In a recent post, SBC contributor Richard Day argued that it's time to move past rejoicing in the passage of the robust transit reform and funding bill that will save local bus and train service, and start getting to work on optimizing the win. "This is the last, best chance we have to deliver the sort of transformative transit system the region deserves," he noted. "We can’t afford to waste it."
He's got a point, but let's linger in the October 31 afterglow a bit longer by discussing couple of fun gatherings of local sustainable transportation advocates last week. These happenings celebrated the victory, as well as looking forward to the future. Apologies that my writeups got back-burnered due to a couple of other developments later in the week.
The first event I'll talk about right now was a meeting of the 47th Ward Transportation Committee to discuss the details of the bill, at Beguile Brewing, 1800 W. Cuyler Avenue in North Center. Appropriately, the tavern is located right between the CTA Brown Line and Metra's Union Pacific North route. Here's a transcript of Ald. Matt Martin's enthusiastic invite to the event, filmed the same morning that the "Halloween Miracle" happened, for a Facebook video.
"What would it be like if we didn't have weekend service for the CTA, or if we saw across the board service cuts of 20 percent for the 'L' and for buses?" Ald. Martin asked. "Thankfully, we don't have to live in that reality, because the General Assembly earlier this morning passed a comprehensive transit bill. I'm so grateful for their work and for especially the work of advocates who worked tirelessly over years to make that a reality. So this means that not only do we not fall off the cliff, we're changing the way that CTA leadership is structured, and at the end of the day, paving the foundation for a world-class transportation system."
About three dozen people attended the meeting. Along with the alder, it featured Metropolitan Planning Council Transportation Director Audrey Wennink and State Rep. Ann Williams' Chief of Staff Sarah Butterfield.
Wennink gave an overview of what's in the 1,044-page transit bill, not unlike what Austin Busch recenty did for this website. For example, she talked about the legislation's strategies to prevent crime on transit, an issue Richard Day touched on in his recent piece.
"In terms terms of safety, there's a mandatory Transit Ambassadors program, which CTA has been talking about for quite a while, and they say they're going to do something," Wennink noted. "But this will be a regional Transit Ambassadors program, with training that is consistent amongst all agencies, and it will have a regional orientation. There will also be a law enforcement task force that looks at immediate safety and security options, led by the Cook County sheriff and leveraging law enforcement that currently exists and coordinating that better."
The discussion turned to bus corridor improvements, including the possibility of bus rapid transit. "We actually had a reach out from CTA just the other week," said 47th Ward Chief of Staff Josh Mark. "We sat down with them and they were picking our brains about how they want to engage the broader community, not just here in the 47th along Western Avenue but truly all across the city. They've identified about half dozen different corridors that they think would be good corridors for BRT. And I think that part of what the lesson learned was from Ashland Avenue about ten years ago, where we got close but didn't get across the finish line, is to find different ways to engage the community."
Active Transportation Alliance Campaign Organizer W. Robert Schultz III, also the advocacy co-chair for the Transportation Equity Network, had more to say about BRT efforts, and invited attendees to volunteeer with the bus campaign. "[TEN] works with groups on the South Side like Altgeld Gardens, and the West Side to help raise local voices. And so we have clusters of community members working on the five [Better Bus] corridors that CTA and CDOT that have identified. We've been doing this work over the last three or four years, and so we're ready to expand it. And so we're looking for a group of North Side volunteers... So we're making that effort on the South Side and the West Side, and so I'm here today to jump start the effort on the North Side." The crowd applauded.
After the event in another Facebook post, Martin lauded the successful hangout. "Our collective work to improve public transit can't stop now," he noted. "In the coming weeks, CTA is hosting a series of community meetings on bus stop infrastructure to help shape the future of travel across Chicago. Please consider attending one to share your insights."
Streetsblog will keep you updated on the bus hearings. And, in the near future, stay tuned for a writeup of another big advocacy gathering from last week...
Do you appreciate Streetsblog Chicago's paywall-free sustainable transportation reporting and advocacy? We officially ended our 2024-25 fund drive in July, but we still currently need $42K to complete our budget and keep publishing at full strength in 2026. We'd appreciate any leads on potential major donors or grants. And if you haven't already, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to help us continue publishing next year. Thanks!
