois Transportation Labor Association Chairman, J.J. Balonek…
This decision highlights why the Illinois Transportation Labor Association will continue to advocate so that the voice of labor is added to the governance of our transit boards. We cannot move transit forward without informed decision makers who have a deep understanding of how public transportation operates and how critical it is to Illinois.
…Adding… This is yet another reason why a transit fix is so important. Chicago expressways are constantly gridlocked…
Chicagoans don’t take criticism well regarding their driving skills, but Forbes recently ranked the ‘Worst Cities To Drive In,’ and like a shot of Malört, it’s not the best.
Chicago ranked seventh nationwide because “drivers spend the highest amount of time in traffic among the cities we analyzed, and as a result, drivers spend the most on gas thanks to traffic congestion.”
Chicago also ranked third worst for overall driving experience. The Windy City ranked fifth in longest average commute time (34 minutes and 30 seconds), with Forbes suggesting that it takes Chicago drivers, on average, about 17 minutes to travel six miles.
- DS - Wednesday, May 8, 24 @ 12:55 pm:
Screaming internally
- James - Wednesday, May 8, 24 @ 1:01 pm:
It’s a parody of itself…
- Jerry - Wednesday, May 8, 24 @ 1:05 pm:
Drop off Rev Acree at the Forest Park station and then ride it towards O’Hare.
- Herb Perry - Wednesday, May 8, 24 @ 1:10 pm:
Being “fortunate enough to have a car” is the most fiscally backwards opinion one can have, let alone someone on the RTA board. I guess everyone who received a City gas card a few years ago is “fortunate enough to have a car.”
Being able to take public trans or walk/bike to work are far better bellwethers of fortune in this city.
- Shytown - Wednesday, May 8, 24 @ 1:12 pm:
Why why why? Face palm.
- Just Me 2 - Wednesday, May 8, 24 @ 1:12 pm:
The governance structure is built on the assumption the appointing authorities take their job seriously. Oops.
- Matty - Wednesday, May 8, 24 @ 1:19 pm:
I will now be having a bowl of bullets for dinner tonight.
- ChicagoVinny - Wednesday, May 8, 24 @ 1:22 pm:
Sigh. Harder to argue against transit agency consolidation every day.
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Wednesday, May 8, 24 @ 1:23 pm:
Look, the public is not owed basic competency from the CTA board. Check the receipts.
- Keyrock - Wednesday, May 8, 24 @ 1:25 pm:
Same as it ever was.
- Rudy’s teeth - Wednesday, May 8, 24 @ 1:26 pm:
Guess that the friends and family plan to appoint CTA board members is not working out for MBJ. Shaking my head.
- NIU Grad - Wednesday, May 8, 24 @ 1:27 pm:
Johnson’s blind spot on transit, including during the campaign, makes so little sense to me. Especially since so many CPS students and teachers use it to get to school, which he should have perspective about.
- Roadrager - Wednesday, May 8, 24 @ 1:30 pm:
The longer quote from Acree, from Jake Sheridan, is even more baffling:
“As a man, I don’t have to use CTA. I’m fortunate to have a car. But I use CTA often when I come downtown, because even though I am a working pastor, these parking tickets are super high.”
And you want to be my latex salesman.
- Formerly Unemployed - Wednesday, May 8, 24 @ 1:34 pm:
Public transit is successful when rich people are willing to use it. It should be the superior option, not something you grow out of when you have the money for a car.
- DuPage Saint - Wednesday, May 8, 24 @ 1:34 pm:
Maybe the Mayor can exempt working Pastors from parking fees. At least the male pastors/s
- Rudy’s teeth - Wednesday, May 8, 24 @ 1:43 pm:
So Rev. Acree makes public transit all about him. “As a man, I don’t have to use CTA.” What.
A better response, “As a board, we will study ways in which to improve public transit for riders and make efficient use of public funds.”
Face palm.
- low level - Wednesday, May 8, 24 @ 2:08 pm:
A month and a half out from losing BCH and they have learned nothing. They cant be helped, apparently.
- Leslie K - Wednesday, May 8, 24 @ 2:25 pm:
Shame on me after almost 40 years in Chicago and nearly 25 of that in City/State government, but I am speechless. More about the fact that he actually said those words than that he thinks those thoughts, but both. And what does that man comment even mean?
Sadly, I am not at all surprised that the committee just waved him on through.
- Long time independent - Wednesday, May 8, 24 @ 2:29 pm:
Just when you think Johnson can’t do anything else that makes his administration look incompetent, he does.
- DupageDad - Wednesday, May 8, 24 @ 2:31 pm:
It’s one thing to be unaware of the fiscal cliff (albeit a big thing). It’s another to openly admit to being completely unaware of it. It’s like there is not even an attempt to make these Board members appear remotely qualified for the these roles.
- New Day - Wednesday, May 8, 24 @ 2:34 pm:
Heckuva vetting job, Brandon. Once again his D-team staff never ceases to amaze.
- NIU Grad - Wednesday, May 8, 24 @ 2:43 pm:
“Worst Cities To Drive In”
Quite a week for all of this to bubble up: They’re doing work on both LSD and 90 at the same time, leading to gridlock on both north-south highways.
- here - Wednesday, May 8, 24 @ 3:12 pm:
Too often Chicago and Cook County is a vast sea of patronage positions with little or no overriding quality control. Taxpayers in Cook really pay a hefty price for “government.”
- paying attention - Wednesday, May 8, 24 @ 3:24 pm:
== They’re doing work on both LSD and 90 at the same time, leading to gridlock on both north-south highways. ==
The road on the lake isn’t a highway, despite how people treat it. And the name changed.
- Earl Hickey - Wednesday, May 8, 24 @ 3:27 pm:
Anyone remember the name George Krambles ?
CTA & Metra need a guy like that now . Maybe several guys like that
- DMC - Wednesday, May 8, 24 @ 3:48 pm:
A couple of things. It is still LSD and clearly we all will need a lot of it to get through this administration. Seriously, you didn’t have enough respect for the position you are being nominated for to maybe google it. Or because you are a “man of the cloth” there will be a divine intervention. You can not make this stuff up.
- Dupage - Wednesday, May 8, 24 @ 5:04 pm:
Traffic congestion around the Chicago area could be reduced by building the I-57 to I-65 Illiana Expressway.
- pragmatist - Wednesday, May 8, 24 @ 5:04 pm:
It’s amateur hour at city hall every
- Dirty Red - Thursday, May 9, 24 @ 4:44 pm:
Qualifications for the position aside: How does this not come up in a prep session?
- Just a guy - Friday, May 10, 24 @ 12:43 pm:
Again, just when you think our Mayor can’t step in something more foul that before, he proves us all wrong. At what point do we acknowledge that we actually need competent, knowledgeable individuals who understand the actual problems/programs that need to be worked on? Sadly I know it won’t be in the next three years.