From Chicago to Springfield they’re throwing around those scare words again when it comes to mass transit in the region: Doomsday, draconian, devastating. I’ve stood on a number of cliffs, from the Rockies to the Cascades to the Sierras, and the views were a mix of awe and fear. Those feelings d on’t compare to the frightening “fiscal cliff” some state lawmakers and officials at the Regional Transportation Authority are warning is in the near future. No doubt this so-called fiscal cliff in which the RTA would go off the rails and over the side is alarming. Legislators in Springfield this upcoming session are being asked to help plug a $771 million budget chasm and approve an additional $1.5 billion in new mass transit funding. If Springfield doesn’t step up, so RTA officials say, commuters will be facing fewer bus routes, train service reductions and fare hikes. Effects of the cuts somewhat caused by the loss of COVID-19 federal funding next year will be “devastating” one RTA official proclaimed. A few lawmakers aren’t buying this latest plea from the agency that oversees Metra commuter rail service, Pace suburban bus lines and the CTA. Instead, they want to consolidate all three under yet another umbrella agency. What goes around, comes around the roundhouse. The RTA was formed in 1974 by the state to oversee the mass transit systems for Lake, Cook, DuPage, McHenry, Kane and Will counties after railroads decided to pull out of the business of passenger service and privately operated bus lines in the region were faltering. The nation’s third-largest public transportation agency was supposedly “reorganized” in 1983. Pre-COVID, the system provided an estimated two million train and bus rides daily. With many continuing to work remotely, none of the transit providers are believed to have reached ridership levels since the pandemic, although passenger numbers are rising despite spotty bus and rail service provided by the CTA for Chicago commuters. Crying poor house and the lack of ridership hasn’t stopped the CTA and RTA from spending sums for questionable activities. For instance, according to a Tribune story by transportation reporter Sarah Freishstat, the RTA has a five-year contract of  $4.65 million to lobbyists in order to push the agency’s agenda in Springfield and Washington, D.C. Last year, the RTA paid $602,000 for legislative lobbying efforts. Then there are the fiscal habits of the CTA, which include spending more than $26,000 in 2023 and 2024 on SUVs used by top leaders mostly for commuting to and from work instead of for business purposes, according to another recent Tribune report. The paper received the data, which included leases on vehicles and the cost of gas, following a months-delayed response to a public records request for information about vehicle expenses. Apparently erratic CTA service wasn’t good enough for these officials, including former high-salaried CTA President Dorval Carter who resigned in January after a shaky stint at the agency. He tacked up 774 miles commuting to work from February to August 2023. While small compared to what the RTA has spent on lobbying efforts, the spendthrifts at the CTA don’t put much confidence in how any of the agencies would spend dwindling amounts of Illinois tax dollars if lawmakers hold them back from the looming fiscal precipice. Especially considering everyone wants a bigger piece of the financial pie from Springfield: Chicago schools, Chicago Bears, the collar counties along with increased spending for roads across the state. With increasing pressure to fund the RTA in some form lawmakers first have to ask the agencies for some true belt-tightening. Some transit leaders in the six-county area seem to be cavalier about that aspect when it comes to asking for legislative charity. Many Pace routes in Lake County run with few passengers aboard. The same could be said of CTA train service during late-night hours and Metra trains during off-peak commuting hours. Lawmakers need to wait and see what the RTA will offer to trim costs and make responsible fiscal decisions before doling out more taxpayer dollars for yet another reorganization of the transit agencies. Service cuts and fare hikes should be in the offing to show Springfield that transit leaders have a measure of good faith. Until then, there should be no light at the end of the tunnel. Charles Selle is a former News-Sun reporter, political editor and editor. sellenews@gmail.com. X: @sellenews      ...read more read less