Abundant Housing Illinois

Illinois Legislature passes transit bill 🚇

We breathed a huge sigh of relief when we woke up on Halloween and read that the Illinois Legislature voted to save public transit from the fiscal cliff.

Investing in our public transit system will be transformative for Illinois, and a well-functioning public transit system underpins all of our housing advocacy efforts. Frequent, fast, and reliable public transit saves families money by reducing their automobile use, reduces our carbon footprint, and supports the types of dense, walkable, people-centered communities that we strive to build.

We are immensely proud of the coalition that fought tirelessly for the past few years to make this win a reality. Every organization we have partnered with since our founding played a part, demonstrating that we are stronger when we work together. There are too many orgs to name, but Better Streets Chicago deserves special recognition for keeping the pressure up and for their incredible ground game. We would also like to give a shout out to AHIL Lead Ben Wolfenstein for organizing multiple trips to Springfield to advocate for transit funding.

While we're already hearing about the benefits of increased transit funding (24-hour Orange Line service, anyone?), we try not to count our chickens before they hatch. Therefore, we look forward to celebrating transit with you after the bill is signed by Governor Pritzker. More details to come.