Serious attention to Chicago’s public transportation problems should be an ongoing priority and not initiated as a politician’s election-eve stunt, charged Don Gordon, a candidate for alderman in Chicago’s north side 49th Ward.
“The CTA’s problems are long-standing and well-documented. Maybe this really is news to Joe Moore and that led him to call for a city council hearing. Regardless, it is sad that after 16 years in office he only starts paying attention to real issues just before an election,” said 49th Ward aldermanic candidate Don Gordon in a statement issued today. “Given his poor record on paying attention to community issues, I guess we should be happy that he checked in at all.”
Gordon cited numerous problems facing CTA services in his community, including unsafe and inaccessible train stations, poorly maintained platforms, inefficient local bus routes, and long-delayed capital improvements to the CTA’s Howard, Loyola, Jarvis, and Morse stations.
“Just a few weeks ago, I participated in the Regional Transportation Authority’s hearing in Rogers Park, but the alderman didn’t bother to show up. Moore is better known in City Council, mostly for his ineffective legislation and symbolic resolutions. Unfortunately, 49th ward residents depend on CTA service and have suffered as a result of his skewed priorities,” said Gordon.
Gordon plans to advocate aggressively for improved public transit services, and will challenge the CTA to respond to residents’ complaints and provide an explanation of its spending. Beyond that, Gordon supports raising additional transit revenues from state and local gasoline taxes, state license and city sticker fees, and higher taxes on inefficient vehicles. Gordon also suggests that the city evaluate the merits of raising additional revenues from public parking fees and from cracking down on illegal parking, including the 49th Ward auto repair businesses that use local streets as parking lots for their vehicles.
“Even after cutting waste and mismanagement out of the system, the public transportation system will still be among of the biggest expenses facing Chicago residents. The CTA needs more funding. Like most of our neighbors, I take public transportation regularly. As alderman, I plan to make it a priority to work with, and not against, the CTA to generate real solutions to transit problems facing our great city,” said Gordon.
4 comments:
Don Gordon said....>"Beyond that, Gordon supports raising additional transit revenues from state and local gasoline taxes, state license and city sticker fees"...
Mr. Gordon, please show proof you ever bought a city sticker. Do you got a receipt? Check stub? let's lay this story to rest. You have yet to answer why one wasn't displayed on your car for 2 years.
It's nice to have you call Alderman Moore on this, but you have yet to address your own 'city sticker fee' issue. Now you want to talk about raising it's sticker price?
Funding is so important, everyone must pay - and rules are rules. If you live with-in the city and you own a car, you must buy and display a sticker. Every year. Your car (at the time) didn't have one. And please, let's not hear 'it was in the glove-box and you forgot'. What about the previous year? Did you leave that in the glove-box too?
Craig's friend, my so-called buddy. Please, let's not use those terms. You can word it another way, or don't post comments here.
Don't make me put the 'moderate the comments' button on again.
Come-on everyone, let's keep on topic with this blog.
And I want to see Joe Moore riding the el. That's the subject matter here, really. Odd, I never seen him boarding the Howard el. Never see him on the Morse platform either.
Toni - I have seen Joe riding the El on occasion, boarding at Jarvis. Last time was a few years ago, and he was taking his son to the Cubs game.
Are you shocked? Of course, it may not happen again for another 5 years. ;)
Post a Comment