ILLINOIS - The verbal venom exchanged between elected officials over the CTA has created a poisonous atmosphere that threatens to hurt transit riders.

While the politics of transit may appear more toxic here than elsewhere, the Chicago area's mass-transit agencies have plenty of company across the nation as ridership on public transportation surges.

Some 85 percent of U.S. transit systems are reporting capacity problems, due mainly to high gas prices, according to a new survey conducted by the American Public Transportation Association, the trade group representing transit agencies.

In addition, 65 percent of the agencies questioned say they don't have funding for more service, the survey found.

To Chicago-area residents, it sounds all too familiar.

The hefty ridership increases at the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace are what transit leaders dreamed about in past years.

Yet the three agencies don't have nearly enough trains and buses to handle the crowds.