How to join the RTA, CTA, Metra, and Pace in moving the region’s transit system Forward for All
April 12, 2022
April 12, 2022
On April 3, the RTA launched the “Forward for All” campaign to show that transit is essential to the recovery and ongoing vibrancy of the Chicago region. In the face of COVID-19’s impact on transit ridership, this initial phase of “Forward for All” aims to strengthen trust and pride in the region’s transit system by building awareness of the economic, environmental, and quality of life benefits of public transportation.
Advocacy is an important factor in building and maintaining a transit system like the Chicago region’s, especially as COVID-19 continues to impact when and how people ride. Throughout the pandemic, transit has seen historic and sustained reductions in ridership, forcing agencies the world over to rethink their systems to meet riders’ changing needs. But some things have remained constant and true: transit impacts the economy, the environment, and quality of life in ways and at a scale nothing else can.
On the economic development front, an estimated 85% of regional commercial construction in 2017 was built within one-half mile of a transit station. Indeed, 60% of all new jobs added to our regional economy between 2005 and 2015 were located along high-quality public transit (Invest in Transit, 2018).
Transit is one of our greatest tools in the fight against climate change. Exhaust from cars, trucks, and planes is the single biggest source of carbon dioxide emissions—the largest contributing factor to climate change (United States Environmental Protection Agency). Public transportation offers our region the greatest opportunity to reduce carbon emissions: bus emissions per passenger mile are 33 percent lower than cars, and passenger trains are 76 percent lower (Transit Means Business, 2018). Public transportation’s overall effects save the U.S. 6 billion gallons of gasoline a year (American Public Transportation Association).
Finally, on contributing to affordability, the average American household spends 16 cents of every dollar on transportation, and 93% of that goes to buying, maintaining, and operating cars, the largest expenditure after housing (American Public Transportation Association). Cars are prohibitively expensive for so many. Transit offers the most affordable and safest way to move around our region, connecting people to opportunity.
Reminding ourselves, our peers, and our elected officials of the importance of public transportation is the first step in moving the region’s transit system Forward for All. Join the RTA, CTA, Metra, and Pace in advocating for transit by learning more at www.RTAChicago.org/ForwardForAll and sharing your favorite transit fact on social media using this toolkit.
Future phases of “Forward for All” will address challenges to the system and build support for comprehensive solutions stemming from the Regional Transit Strategic Plan currently in development by the RTA, CTA, Pace, and Metra and slated for adoption in early 2023.
Subscribe to our Newsletter
Related Articles
Twice a year the RTA publishes a Project Management Oversight (PMO) report that details major transit investments by CTA, Metra, and Pace and fulfills our ov...
March 8, 2023Funding the second largest transit system in the country is a large and complicated task. It’s true, Chicagoland’s transit system is facing a $730 million an...
February 2, 2023The Chicago Region is home to one of the largest transit systems in the nation with approximately 1,500 miles of track, 7,500 vehicles, 400 stations, and 70 ...
February 2, 2023In 2023, Chicago area transit agencies will use millions in newly available federal transit funding to make the system more reliable, sustainable, and access...
January 13, 2023After more than a year of engagement, the RTA has released a draft regional transit strategic plan, Transit is the Answer, which the RTA Board of Directors w...
December 15, 2022Today, the RTA launched a new website featuring a refreshed brand for the agency representative of a forward-looking vision for the region’s transit system. ...
November 14, 2022