Chicago students should have #freetransit

chicagotribune On Sept. 4, about 370,000 Chicago Public Schools students will navigate our city streets, many using public transportation, to the first day of school. For these students, this is the only day of the year that their transportation fees will be free — unlike many students in other schools across the state whose transportation is provided for the entire school year.

Pro-growth argument for more #publictransit

chicagotribune Sadly, Illinois state government has — unlike other states like Indiana or Texas that are investing more — cut mass transit funding by hundreds of millions. Mass transit grows the private-sector economy in studies showing $4 in returns for each public $1 invested. Every workday, one-sixth of Illinois’ population, over 2 million riders, take mass transit to work, school, doctor visits or for leisure.
Nationally in the past two election cycles, nearly 70 percent of all mass transit referendums to expand or improve service passed. Where transit goes, the economy grows.

My BLOCK MY HOOD MY CITY

My BLOCK MY HOOD MY CITY: "MBMHMC provides youth with new experiences, exposing them to possibilities beyond their own communities. Our mission is to help teenagers overcome the poverty and isolation they face, boosting educational attainment and opening them to opportunities that make a difference in their lives.
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Fare-free CTA would save Chicago $$$billions

Should the CTA be free? Why not? | Transportation | Chicago Reader: "But is it really such a crazy idea from an economic point of view? Transit helps people get to schools, jobs, and preventative health care, and if a higher percentage of current Chicago residents were well educated, employed, and healthy, that could save a lot of money for society. And coaxing more people out of cars and onto buses and el trains would mean less congestion, pollution, and crashes, which would lead to less lost productivity and property damage, lower bills for public health and first responder services, and less wear and tear on roads.

For example, a 2014 study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that U.S. traffic crashes cost $871 billion a year in economic and societal costs. Since the city of Chicago represents about 1/120th of the nation’s population, our share of that loss could be roughly $7.3 billion."

Go to jail for bus fare?

How many arrests for jumping turnstiles would the police be able to make if public transportation was free? Seems like an easy way to save the environment and provide a solution to cities like New York and their #NYPD who might still be unsure what to do. https://t.co/C68YQov84U

— CNP Evanston (@CnpProtect318) February 20, 2018

Rahm Emanuel's Commitment to Lowering Emissions Falls Short of Addressing Pollution Hotspots Across the City of Chicago.

LVEJO: "LITTLE VILLAGE, CHICAGO, IL – Mayor Rahm Emanuel along with various municipal leaders from across the Country, Canada and Mexico are gathering to articulate commitments to the Paris Agreement. Although this is a great step in the right direction, environmental justice communities suffer first hand the consequences of climate change therefore should have a say in the direct demands and actions needed to make our communities healthy and safe. The Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO) along with community members and allies such as Moms Clean Air Force, Blacks in Green, Southeast Side Coalition to Ban Petcoke and others, will come together to give testimony on the hardships and health harms that have affected our communities due to the industrial legacy in our backyards. We hope to shine light and bring policies and regulation that are inclusive of environment and health to our industrial corridors which currently do not protect us."

Nebraska: Tri-City Roadrunner begins fixed route public transportation

starherald.com: "“A lot of them can’t afford a car, or maybe they can’t drive anymore,” he said. “This is going to be a big asset to them.”"

Polar ice melting, action? Reduce #publictransit ridership

Chicago Tribune: "The rule of thumb in the transit industry is that a 10 percent hike can reduce ridership by about 3 percent, said Ian Savage, a Northwestern University economics professor who specializes in transit issues."

Tulsa Public Schools high school students can ride city buses for free 7 days a week as program expands

tulsaworld.com: "Tulsa Public Schools high school students can ride Tulsa Transit buses free of charge seven days a week, starting Aug. 1.

TPS Rides, a year-old partnership between the school district and the Metropolitan Tulsa Transit Authority, is being expanded from weekdays to include weekends, TPS announced Tuesday."

Counties provide what state won’t for transportation: leadership | NewsCut | Minnesota Public Radio News

Minnesota Public Radio News: "But county boards are faced with a choice: Provide the leadership on transportation issues that state leaders are unable or unwilling to provide, or wait for someone to somehow change the reality that Minnesota state government does not work.

There’s no sign that’s going to happen, especially with the growing influence of outstate legislators to call the shots for metro residents."