What They Say- - -

WORTH THE MONEY *

As Virgil Gunlock, chairman of the Chicago Transit Authority, told the City Club's transportation committee last week, public money will have to be provided for extensions of the rapid transit system or the city will be crippled in its growth.

And as hundreds of citizens of western suburbs told a group of legislators and other officials who visited their towns on a special train run over the Chicago, Aurora and Elgin Railroad lines last week, public money will have to be spent to get passenger trains running on the line again or the metropolitan area's traffic congestion will be aggravated beyond endurance.

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These are statements of fact. A great many people dislike the idea of paying taxes to improve CTA service, although the CTA is a public body. Lots of people dislike, even more vehemently, the idea of spending tax money to buy a railroad, or to subsidize one.

These people usually think it is reasonable and necessary to spend money building expressways for motor cars, and it is. The fact they haven't acknowledged is that the community can't possibly build enough expressways to move the people who must be moved every day unless public transportation takes a big share of the load.

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The CA & E Railroad used to move 28,000 people into and out of the Loop every day. Now it moves none. Thousands of those who formerly rode the line have taken to their automobiles, and the Congress Street Expressway, which isn't even finished, is evercrowded in the morning and evening rush hours.

The same process will make all the expressways we are building obsolete from the beginning unless the extension and improvement of the rapid transit system is started soon and unless the extension and improvement is continued as population grows.

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As Gunlock reminded the City Club committee, the CTA has a program of improvements planned for 20 years ahead. It includes such proposals as extending the Englewood "L" line from 63rd street and Loomis avenue to the Clearing industrial area; putting rapid transit trains in the Northwest Expressway; elevating the outer stretches of the Ravenswood and Douglas Park "L" lines; building subways under Wells, Clark, Jackson and Washington streets.

All these things urgently need to be done. It will cost at least $315,000,000 to do them. The CTA hasn't a hope of earning it with its present facilities. The only place the money can come from is the pockets of the taxpayers, and it will be abundantly worth the cost to all of them, whether they drive their cars or ride public transportation.

Page 81 / Illinois Municipal Review / April 1958