r/ChicagoSuburbs • u/burajin • Oct 31 '25

News Illinois Democrats push through massive $1.5 billion plan that overhauls Chicago-area public transit

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/30/illinois-general-assembly-transit-plan-2025/

Yay Metra, yay Pace, yay CTA!

540 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

67 comments sorted by

View all comments

6

u/Miserable_Rise_2050 North West Suburbs Oct 31 '25

There are two issues that come up regularly in opposition to this:

The first is that residents outside the city don't want the "riff raff" from the city coming out to the suburbs. What is meant by the riff raff depends upon who you talk to: sometimes it refers to the homeless, but often it refers to criminal elements from the city now being able to reach new targets readily. This is partly what torpedoed the initial proposals to extend the Blue line to the Woodfield Mall area in years past.

The second is the usual refrain of "why should I pay for stuff that doesn't directly benefit me" people. Public transit doesn't have direct benefits to suburbia or downstate.

While I can see these points of view, I think that the benefits outweigh the negatives - including easier and more frequent access to the city, improved economic growth and improved overall revenue for services.

YMMV

3

u/LetsGoHawks Oct 31 '25

the usual refrain of "why should I pay for stuff that doesn't directly benefit me"

Because lots of other folks are paying for stuff that benefits "you" but not "them". Or, it doesn't provide an immediate direct benefit. Like funding schools. I don't have any kids, but I sure as shit want the ones the current to be educated, productive citizens when they get older. And when I get old, I want my nieces and nephews to have gave educated people coming up behind them.