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Take a look at the transportation section of Mayor Johnson’s 2023 Mayoral Transition Report
As a Streetsblog Chicago reader, if you're short on time to do a full read of new mayor Brandon Johnson's 223-page 2023 Mayoral Transition Report, consider at least checking out the 15-page section provided by Johnson's transportation committee. We may do a deeper dive into the document on Streetsblog in the near future. But before the weekend kicks off, I just wanted to give you a quick heads-up about the existence of the report, and a very brief rundown of what's in the most SBC-relevant section.
July 7, 2023
Mayor Johnson calls for improved transportation in inaugural address
Yesterday, amid much fanfare at the Credit Union 1 Arena, Brandon Johnson was sworn in as the 57th Mayor of Chicago. In a stirring inaugural address, Johnson called for unity to surmount a litany of ills plaguing the city, including a rise in violence, under-resourced public schools, and an “unsafe and unreliable” public transportation system. "So much so," Johnson said, "that parents refuse to let their children ride, even when the CTA could be the pathway to opportunity and enrichment."
Near the end of his speech, Johnson "called in" policy makers and advocates to work together for better public safety, education and transportation. He said, "I believe we can do something really bold and fix our public transportation system. We can secure safety and convenience for cyclists while making significant investments in the reliability, the safety and the connectivity of our buses and trains in every single neighborhood."
It won’t be easy. The Johnson administration is staring down a string of hurdles to restoring service on the beleaguered CTA: continued staffing shortages, wide gaps between next buses and trains, and ongoing public concerns about safety and cleanliness, all shadowed by a looming $730 million fiscal cliff in 2026 when federal Covid relief funding runs out. Despite increasingly congested roads and freeways, more people are driving than before the pandemic, and a worsening epidemic of traffic violence took the lives of almost 40 people on foot or bicycle in Chicago last year alone.
The mayor’s transportation platform outlines a broad plan to improve and restore CTA and make streets safer for all users, funded with new state and federal dollars. Much of the platform echoes the priorities of the Better Streets Chicago Action Fund, a sister organization of sustainable transit advocacy group Better Streets Chicago, which endorsed Johnson in his mayoral run:
building bus rapid transit (BRT) infrastructure, including 500 bus priority signals
working with unions to hire and retain bus and train operators
eliminating fares for Chicago Public School students, seniors and people with disabilities
making all train stations ADA accessible
improving Blue Line service to and from Forest Park
finishing the Red Line extension project
deploying Transit Ambassadors to provide resources to riders in need of housing and other services
Johnson also promises to plow the sidewalks, create a grid of streets with lowered speed limits to improve cycling safety, expand concrete curb-protected bike lanes, and create a citywide planning process for bike and pedestrian infrastructure improvements that brings advocates across transportation, housing, environmental justice and accessibility to the table. These commitments bode well for the future of the Chicago Cycling Strategy, a framework for creating a connected, protected bicycle network published just weeks before the mayoral runoff—timing that had some advocates worried this would be yet another plan shelved with the change of administration.
Johnson recently announced over 400 appointees to the “Chicago for the People Transition Committee” and 11 subcommittees, a group of business leaders, activists, policy experts and community members tasked with creating a written report to guide the work of the new administration. A transportation subcommittee will be co-chaired by former mayoral candidate and state representative Kam Buckner, who had the most progressive and comprehensive transportation platform of the candidates.
Also co-chairing are Kirk Dillard, chairperson of the Regional Transportation Authority, and Roberto Requejo, executive director of Elevated Chicago, a coalition that is the primary proponent of equitable transit-oriented development policies and ordinance in Chicago.
The housing subcommittee will be co-chaired by Julie Dworkin, director of policy for the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless; Jonathan Jones, director of diversity for the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council; and Sendy Soto, a senior director at the Chicago Community Trust and a former managing deputy commissioner at the Chicago Department of Housing in the Lightfoot administration.
At the City Council level, Johnson appointed alderman Greg Mitchell (7th Ward) to chair the city’s Transportation Committee. The appointment gives teeth to the administration’s stated commitment to improving transportation on the south and west sides; Mitchell’s far south side ward, which includes Jeffrey Manor and Trumbull Park, is one of the least served by CTA. Johnson also appointed alderman Daniel La Spata (1st Ward), a frequent bicyclist and outspoken advocate for bike and pedestrian safety, to chair the Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee.Streetsblog will be following the discussion of recommendations from the transition and City Council committees. They have their work cut out for them, but as the new mayor rightly said in his inauguration address, "These investments won’t just benefit our economy, they’ll result in a safer and more livable city for all of us."
May 16, 2023
Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson announces transition committee and subcommittees
This morning Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson announced the members of the "Chicago for the People Transition Committee" as well as 11 topical subcommittees. The announcement and list was reported by Crain's.
April 27, 2023
What if we applied the Transit Ambassadors model to create safe, orderly public spaces?
This could be a cost-effective way to promote public safety, help at-risk individuals, create jobs, and improve downtown's reputation as a safe, fun place to spend time.
April 18, 2023
Let’s *go* Brandon! Will Johnson keep his big transportation campaign promises?
Johnson's campaign was all about promising fresh approaches to Chicago's problems, so here's hoping he applies that philosophy to traffic safety and mobility challenges as well.
April 6, 2023
Remember this before you vote: A recap of our election coverage before Tuesday’s runoff
Tuesday is the Chicago municipal runoff election, so if you haven't already taken advantage of early voting, be sure to make a plan to get to your polling place on time.
April 3, 2023
Speed round: Both candidates said they’d dismantle Chicago’s livesaving speed cam program
It's disappointing that even politicians who claim to care about public safety and transportation equity have a blind spot when it comes to automated enforcement, which protects the most vulnerable Chicagoans, simply because traffic cameras are unpopular with drivers.
March 29, 2023
Asked about CTA at debate, Johnson focuses on reliability, Vallas calls for more cops
Johnson's response mostly focused on strategies to make transit operate more efficiently, while Vallas said "Public safety is the overriding issue."
March 8, 2023
Brandon Johnson wants bike/ped upgrades, more CTA service, efficiency reviews
To help Chicago voters make an educated decision during the upcoming mayoral election, Streetsblog Chicago is running a series of articles on candidates’ transportation platforms
February 10, 2023
What if the mayoral candidates’ transportation platforms were literally CTA platforms?
Some of the nine Chicago mayoral candidates have released transportation platforms. But if their platforms were literally CTA station platforms, which ones would they be?
February 7, 2023