Transportation advocates urge Mayor Brandon Johnson to invest public dollars in transit, not stadiums

Like many Chicagoans, the recent unveiling of the Chicago Bears’ controversial plan for a new lakefront stadium has left transportation advocates with far more questions than answers. With a projected cost to taxpayers of $5.9 billion, we find this proposal to be misaligned with our coalition's priorities. At a time when our region’s transit systems are facing a significant fiscal cliff, decades of disinvestment leaving lines in disrepair and many communities without access, ongoing service challenges, and record pedestrian and cyclist deaths, public funding of stadiums should not be a priority.

When asked about whether he supported former Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s proposal for a $2 billion renovation of Soldier Field, then-candidate Brandon Johnson said: “Chicago could also use $2 billion to remove lead pipes, house thousands of unhoused Chicagoans, fully fund public schools, generate neighborhood and business development…pay down our pension and general obligations, or meet dozens of other urgent needs–all of which would generate much-needed economic and quality of life returns.”

We agree.

Decades of research has made it abundantly clear that stadiums are not good investments for public dollars. The economic benefits never cover the cost of investing in these stadiums while the direct profits go to the team and their owners – in fact, Chicago taxpayers are still paying off the former Soldier Field renovation with $589 million in debt remaining. With so many pressing priorities in Chicago, the city simply cannot afford to foot the bill for a new stadium.

Of significant concern, this proposal failed to mention transit at all. Instead, we were presented a vague nearly $1 billion infrastructure proposal highlighting widening DuSable Lake Shore Drive and thousands of additional parking spaces – furthering decades of harmful car-centric planning practices. It is well established that widening roads and expanding parking does little to alleviate congestion, but rather encourages even more people to drive and exacerbates the problem. Chicagoans have instead been calling upon the City to invest in modernizing and expanding CTA, improve and integrate regional transit operations, build a city-wide network of protected bike lanes, expand and maintain sidewalks, and invest in ADA compliance. Rather than using obsolete traffic designs in an attempt to shave a couple minutes off of drivers’ trips for a few special events, the City’s priority should be making the critical investments needed to improve Chicagoans’ everyday mobility.

Transportation touches every aspect of Chicagoans lives, and right now we are facing a series of transportation crises that can no longer be ignored. Mayor Johnson, we urge you: invest public dollars in transit, not stadiums.

Signed:

Better Streets Chicago

Active Transportation Alliance

Chicago, Bike Grid Now!

Commuters Take Action

The Equiticity Racial Equity Movement

Metropolitan Planning Council

The Southwest Collective

Urban Environmentalists Illinois