RTA Citizens Advisory Board: Get to know Xavier Potts

Following through on a key recommendation from regional transit strategic plan Transit is the Answer, the RTA launched a newly expanded, rider-focused Citizens Advisory Board (RTACAB) in March 2024, featuring the perspectives of a diverse group of 21 riders and agency leaders from across the region.

The RTACAB advises the agency's staff and Board of Directors on accessibility, equity, and other impacts of its policies and programs. It has always included the chairpersons of CTA, Metra, and Pace Citizens Advisory Boards, as well as representatives from each of the six counties served in the RTA region. Transit is the Answer called on the agency to "expand the role of the RTACAB and strengthen the rider voice in transit planning and decision making." The new RTACAB includes eight new "rider representative" positions: two for the City of Chicago, one for Suburban Cook County, and one each for other counties in the RTA region.

In a new Connections Blog series, RTA will profile each rider representative through a Q&A, digging into why community engagement is important, why transit matters to them, and more.

Xavier Potts, City of Chicago

Xavier Potts is a passionate public transit advocate. He primarily uses the CTA, but his passion and interest expands to all transit networks in the region and across the country. Accessibility is a very important issue to Potts, and he looks forward to the opportunity to help make our world-class regional transportation network the best it can be.

How and why did you come to join the RTACAB as a rider representative?

While I was in my senior year of my Public Policy degree at UIC, my advisor sent out an email informing students of the creation of the RTACAB and the possibility of applying as a rider representative. I immediately jumped at the chance because public transit and transit-related policy is one of my major interests. The prospect of being able to help shape the transit in my region for the better was extremely exciting.

What is your transit experience like? What do you like about riding transit, and what could be improved?

My transit experiences have been generally very positive. One of the main reasons I moved to Chicago almost 3 years ago was because of the robust local and regional transit options. I find that riding transit eliminates both the stress of owning/maintaining a vehicle, as well as the associated financial strain. I also love the sense of community that transit provides. I have met many new friends on the CTA, and waiting at my local station gives me the chance to chat with neighbors who I don't see often.

Two essential improvements, in my opinion, are frequency and reliability. I feel that improvement in these areas would make riding transit feel as freeing and casual as it should.

Why are you passionate about transit?

I am passionate about transit because I feel that a robust network of national, regional, and local bus/train routes would solve a plethora of issues we are facing. Chief among them being climate change. I believe that the current push toward electric cars is a half-measure, and the only true way to mitigate emissions is to lean heavily into public transit. I also think that the communal nature of public transit can serve to lessen the toxic individuality that is present throughout so much of the United States. Additionally, the financial flexibility it would provide for poor, working Americans cannot be overstated.

How does transit interplay with accessibility? How can investing in transit lead to a more accessible Chicago region?

Public transit is an essential part of building a city that is accessible for everyone. First, I think it is important for people to realize that making transit accessible does not just improve access for wheelchair users and other disabled individuals. It also means accessibility for families with strollers, elderly residents, commuters who have to use transit to grocery shop, and all manner of other riders. Speaking specifically about disability, the modifications necessary to make a car accessible can be mind-bogglingly expensive. Without a transit system, this cost and other associated vehicle costs have to be shouldered by individuals who experience poverty at disproportionate rates. An accessible transit system provides these individuals and communities with both personal and financial freedom.

What are your ideas for building the public and political support to invest in transit?

I think the key to building public support for transit is to make it more convenient, and quicker, than driving. I believe that for many trips throughout the region this could easily be achieved with increased service and maintenance that gradually eliminates slow zones. I also believe that there is a huge hurdle to overcome in the form of deeply ingrained car-dependency. The prevalence of said dependency makes it impossible for the vast majority of Americans to even imagine living life without a car. Countering this ideology and pushing transit as the ultimate source of financial and personal freedom is essential to generating public support.

What would it mean for riders in the communities you represent if transit is unable to find a sustainable funding solution to the fiscal cliff and experiences major service cuts?

For members of my community this funding deficit and the resulting service cuts would be detrimental. I live in a working-class neighborhood, where the vast majority of residents use public transit to get to work. Often this includes taking Metra out to the suburbs. These individuals, who are already financially struggling, would be forced to allot even more of their already limited personal time into waiting for buses/trains to arrive, or shoulder the monumental costs associated with car ownership. The effects of these service cuts would be far reaching, as riders might feel it necessary to get a different job with an easier commute. This would not only deprive the entire Chicagoland region of thousands of good workers, but also put undue stress on the workers themselves.

Why do you think it's important for public agencies like the RTA to engage with communities, such as through the newly expanded RTACAB?

I think that community engagement can be a double-edged sword, and I am happy to be able to say that the RTA is doing it the right way. Often, community engagement can be a roadblock to societal improvement that allows a vocal minority (those with the funds and free time to attend meetings) to override the opinions of the majority (working-class people who may not have the time or bandwidth to attend meetings). In the case of the RTACAB, members come from diverse financial, cultural, and societal backgrounds. This gives a wide range of opinions, without allowing our voices to overpower the way that the public feels. I believe that the RTA has struck a good balance between bringing the community into the decision-making process, without allowing it to be a roadblock to progress.

Who do you think is missing from current conversations about public transportation policy issues, and how would you like to see the RTA engage them?

I think that accessibility, specifically for elderly residents, is an under-discussed topic when it comes to public transportation. In car dependent American cities elderly individuals who may not have the faculties to safely operate a vehicle are all but forced to if they wish to retain any degree of personal freedom. This can be incredibly dangerous for them, and anyone else on the road. If they cannot drive then they cannot shop for themselves, take themselves to doctors' appointments, or enjoy leisure activities outside of the home without assistance. In a city with a robust and accessible public transit system, elderly individuals are able to retain their freedom for as long as possible, without putting anyone else in danger.

I would like to see the RTA make specific appeals to elderly individuals through advertisements and direct outreach in areas with older populations. When properly engaged, the senior population can be an extremely powerful political force. One which those in power are inherently inclined to listen to and respect.

What is your favorite transit memory?

My favorite transit memory occurred shortly after moving to Chicago with my partner. We were at the Sheridan Red Line stop, they were going north, and I was going south. It was a beautiful and temperate summer day. We were standing on opposite platforms looking at each other as their train pulled up. I watched their dress catch and wave in the wind while they blew me a kiss goodbye, then they disappeared behind the fast-moving train. Immediately after, my train arrived and we went our separate ways.

This moment contained such a romance that can't exist outside of public transit. The feeling of being out in the world rather than shut in a car, the effortless and ever-present feeling of community, the ability to be together right up until the moment you part. I felt like I was in Richard Linklater's Before Sunrise.

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