Bureaucratic red tape is killing mass transit. Case study: Chicago......

[marmar]

:eyes:


from the Chicago Sun-Times:


City misses out on $153M
TRANSPORTATION | Fails to meet deadline for federal funds

BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter


Chicago will forfeit $153 million in federal funding to create 10.2 miles of "bus rapid transit" service because the feds refused to grant a 13-day extension to approve one of the burdensome strings attached: "congestion reduction" fees for downtown parking and deliveries, top mayoral aides disclosed Wednesday.

At a time when the city is strapped for cash, Mayor Daley’s decision to kiss off hard-fought federal transit funding that could have bolstered Chicago’s Olympic bid was not made lightly.

Daley made a personal appeal to U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters to push back a Dec. 31 deadline to win City Council approval of the congestion pricing ordinance he introduced last month.

The mayor argued that the credit crunch had caused a two-month delay in the $1.15 billion deal to privatize Chicago parking meters — another string attached to the $153 million — and that the congestion pricing ordinance was also pushed back. He promised it would be approved at the Jan. 13 City Council meeting.

When Peters refused to budge, Daley did the unthinkable. He waved goodbye to $153 million in federal funding. .......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/1367317,city-misses-federal-funding-deadline-010809.article