Public transit in Northeastern Illinois is dangling on the edge of a cliff, but the Regional Transportation Authority won’t say exactly what will happen if it falls off. What it would say is that the public needs to pay attention to this issue-and now. At an RTA board meeting last week, the heads of the Chicago Transit Authority, Pace and Metra said that fare hikes, service cuts and layoffs could be on the horizon if they don’t get the $226 million in operating funds they need by July 1 to close the 2007 budget shortfall.
