Regional Efficiency At the Expense of the Suburbs?

According to Illinois state transportation officials, the idea behind consolidating the Chicago Area Transportation Study and the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission into one body "is to coordinate transportation and land-use planning and make it more efficient..." Despite the assurance of "appropriate representation" within the new board, many suburban officials worry that "it could upset the balance between the city and suburbs, lessening the influence outlying municipalities have over the use of millions of transportation dollars." Some have also questioned if the merger is even necessary.