Sarah - this is a brilliant plan. It troubles me to call it "punishing drivers" because that's not the point. It rewards people, it's not punishing. Suburban people will read that headline and misinterpret it and freak out, raising hell. That's a huge risk.

I guess it is all relative. Motorists have enjoyed subsidized gas, an unbelievable quantity of paved surfaces and the right to drive pretty much in any lane (in Chicago). Such a large amount of land is dedicated to personal vehicles.

I agree that this plan is a positive thing, but compared to the rights that motorists have had, this by comparison is a punishment in my eyes. It looks out for the good of many and not a few.

No, by your logic, the punishment had been for people who didn't want to drive cars. Now, *their* punishment is being alleviated. If you call it punishment, then you're creating an us vs them mentality which really goes nowhere, and at worst, drives suburbanites further into their fortresses to the detriment of everyone, including Chicago.

As a resident of Chicago who uses a bike as a primary mode of transportation, this plan has my support. There has always been a negative connotation to plans that involve only a "car tax" solution -- they are not egalitarian. The wealthy don't care about monetary penalties as much as the middle-class (as much as the poor). I like this plan because it makes no distinction for income. Furthermore, the reason buses don't "work" is that there are too many cars in the way. I know that sounds overly simplistic, but this is the catch-22 with respect to public transportation. Giving buses a higher priority will make them a) faster and b) more predicable with respect to schedules. That's a great start.

Well said kohker.. this is a common sense plan. I'd like to see more specifics, and I'd also like them to fix the EL so that it runs faster than a broken tricycle.

I agree that acting like this is about "punishment" is not the way to go about it. It's not clear if the gist of the post is in favor or opposed to a new plan for Chicago, or keeping the status quo, there's a lot of negative words like "punishment" "lure" "squeeze" ...

I think 'punishing' can be taken to be a little tongue-in-cheek guys, so I'm not to worried about sparking an suburban exodus with this post.

We just survived one of the worst winters in Chicago history and Mayor Daley wants us all to depend on buses?!! Until I see his fat ass on a bus or waiting at a stop in the cold and snow, he can go screw himself!