NORTH CENTER — A North Side alderman is rallying support for the revival of the Lincoln Avenue and 31st Street buses ahead of a CTA budget hearing set for next week.
Ald. Ameya Pawar (47th) said he's trying to "get the word out there to the communities" that this may be their last, best chance to revive the bus lines.
It's the first CTA budget since North and South Siders allied earlier this year to join forces in a bid to bring back both discontinued bus routes.
"Send an email, call, write the CTA and show your support for the restoration of the 11 bus and the 31st Street bus," Pawar said Monday.
The CTA has set a budget hearing for 6 p.m. Monday at its headquarters, 567 W. Lake St., and will accept public comments through 5 p.m. the following day ahead of a CTA Board meeting set to pass the 2016 budget on Nov. 18.
Pawar also cited a letter of support signed last month by every elected official in his area calling the No. 11 Lincoln bus "a lifeline for our constituents" and "the preferred transit mode for seniors, people with disabilities, parents with small children and students making their way to and from school."
The letter was signed by Pawar, state Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago), state Sen. Heather Steans (D-Chicago), state Rep. Ann Williams (D-Chicago), state Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) and Cook County Commissioners Bridget Gainer (D-Chicago) and John Fritchey (D-Chicago). One prominent elected official was missing, however: Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who lives in the 47th Ward.
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