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Active Transportation Alliance statement on public transit and Divvy shutdown
For Immediate Release
August 14, 2020
MEDIA CONTACT:
Kyle Whitehead
Managing Director of Public Affairs
Active Transportation Alliance
312-216-0473
kyle@activetrans.org
Active Transportation Alliance statement on public transit shutdown
Following is an organizational statement from Active Transportation Alliance Executive Director Amy Rynell.
Chicago, IL: Public transit provides access to opportunity for thousands of working-class Chicagoans. Buses, trains, paratransit, and bike share connect people to their jobs, healthcare appointments, grocery stores, and their families. When it’s taken away, riders are cut off from where they need to go or forced to pay much more for a taxi or ride-hail trip.
The repeated evening and overnight shutdowns of CTA, Divvy, and paratransit service in the downtown area set an alarming precedent. City officials are making this call without providing the public a clear understanding of why severely limiting mobility across the city is necessary. The decision-making process is neither transparent nor inclusive of the many types of people impacted by it.
Think of the Roseland resident who rides the Red Line downtown to work the night shift in building maintenance or security. Or the Garfield Park resident who rides Divvy to work the early shift at a Loop coffee shop. Or the Avondale resident who rides the Blue Line to work overnight at a downtown healthcare center or nursing home. Or the Chinatown resident with a disability who needs paratransit for any planned and unplanned trips outside the home.
Black and Brown people — who are more likely to ride transit and less likely to work a 9-to-5 job — are disproportionately impacted by these shutdowns. The city’s most vulnerable residents without access to a car suffer the most. Why? For what purpose? What does shutting down transit accomplish?
Chicagoans need answers. Residents deserve to know more about why this is happening, how the decision is being made, and whether it will happen again. Shutting down public transit and cutting off access for thousands of Chicagoans cannot become a regular, accepted city practice.
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About the Active Transportation Alliance
The Active Transportation Alliance is a not-for-profit advocacy organization that promotes walking, bicycling, and public transit to create healthy, sustainable, and equitable communities. The organization works to build a movement around active transportation, encourage physical activity, increase safety, and build a world-class transportation network. The Active Transportation Alliance has more than 20,0000 members and supporters in the Chicago region. For more information about the Active Transportation Alliance, visit www.activetrans.org or call 312.427.3325.
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