CHICAGO (WBBM) - It's getaway day for the 4th of July weekend, but experts are predicting the soaring price of gas, skyrocketing airline fares and the weak economy will keep long distance travel down.
That doesn’t mean the roads will be a lonely place the next few days, though. WBBM’s Bernie Tafoya reports.
The latest American Automobile Association (AAA) travel survey suggests there’ll be a slight decrease in the number of people flying and driving this Independence Day weekend, more than 30 million people on the road, driving to places at least 50 miles from home.
The AAA's Beth Mosher says that, in Illinois, 1.62 million people will be traveling this holiday weekend, 1.16 million of them are traveling by auto.
Mosher says gas costs and higher air fares are the biggest reasons people are cutting back on some travel plans this summer travel season in general.
Chicago's Reputation On The Run The Chicago Marathon Race director, Carey Pinkowski, says this is a good example of how Chicago could handle the Olympics.The 26.2-mile course starts in Grant Park near Buckingham Fountain, then heads to the North, West and South Sides before returning to Grant Park. A CBS Radio report.
Transit Hikes At Issue The Chicago Transit Authority may not be the only transportation agency planning to hike its fares. WBBM's Craig Dellimore reports. RTA Chairman Jim Reilly and CTA President Ron Huberman are the guests on WBBM NewRadio's At Issue program, heard tonight at 9:30.
Weis Attends Roll Call In a move to shore up morale among rank and file police officers, Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis attended a roll call for officers last night across the street from where a teenage girl was fatally shot a week ago on a CTA bus.
G7 Ministers Meet with Bush President Bush Saturday morning emerged from a meeting at the White House with G7 finance ministers. It's the latest attempt to ease market fears and encourage banks to lend money. A CBS Radio report.
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