Steven Vance
Transportation planner and advocate. Steven also created Chicago Cityscape, a site that tracks neighborhood developments across the city.
Recent Posts
44-Unit TOD Building Proposed at an Abandoned Drive-Through in Bucktown
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A proposal for a transit-oriented development in Bucktown is going before the Chicago Plan Commission for approval this Thursday. River North-based developer Vequity wants to build a six-story residential tower with minimal parking at the southeast corner of Milwaukee and Western avenues in Bucktown, right next door to the Western stop on the Blue Line’s O’Hare branch. Vequity needs the Plan Commission to approve a […]
South Side Groups: Make the Metra Electric Run Like the CTA ‘L’
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A dozen neighborhood organizations, along with the Active Transportation Alliance and the Center for Neighborhood Technology, are calling for the Metra Electric line, with its three branches that run through several South Side communities, to operate like a CTA ‘L’ line. The fourteen organizations signed a letter to the editor of the Chicago Maroon, the independent […]
“Transit Explorer” Map Shows Nine Upcoming Transit Projects in Chicagoland
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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. Yonah, a project manager at the Metropolitan Planning Council and author of The Transport Politic blog, collected the data and created […]
Developer Proposes Better Active Transportation Access for Goose Island
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Property developer Zack Cupkovic said he didn’t really discover Goose Island until four years ago, even though he grew up in the nearby Lakeview neighborhood. The man-made island was created in 1857, when the North Branch canal was completed on the east side of the land mass, separating it from the mainland. When you drive across […]
Eyes on the Street: Many West Side Bike Lanes Are Snow-Blocked
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Biking on the West Side has been a mixed bag each time it’s snowed this winter. When it snowed on the weekend after Thanksgiving it took more than two days for the protected bike lanes on Lake Street to be plowed. With last week’s snowfall it’s been over a week, and the protected bike lanes […]
Some Bus Service Will Be Better In 2016, But Better Funding Needed
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2016 just might be the year of the Chicago bus. The Chicago Transit Authority is restoring express service and speeding up local service on Ashland and Western avenues, running six bus routes on dedicated bus lanes downtown with the new “Loop Link” corridor, and piloting restored service on the #11-Lincoln and #31-31st Street bus routes. Pace will also […]
New Wayfinding Signs on The 606 Are Also Needed for On-Street Routes
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Last month, colorful new wayfinding signs were installed near all of the access ramps for The 606, aka the Bloomingdale Trail. They point trail users to the nearest off-ramp and access park. The relatively small text on the signs is a little tricky to read if you’re cycling past them at a moderate pace, but […]
Chicago Should Take Over the North Lake Shore Drive Redesign Project
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Last week, the Illinois Department of Transportation hosted the first public meeting on the North Lake Shore Drive reconstruction project in almost a year and a half. This state-jurisdiction road, which is located entirely within the city limits, currently restricts access to our lakefront. And since CTA “express” buses are forced to share travel lanes with cars, […]
“Divvy For Everyone” Program Now Has Over 1,000 Members Across Chicago
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The city’s Divvy For Everyone program to get low-income and unbanked residents using the popular bike-share system looks to be gaining popularity itself. Yesterday the Chicago Department of Transportation’s Divvy For Everyone program manager Amanda Woodall discussed D4E figures at the quarterly Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Council, a public meeting where the city shares its bicycle initiatives. Until […]
Transit Rankings Agree: Chicago’s Service Not As Good As Other Big Cities
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A recent analysis of transit service in United States cities found that Chicago ranked #6, behind New York City, San Francisco, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia. Transit Score, from the Walk Score company now owned by the realtor Redfin, reviewed public schedules data provided by the transit agencies in each city to study how often […]
CNT: Funding Not Spent According to Community Plans Has Less Impact
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The Center for Neighborhood Technology, a local community planning think tank, said that municipalities and public agencies are failing to follow their own plans. They’re investing public funds for the region in economic development and transportation projects in undeveloped areas or away from train stations. CNT wrote in their new report, “Putting Places First,” that money is instead spent […]
CDOT Pilots Bike Lane Treatment Inspired by Dutch Protected Intersections
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As part of the Loop Link bus rapid transit project, which includes the construction of protected bike lanes on Washington, Randolph, and Clinton downtown, the Chicago Department of Transportation is trying a kind of intersection treatment that’s new to our city. Inspired by Dutch-style “protected intersections,” they’re installing special concrete curbs and islands in an […]