If it's autumn in Chicago, it must be time for the local transit agencies to ponder fare increases and/or service cuts.This would lead to more cars on the road and make bike-and-ride road trips a little less affordable.

But it's really not the fault of the agencies. The blame lies squarely in the laps of lawmakers who hold the purse strings and prioritize roads over transit. Today Steven Vance examines the Metra fare increase issue on Grid Chicago:

http://gridchicago.com/2011/its-fare-increase-time-again-at-metra/