Here's what happened at the CTA meetings
On Tuesday, "Going Public" attended the last of the community meetings regarding the 2010 CTA budget. More information after the jump.The meeting, held at the South Shore Cultural Center, drew more than 100 residents, community activists and students.
For about an hour-and-a-half, dozens of residents voiced their complaints about proposed fare increases and service cuts to new CTA board chairman Terry Peterson, CTA president Rich Rodriguez and CTA board vice chairwoman Cynthia Panayotovich. Other members of the CTA board were not present.
The CTA officials in attendance did not respond to resident complaints but they took notes on the various issues. CTA staff was on hand to answer resident questions.
These were the typical complaints ...
>> Some high school students talked about how they would be late
to school if the CTA reduced service in their neighborhood. Some
students said they can't afford the tardies.
>> Crime was a major concern. Teenagers said they are concerned
about loitering around a bus stop because of gang violence in several
South Side communities.
>> Residents complained about the proposed elimination of express
bus routes, many of which service the South Side. They worried how long
it would take to get home.
>> One elderly woman said she wants the free ride for seniors
program to end because there are more people deserving of those funds
than her.
>> One woman likened these proposed changes to martial law,
because the CTA would dictate when people would be in their homes
because so many residents depend on the CTA for work and play.
>> Talk of a boycott was threatened if proposed fare increases and service cuts were approved.
After the meeting, Rodriguez told "GP" that the complaints he heard at the cultural center were familiar.
"We've heard it all," Rodriguez said. "There's a lot of ancient hostility toward CTA. There's a lot of aggression."
The meeting at the cultural center was the third such meeting in a week. Meetings were held in Austin and Lane Tech high school.
Megan Moser, 32, of Uptown said she attended the Monday meeting at Lane Tech. She wrote the following e-mail to "GP."
"I attended the CTA budget meetings [Monday] night at Lane Tech and it was
in a word, pointless. I was under the impression that the board would
present the budget and then open it up for discussion but it was just
people complaining.
The board as well as the president and two other
individuals sat on stage as a panel and never responded to any
questions. However, their body language spoke volumes. They seemed at
times to be bored, uninterested, dissatisfied, and in general terms,
pissed off that they had to be there.
At one point, one of the
individuals appeared to be napping. After an hour I left because it
became apparently clear the meeting was going nowhere.
The same
questions kept coming up such as seniors paying, accessibility for the
disabled, and the fare hike. I thought they should've taken a wide
variety of questions to make the discussion more diverse.
My friend
and I did notice that a lot of the suits had really nice ones on.
Maybe if you are asking for money you really shouldn't look like you
already have it!"
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6 Comments
Paige Worthy said:
"We've heard it all," Rodriguez said. "There's a lot of ancient hostility toward CTA. There's a lot of aggression."
Hey CTA! Wonder if there's maybe a REASON that aggression has hung on for so long? Jeez O'Pete.
James Reyes said:
Those little rooftop windmills could be installed on el structures where there is room.Besides natural wind,the movement of the trains could turn the windmills.On some surface lines,you might have expressway traffic contributing too.Environmental grants could pay for installation and maintenance.If artists designed windmills,art or tourism grants could be used.Further savings could be realized if they were manufactured as part of a job training program.
wooddroe said:
CTA President Rodriguez doesn't care about the people who depend on CTA to get them around all they really care about is that big salary he's getting to provoke all this hostility and aggression cause operators are the last one that should be cut in any transit system and making hard for people to get work on time so they can keep their jobs and fix the system so nobody rides free, but what do he know he never held a job with a transit company but because political favoritism he's running one or about to ruin one. Little do he know that without putting a 1 ride limit on all school cards the gangsters can get around up to 8:00pm to commit a crime at a reduce fare. At this point we need new leaders that can think and benefit the people of Chicago.
Wiz said:
It is apparent that CTA board is not so much into the people who use the CTA, especially the ones who have to use it. Citizens have no representation anywhere.
James Reyes said:
The C.T.A. could get more money by publishing a free print and online magazine for commuters called "Seatwise ".Its primary purpose would be to sell advertising.Content would be provided by freelancers more interested in exposure or padding their resume rather than a hefty paycheck.
I reALLY THINK YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE HEART IN IT!! YOU HAVE TO LOVE YOUR JOB OR YOU WILL NOT BE HAPPY!! I LOVE THE CTA... IT DOES HAVE ITS UP AND DOWNS BUT THE COMPANY ONLY LOOKS AT THE THE MESSED UP EMPLOYEES THEY TO NOT LOOK AT HE TERRIFIC EMPLOYEES HOW BOUT GVING THE INCENTIVES FOR A JOB WELL DONE!! ONE DAY OFF WITH PAY FREE PARKING SPOT =FOR A MONTH ,, PLEASE DO NOT TELL ME (CTA). YOU R WORKING ON THAT IT HAS BEEN OVER A YEAR.. THERE R LOT OF GREAT EMPLOYEES TELL THEM AND YOU WILL GET A BETTER JOB WELL DONE. PRAISE THEM THE JOB IS HARD ENOUGH ... THE PROBLEMS OPERATORS FACE EVERYDAY, BEING ASULATED ON THE BUS GUNS/KNIFES MAYBE IF YOU TELL THEM THEY R DOING A GOOD JOB, IT WILL BE MOTAVATION TO DO BETTER
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