Mayor Belsky calls for eliminiation of CTA, Metra and Pace Boards

Reform Mass Transit

Given the recent scandals surrounding Metra I believe it is time to rethink how mass transit is organized in Illinois. This can be done through eliminating several of the existing boards, broadening the scope of the RTA and requiring a set aside of board seats for members bringing specific areas of expertise to mass transit. In part my ideas are informed by New York’s MTA.

The RTA is governed by a 15 member board and a Chairman.  There are also 3 service boards including: the CTA with 7 members; Metra with 11 members; and Pace with 12 members. This comes to 46 people involved in mass transit oversight.  Each of these board members receives an annual salary.

Contrast this with the MTA in New York which has a single 17 member board overseeing all mass transit in the metro area. Board members serve on a voluntary basis, at no expense to taxpayers or riders. The Board governs the following agencies: New York City Transit (subways); MTA Bus Company; Long Island Railroad; Metra North Railroad; and MTA Bridges and Tunnels. Unlike the CTA, Metra and Pace none of these agencies have their own governing boards.

The RTA and its agencies serve a six county region with a population of 8.3mm people.  The entire system has an operating budget of $2.5billion.  They provide 2mm rides per day and 663.4mm trips annually using 7200 route miles.  The system owns 8000 pieces of equipment as follows:  2468 buses; 2210 rail cars; 146 locomotives; 694 vanpool vehicles; 410 Para-transit vehicles. The RTA has approximately 10,700 employees divided between each of the separate agencies.

Expectedly the MTA is larger serving an area with 15.1mm people. The agency’s operating budget is $13.2 billion dollars, divided up amongst its sub agencies. All in, the MTA and its subsidiaries employ 65,150 people.  Total annual ridership is 2.6bb with an average weekly ridership of 8.6mm.  The MTA owns: 345 subway lines; 8778 rail and subway cars; 5701 buses; 2047 track miles; 2858 bus route miles; 736 rail and subway stations.

 The operating cost per passenger mile for the RTA system is $.0.53 versus $.0.54 for the MTA. So the bottom line is, even on a broader scale, the MTA is just as cost effective in providing mass transit but with a more streamlined approach to governance than the RTA. In light of the foregoing I offer the following proposals to fix mass transit in Illinois:

Eliminate CTA, Metra and Pace

Eliminate the CTA, Metra and Pace service boards and expand the RTA from 15 members to 17 members, in line with the MTA.  Likewise the CTA, Metra and Pace would become sub agencies of the RTA. This is a form of government consolidation that will reduce bureaucracy and confusion for the public; reduce overhead costs; potentially allow for economies of scale and joint purchasing; enable better intermodal planning for both infrastructure and ridership programs.

Professionalize and De Politicize the New RTA Board

Require the Governor to appoint a minimum of seven members with expertise in the following fields germane to mass transit: a retired civil engineer; an expert in urban and or transportation planning; an attorney with expertise in federal and state transportation law; an academic with expertise in transportation (e.g. Northwestern has a Center for Transportation); a member with expertise in transportation finance; and a member of a not for profit transit advocacy group (e.g. Metropolitan Planning Council). This will professionalize and to an extent depoliticize the board.

 To assure geographical representation the remaining 10 seats would be composed of representatives of the City of Chicago, Cook and the Collar counties, weighted by population.  As in the past these individuals would be nominated by the Mayor and the respective County Board Chairmen and appointed by the Governor.

Finally, the State Secretary of Transportation, Executive Director of the Toll Highway Authority and the Regional Director for the Federal Department of Transportation Administration should be ex officio members of the RTA board. This will institutionalize better coordination of intermodal transportation and financial resource allocation.

Michael D. Belsky

Mayor of Highland Park(2003-2011)