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CNT’s “AllTransit” Tool Can Help Legislators Understand Transit Needs
A new tool shows just how much advantage residents in some Illinois cities might have over others accessing jobs with low-cost transit, and just how much difference state legislators could make if they chose to fund more transit. AllTransit, an analysis tool from the Center for Neighborhood Technology and TransitCenter (a Streetsblog Chicago funder), shows information about access to transit that residents and job seekers have in any part of the United States, using data about transit service, demographic information, and job locations.
April 19, 2016
CTA Reports Huge Ridership Gains on Blue Line, Losses on South Side
New ridership numbers for the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' stations show some interesting changes over the past 17 years. The increases in ridership at some stations have been obvious, but the decreases at other stations are a little surprising.
March 29, 2016
RTA: Pace and Metra Operate Efficiently But Collect Little Rider Revenue
The Regional Transportation Authority's newest report, issued last week, compares the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra, and Pace, to their respective peers around the country. The report found that the CTA is efficient, relative to rapid transit systems in Atlanta, New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington, D.C.
March 21, 2016
RTA Report: CTA Runs an Efficient Transit System Compared to Peer Agencies
This week, rapid transit headaches in Washington, D.C. and the Bay Area highlighted the need for better maintenance of U.S. public transportation infrastructure. However, a new report from Chicagoland's Regional Transportation Authority suggests that the CTA is in a little better shape than its peers.
March 18, 2016
Will CMAP Stop Prioritizing Increasing Road Capacity in Next Regional Plan?
This is the second post in a two-part series on the upcoming ON TO 2050 regional plan. The first discussed public outreach goals for the new plan, and this one critiques its predecessor, GO TO 2040.
March 10, 2016
CMAP Launches Input Process for ON TO 2050, Chicago’s Next Regional Plan
This is part one of a two-part series about ON TO 2050, the new comprehensive regional plan for Chicagoland.
March 8, 2016
Metra To Study Changes to Make its Fare Structure More “Creative”
Metra, the regional commuter train operator, is seeking a consultant to develop "creative recommendations" on how to change its fare structure. The consultant would be in charge of finding the pros and cons of the current fare structure, comparing it to Metra's commuter rail peers around the country, and building a model that allows Metra to test how different fare policies would affect ridership and revenue. The Request for Proposals is due at the end of the month.
February 25, 2016
Metra Buying Old Trains, Squandering Opportunity to Change Ancient Service
Metra wants to lock in its 66-year-old train car design for another 30 years. The agency, which hasn't yet adopted a strategic plan that it started writing four years ago, seems to adhere to a policy of "if it ain't broke don't fix it." The problem is that they don't realize that things are indeed broken.
February 12, 2016
Experts and Advocates Weigh in on Rauner’s Proposal to Widen the Stevenson
On Thursday, Governor Bruce Rauner announced a new proposal to address congestion on the Stevenson Expressway, aka I-55, by adding lanes. The construction would be financed via a public-private partnership, and the new lanes would be tolled. Revenue would go to the concessionaire, allowing them to recoup their investment.
February 5, 2016
“Transit Explorer” Map Shows Nine Upcoming Transit Projects in Chicagoland
Last week, Yonah Freemark and I published a new map called Transit Explorer, which shows all of the new transit projects that are under construction, or being planned, across United States, Mexico, and Canada.
January 12, 2016