Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about Bus Rapid Transit

A TransMilenio station. Photo: John Greenfield

Colombia College: Lessons From Bogotá’s Transportation System for Chicago

By John Greenfield | Mar 9, 2017 | 19 Comments

Chicago would be wise to emulate Bogotá's extensive TransMilenio bus rapid transit system and the Sunday Ciclovía or "cycleway" program, which opens a roughly 75-mile network of streets for car-free recreation and draws some two million people each week.

Happy Birthday Loop Link

By John Greenfield | Dec 22, 2016 | 14 Comments

While the system hasn't dramatically sped up bus service, it should get faster in the future, and it has also improved conditions for walking and biking.

The proposal to use roundabouts to manage traffic coming off the drive would create hazards for pedestrians, cyclists, and people with visual impairments. Image: IDOT

Good News: IDOT Reconsiders Trading Car Lanes for Bus Lanes on the Drive

By Jessica Papanek | Dec 9, 2016 | 9 Comments

While it’s encouraging to see the state proposing a somewhat less car-centric version of the shoreline highway, their plans still leave a lot to be desired.

Active Trans Wins $150K Grant to Help Accelerate Slow Chicago Bus Service

By John Greenfield | Oct 4, 2016 | 5 Comments

There was some good news for Chicago straphangers last week. TransitCenter, a New York-based foundation dedicated to improving urban mobility, awarded 16 grants, totaling more than $17 million, to civic organizations, universities, and municipalities, and the Active Transportation Alliance was one of the winners. The Active Trans proposal, called Speeding Up Chicago’s Buses, involves working […]

Eyes on the Street: CTA Tests Prepaid Boarding on the Loop Link BRT System

By John Greenfield | Sep 19, 2016 | 22 Comments

Besides being the day Chicago was ranked the top biking city by bicycling magazine, September 19, 2016, may also go down in history as the day the Loop Link bus rapid transit system started getting faster. While the corridor, which debuted last December, seems to have been resulting in modest timesaving gains for bus riders, it’s […]

The Wait Is Almost Over: The Loop Link Prepaid Boarding Pilot Starts Monday

By John Greenfield | Sep 14, 2016 | 1 Comment

Since it launched last December, the Loop Link bus rapid transit system’s timesaving benefits have been modest, but they’re about to improve. The CTA just announced that this Monday, September 19, it’s starting a three-month test of prepaid boarding — in which customers pay their fare before the bus arrives — at the BRT system’s Madison/Dearborn […]

Eyes on the Street: Loop Link Lane Scofflaws Continue to Be a Problem

By John Greenfield | Apr 26, 2016 | 70 Comments

It’s been four months since the Loop Link bus rapid transit corridor launched downtown, but it seems like there are still some bugs to be worked out of the system. The two main issues I’m aware of are bus speeds and private vehicles using the red lanes, which are marked “CTA Bus Only.” The city […]

A New Blueprint for Streets That Put Transit Front and Center

By Angie Schmitt | Apr 15, 2016 | 3 Comments

The National Association of City Transportation Officials has released a new design guide to help cities prioritize transit on their streets. How can cities integrate bus rapid transit with protected bike lanes? How can bus stops be improved and the boarding process sped up? How should traffic signals be optimized to prioritize buses? The Transit Street Design Guide goes into greater […]

Life in the Fast Lane: Shuttles Are Still Illegally Using the Loop Link Route

By John Greenfield | Mar 3, 2016 | 44 Comments

Private bus lines in the Loop Link bus rapid transit lanes is definitely a thing. Last week I posted footage of the red lanes, clearly marked “CTA Bus Only,” being used by Aon / Prudential Center shuttle buses, as well as shuttles operated by The Free Enterprise System. A Streetsblog Chicago reader who wished to […]

Mexico City’s Metrobús Offers a Preview of How BRT Could Work on Ashland

By John Greenfield | Feb 8, 2016 | 32 Comments

[The Chicago Reader recently launched a weekly transportation column written by Streetsblog Chicago editorJohn Greenfield. This partnership allows Streetsblog to extend the reach of our livable streets advocacy. We syndicate a portion of the column after it comes out online; you can read the remainder on the Reader’s website or in print. The paper hits the streets […]

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New Evidence That Bus Rapid Transit Done Right Spurs Development

By Angie Schmitt | Jan 12, 2016 | No Comments

More American cities are considering bus rapid transit, or BRT, as a cost-effective method to expand and improve transit. One of the knocks against BRT, as opposed to rail, is that it supposedly doesn’t affect development patterns. But a new study [PDF] by Arthur C. Nelson of the University of Arizona and released by Transportation for America finds that BRT lines can indeed […]

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