Committee on Transportation and Public Way meeting, February 27, 2024
- When: Tue, Feb 27, 2024, 9:30 AM (Chicago time)
- Where: City Council Chamber, 2nd Floor, City Hall, 121 North LaSalle Street - Chicago, IL 60602
- Status: Scheduled & Published
- Committee: Committee on Transportation and Public Way
- Video: https://vimeo.com/915318305
- Transcript: full text (35,817 words, official captions)
Meeting notes
AI-written from the transcript. Speakers are inferred from cues in the recording, so treat names as estimates and check the video at the linked time.
The Committee on Transportation and Public Way held its first quarterly hearing with the Chicago Transit Authority under section 2-8-0 of the municipal code, with no votes taken on the hearing. After a public comment period that the chair extended beyond 30 minutes, CTA President Dorval Carter reported on 2023 hiring, service delivery, the public performance dashboard, the DFSS partnership for unsheltered riders and Red Line Extension funding, and said scheduled service would be restored this year. Members and non-members asked about rider safety and policing, tracker accuracy and ghost buses, homelessness services, bus frequency in underserved wards, staffing and flaggers, security contracts, the coming fiscal cliff, an ambassador program and oversight of CTA leadership. CTA committed to provide follow-up data through the chair, and the meeting was adjourned.
Topics: CTA quarterly hearing, transit service reliability, rider and employee safety, CTA hiring and staffing, homelessness on transit, transit funding and fiscal cliff, bus lane enforcement, CTA leadership accountability, Red Line Extension, public comment
Agenda items discussed
- 26:30 Motion to allow remote participation under Rule 59: passed
- 26:52 Public comment period: discussed
- 1:20:27 CTA quarterly hearing with President Dorval Carter (no votes taken): discussed
- 3:08:54 Motion to adjourn: passed
Alderpersons who spoke
- Gregory I. Mitchell (chair): Noted the public comment period had passed 30 minutes but allowed everyone signed up to speak given the importance of the issue. (1:04:06); Opened the first CTA quarterly hearing and credited Vice Chair Andre Vasquez Jr. for the ordinance requiring quarterly public hearings. (1:19:54); Asked CTA to clarify whether its $2 million DFSS work was separate from the July rapid rehousing event and to explain the overall approach. (1:59:54)
- Andre Vasquez Jr. (alderperson): Thanked the council and the mayor for moving forward with quarterly CTA hearings that members had sought for about two years. (1:32:36); Described public transportation as a public good central to the city, connected to housing, density, affordability and reducing segregation. (1:33:03); Said quarterly hearings are meant to set a baseline and track agency metrics quarter over quarter. (1:35:19)
- Jessica L. Fuentes (alderperson): Asked for CTA's plan to address pre-pandemic transit equity issues in South and West Side communities. (1:53:18); Said the 26th Ward has no train stop and buses sometimes come 45 to 60 minutes apart, and asked about plans for the Northwest Side. (1:55:27); Questioned CTA's response on housing, noting one accelerated moving event in 14 months, and asked how many clients were served and housed. (1:57:06)
- Jason C. Ervin (alderperson): Raised concern about why CTA cannot accurately tell riders when a bus or train will arrive given existing technology. (2:01:15); Said riders would rather know a scheduled bus is not coming so they can adjust, and suggested removing unstaffed runs from tracking. (2:03:18); Said frequency helps only if it can be delivered and compared CTA's reliability to Metra's published schedules. (2:06:28)
- Samantha Nugent (alderperson): Cited a recent sexual assault of a 16-year-old and a fatal beating of a 61-year-old on CTA and asked why safety had not been raised. (2:10:21); Asked about the status of transit police and whether CTA is requesting additional police resources. (2:11:24); Said parents are worried about children riding CTA after school and riders need a sense of security. (2:11:54)
- Scott Waguespack (alderperson): Noted improvements including the Red Line Extension, hiring fairs and station refresh work. (2:18:51); Said Blue Line timeliness at rush hour remains a problem and airport arrivals often choose ride share instead. (2:19:24); Requested data through the chair on removals, arrests and prosecutions for violent or criminal conduct on CTA. (2:20:45)
- Walter R. Burnett (alderperson): Commended and asked about the Second Chance program that employs returning residents. (2:28:00); Proposed a volunteer ambassador program on CTA to guide riders and act as eyes and ears for safety. (2:28:57); Pointed to the Milwaukee, Grand and Halsted Blue Line stop used by tourists as a possible ambassador location. (2:32:24)
- Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (alderperson): Thanked public commenters and spoke about building pipelines for volunteers, students and returning residents to engage with CTA. (2:39:06); Said constituents who went through the Second Chance program want it promoted more. (2:40:39); Cited a drive-by shooting near Thorndale as students went to the Red Line and said schools, transit and parks are connected on safety. (2:40:55)
- Byron Sigcho-López (alderperson): Said residents and officials are asking for quality public transportation, not just a return to pre-pandemic levels. (2:49:42); Noted that cities such as New York and DC have exceeded pre-pandemic levels. (2:50:12); Asked President Carter whether the concerns raised reflect on CTA leadership and what it will take to change expectations. (2:50:36)
- Nicole T. Lee (alderperson): Asked about rail operator training and whether flaggers must wait 12 months to advance. (2:59:00); Acknowledged CTA's work to stabilize the workforce and begin restoring service. (2:59:57); Said most constituents she speaks with are afraid to ride the train and trust needs to be rebuilt. (3:00:39)
Exchanges between members
- 1:20:12 The chair commended Vice Chair Andre Vasquez Jr. for leading the ordinance change requiring quarterly CTA hearings.
- 1:32:27 The chair recognized Vice Chair Andre Vasquez Jr. to lead the questioning.
- 1:32:31 Vasquez thanked the chair before beginning his remarks.
- 1:47:47 The chair told Vasquez that the conversation could continue at future quarterly meetings.
- 1:53:06 The chair recognized Fuentes for questions.
- 1:53:09 Fuentes thanked the chair.
- 2:00:58 The chair recognized Ervin for questions.
- 2:01:09 Ervin thanked the chair.
- 2:10:15 The chair recognized Nugent, to be followed by Waguespack.
- 2:14:10 Nugent asked the chair to consider a meeting focused specifically on CTA safety.
- 2:14:18 The chair responded that he could discuss holding a safety-focused meeting.
- 2:18:42 The chair recognized Waguespack for questions.
- 2:18:45 Waguespack thanked the chair.
- 2:20:45 Waguespack built on Nugent's point about rider conduct and safety.
- 2:27:45 The chair recognized Vice Mayor Walter R. Burnett as the first non-member to ask questions.
- 2:27:51 Burnett thanked the chair.
- 2:38:43 The chair thanked Vice Mayor Walter R. Burnett.
- 2:39:06 Manaa-Hoppenworth thanked the chair.
- 2:39:30 Manaa-Hoppenworth said she was building on Burnett's remarks about pipelines and volunteers.
- 2:49:06 The chair recognized Sigcho-López and Lee as the final questioners.