I couldn’t disagree more with the Nov. 14 letter from Tom Rachubinski. The “L” extension is a great idea for three reasons: jobs for low-income people who don’t own an automobile, more revenue for the suburbs as well as the Chicago Transit Authority and a nice link between the city and the place where white flight resides.
Mr. Rachubinski states, “Better transportation ideas are wider roads and car-pooling.” Realistically, how many people really car-pool? So many people, especially suburbanites, are too attached to “their” cars to make plans to get into someone else’s each morning. Having lived in Schaumburg for many years, I know that the last thing any suburb needs is more concrete. Since the majority of jobs are located in the suburbs, and a great number of low-income people cannot afford a car and its maintenance, the people in the city are excluded from opportunity. The feeling is similar to living in the suburbs without a car–trapped.
People with a view such as Mr. Rachubinski’s are not tearing down the wall that divides the suburbs and the city–they are reinforcing it. Mr. Rachubinski also states, “The suburbs serve as a place to get away from the hustle and bustle of noisy city life.” The city is a great treasure. With so many people condensed, one cannot expect quiet.
But the suburbs and their inhabitants who proudly display their two or three cars are anything but quiet and tranquil. Just drive to Woodfield mall (during non-traffic hours, that is) during a regular work week or, even better, in December. Witness the swarms of out-of-state tourist buses unloading thousands on a weekend. You will wish you were on Michigan Avenue brushing arms with another. A little culture and color just might brighten up the suburbs.
