Of course suburban mayors would lambast the idea of a truly regional transportation agency — folding together NIPC, CATS, the RTA service boards, and maybe the tollway authority. The current system benefits the suburbs greatly by larding up Metra, creating patronage jobs at ISTHA, and maintaining the pro-highways, pro-burbs attitude on transportation spending over at CATS — all while short-changing the city. CTA carries seven out of eight transit riders within the region, but gets only two-thirds of the regional transit operating subsidies (this despite high city sales tax rates).

Granted, the various agencies are doing a marginally better job of at least pretending to talk to one another these days, but the regional status quo continues to promote highway and railroad sprawl while remaining too sensitive to backroom political machinations like patronage hires or the “special request” projects that CATS designates for funds — the Hastert Highway, the Lipinski Trolley, etc.

Mayor Daley, you can’t have it both ways: a $30 million deficit at CTA can only be solved with massive service cuts or a mild fare increase, unless of course the city, the suburbs, or the state are willing to up their pitiful contributions. Service cuts will further the death spiral that has seen ridership drop by nearly half just in my living memory. Maintaining artificially low (nickel) fares to satisfy politicians, while cutting back on services amidst wider demographic trends conspiring against transit, is what necessitated the original city bailout of the street railways.

Today’s Chicago Reader reveals that the cyanide stashed by “Dr. Chaos” in a Blue Line tunnel couldn’t have killed anyone… because the tunnels are so darn drafty. Oh well. And I respectfully disagree with Ms Burch on the identity of CTA’s mysterious spokesman; rest assured that the man she’s describing (early 30s, blond, muscular, average height, cheerful, gay, independent) would not sound like that. Personally, I wish they’d chosen someone less excitable with a deeper voice, either a countertenor or a baritone.