Board of Directors

Transportation

Thursday, April 15, 2021
9:00 a.m. CDT

Suite 1650

This meeting will be live-streamed at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHBTEjtqt0bjxN7e3RBdUOA/videos. The live stream may not appear until or a few minutes after the scheduled start time. If you don’t see it right away, give it a few seconds, then try refreshing your Internet tab to see if it loads.

Check the source website for additional information

Reporting

Edited and summarized by the Chicago - IL Documenters Team

Note-taking by Avani Kalra

Lapsed and current rider survey, New transit data website

View notes

Live reporting by Will Reynolds

Lapsed and current rider survey, New transit data website

Will Reynolds @willinois

Good morning. I’ll be live-tweeting today's Regional Transportation Authority meeting, starting at 9am, for #ChiDocumenters @ChiDocumenters

08:43 AM Apr 15, 2021 CDT

Will Reynolds @willinois 2/27

Today's @RTA_Chicago board meeting can be viewed on YouTube Live: youtube.com/channel/UCHBTE…

Will Reynolds @willinois 3/27

The meeting went live on youtube at 9:05 with board members figuring out technical issues. Kirk Dillard explains the meeting is online without staff/board members going to headquarters due to the pandemic.

Will Reynolds @willinois 4/27

Executive Director Leanne Redden begins ger report. RTA is moving into step 3 of developing their strategic plan. https://t.co/2RgpRHqL74

Will Reynolds @willinois 5/27

Government affairs update: An act proposed by Biden would fund mass transit, plus transition to electric vehicle fleets.

Will Reynolds @willinois 6/27

The state of Illinois is 9 months behind in payments to RTA.

Will Reynolds @willinois 7/27

The public comment agenda includes a presentation from the Vehicle Electirification Project of the Climate Reality Project. @ClimateReality

Will Reynolds @willinois 8/27

Speaker Pam Tate speaks about public health and #climate impacts of pollutants from the transportation sector. https://t.co/PMqXXbZfs7

Will Reynolds @willinois 9/27

Some #climate impacts estimated specifically for Chicago. In Illinois, it will disrupt growing crops, eventually leading to food shortages. @ClimateReality https://t.co/vXC9QDdTMP

Will Reynolds @willinois 10/27

Six new CTA electric busses have begun service testing.
State and federal legislation should provide funding to switch to electric busses. https://t.co/COWpF1pUKF

Will Reynolds @willinois 11/27

It's critical transit agencies go to zero emissions electric vehicles, not "low emission" busses run on natural gas. Consider long-term lower cost of electric vehicles.

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Directors Melvin, Sager, Canty, and Andalcio thank the speaker for an excellent presentation.

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Tate says she made a similar presentation to PACE, which has been purchasing natural gas busses due to lower up front costs compared to electric.

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Kim Stone points out natural gas bus fueling infrastructure is more expensive than electric bus charging stations. Redden says federal funding is moving toward electric.

Will Reynolds @willinois 15/27

Moving on to reports. Ridership is down. Sales tax revenue higher than expected. https://t.co/eXECy7WscJ

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CARES act funding will be needed for some time to keep budgets balanced.

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Staff member Horsting makes presentstion about RTA community planning program. New interactive story map at their website allows people to view recent projects.

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These six projects included in '21 plan. https://t.co/palx1Laqgs

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The @RTA_Chicago online meeting format makes it easy to identify speakers by having their name and video visible in the corner during slide presentations. Big improvement over platforms used by most other public bodies.

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Brad Thompson presents RTA'S new open data website with tons of info for public and agencies.

rtams.org https://t.co/H0ppoBDOY4

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Data includes ridership data over time, even for specific bus routes or METRA stations, for example. Projects and funding are searchable. New site is easier to navigate and search.

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Next, a presentation of a lapsed rider survey aimed at getting people back to using mass transit. https://t.co/Mijv64fLwZ

Will Reynolds @willinois 23/27

Full survey report here:
twitter.com/RTA_Chicago/st…

Will Reynolds @willinois 24/27

Telecommuting is expected to continue for some workers, reducing ridership beyond the pandemic. https://t.co/ko6GPiFwhQ

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RTA's press release includes a summary of some findings.

mailchi.mp/rtachicago.org…

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Next, a proposal to appoint a new pension board member, Hemingway. He currently works for Exelon. There are a number of campaigns encouraging investment funds to divest from fossil fuels.

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Several contract and expense agenda items approved without discussion. Board member training is happening after public meeting. Meeting adjourns at 11:01am.

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Agency Information

Regional Transportation Authority

www.rtachicago.org

(312) 913-3220

MaclennanA@rtachicago.org

@RTA_Chicago

See Documenters reporting

The RTA Board of Directors is a 16-member group of professionals governing the activities and initiatives of the RTA. The RTA is charged with financial oversight, funding, and regional transit planning for the region’s transit operators: the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra and Pace Suburban Bus and Pace Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Paratransit.

Remote RTA meetings are live-streamed via RTA’s Youtube channel.

In-person RTA meetings are typically held at the Willis Tower, in the offices of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. In order to get to the meeting in a timely fashion you will need to contact Audrey Maclennan (312-913-3219 or MaclennanA@rtachicago.org) 24 hours or more prior to the meeting and bring a photo ID.

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