Feedback...your ideas on who should be in charge

[trainman8119]

On my way home from work the other day, I was thinking out loud after reading about the possible state bailout for the CTA. For those of you who have been around a while, for as long as I can remember, the CTA has always been in the red. In fact, one of the main reasons the RTA is in existence today is that in the 70's it was a quick fix way to funnel money to the CTA. Pace and Metra were thrown into the mix to satisfy suburbanites and to get their support. As a result, the CTA gets 60% of the tax money, and Metra and Pace get 40%. Somewhat simplified, but pretty much accurate (I think).

Anyway, here is my thought. I think that the main problem with all 3 of these agencies (4 if you want to lump in the whole RTA) is that they are not run by professional people, rather, politicians. The goal of these people is not to run a successful operation, but to please the voter, so to speak. When it comes down to any "smart" operational decision, the best interests of all gives way to a select few, therefore most everyone suffers.

If you have read some of my posts, it is no secret I am against bikes on buses, trains, or anything except the street. I just feel that it is a form of transportation into itself. Pace and CTA have spent thousands of dollars for racks. This for just a select couple of riders. With dollars at a premium, $4 worth of fares a trip just doesn't seem worth the aggrivation. Now Metra is jumping on the bandwagon too. Face it, these are not baggage cars. ADA has cost each car 15 seats, and now another 6 will be lost to bikes. For what...a select few.

I am using the bikes as an example, since it is in the news lately. The bottom line, these operations should be run by bus drivers, train operators, line supervisors, even "bus geeks"...just plain transit people, and not those looking for votes... those who would be out to run an safe, efficient, clean operation, I think the system would be better than it already is...maybe as good as it once was. The operations and the decisions that are generated by those in charge should be made with the attitude of..."we are the professionals, we know how it should be done, and we should tell you how to do it, not the other way".

I know that this may sound a little bit hypercritical, but I would really like some feedback. We have some real good bus people here, and being in the business, I would like know if I am out in left field or not.

Looking foreward to seeing some feedback

Thanks

[Busjack]

I don't want to go here into the current funding controversy, especially since the state legislature has apparently dealt with it for the year. However, I had previously written my state representative and senator that two things that should be part of the solution are that the CTA Board should also be representative of the suburbs in either its statutory or actual service area, and that all employment, including the President on down, should be on merit. The threatened termination of local bus service in Evanston reinforces my first point. Interestingly, a summary of the report of the Lipinski committee, as posted on Julie Hamos's site, while including the well publicized recommendation that Metra and Pace be merged, also states:

Finally, the Task Force recommended a newly configured Chicago Transit Authority Board, with membership from Chicago and suburban communities served by the CTA.

With regard to merit selection of the President and Managers, the President should be a noted transit official, such as George Krambles, who had worked himself up through the system and knew it. Savage might have been within the mold of a merit appointment, but I was not impressed with his work in Buffalo and Toronto. However, I think someone of that stature should be in charge, and not a political appointee. (Recently, I said that if Krambles, like Elvis, were dead, he would be rolling in his grave.)

The bike racks don't take away from bus capacity, and may make some sense as encouraging ridership. However, I agree that this went from being a good idea proposed by a Pace official to a political imperative pressed by certain interest groups in the legislature, and since transit is dependent on the politicos, it went from a good idea to a right.

There probably need to be some political types on the boards to represent the taxpayers, but the operations should not be political. There should be a professional in the RTA with enough authority to, for instance, enforce service coordination, in such areas as whether Pace or CTA should provide local service in the suburbs where they overlap, and to find a way to make the Gray Line proposal (or some other way of making the Metra Electric interface with CTA local service) work. As it now appears, RTA only exists to dole money according to the statutory formula, and provide limited services, such as the Travel Center and Trip Planner.

[Busjack]

The Sun Times today, in State leaders unload on CTA, really stuck it to Frank Kruesi, stating "State Rep. Marlow Colvin (D-Chicago)...'s public call for Kruesi's job echoes private grumbling that has been bouncing around the hallways of the state Capitol and City Hall for weeks." The questions are whether there is any substance to this, and whether the CTA Board has the gumption to select a transit professional instead of another mayoral appointee.

[trainman8119]

It would be wonderful to have a transit pro in the job. But let's face it, it is a political appointee. Unless you or me are in good with the mayor, as much as I hate to say it, it looks like it would be another political cronie that would take charge. Kruesi has been a disaster from day one. He showed what he was worth when he was proposing changing all of the bus route numbers. I guess time will tell.

[MetroShadow]

I'd say I would do it, but I'm still in college (getting my B.A. in Political Science/ Public Policy no less) :P

[Buslover88]

I think I should be Charge (Sorry to sound Rude), but really, that Geek of a President should be in charge of that wannabe PACE. If I was President, you'd know what I would do already.

[Busjack]

I had a post about how the state legislature had not passed capital funding for your southside proposal (or any capital bond issue for CTA, Metra, and school construction) and suburbanites do not want the Mayor's boy running their bus system, but if you want to be serious about this, tell us how you would solve the CTA's following problems, which Kruesi appears incapable of handling:

• Underfunding of the pension system
  
• Performance reports showing bus maintenance problems
  
• The "rostering" scheduling controversy and threatened strike over it
  
• Bus bunching and inability to meet schedules or headway requirements
  
• Inability to use technology (such as GPS) to remedy the preceding problem on a systemwide basis
  
• Capital needs
  
• Fair allocation of equipment among neighborhoods
  
• Demands for additional service
  
• Claims that the allocation of service is racially discriminatory
  
• Reconstructing rail lines without disrupting neighborhood businesses
  
• Integrating service and fares with other providers in the region
  
• Uneven distribution of transit and smart card recharging outlets (i.e. few in the southeast part of the city)
  

Also, you are not allowed to use the CTA's stock responses of "change the formula and increase suburban taxes" and "hire a consultant."

I'm not being sarcastic. I would really want to know how you can do a better job solving these problems and what your experience in the transit industry is.

[Buslover88]

I thought over it....I know nothing about Capital Needs or Underfunding of the Pension System...if someone should be President, it should not be Frank! THROW HIM OUT ALREADY!!

[Busjack]

Frank was on Chicago Tonight (Channel 11) on 12/21. He did not appear healthy. Normal type of interview on Channel 11; Elizabeth Brackett had the usual on how riders say the system is falling apart, and on someone saying that Frank's relationship with Mike Madigan was toxic. Frank's general response is that we have to learn to control what we can, can't control what we can't, we need funding, and Jim Reilly of the RTA has assured us that the legislature will come through. Not an inspiring performance, The one possible bright spot was that he said that Bustracker could be used to regain service control, and while capital funds would be needed to implement it systemwide, it wouldn't be that much. He would not, however, commit to a date to doing so.