Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about Technology

Single, Universal Taxi App Could Level Playing Field

By Steven Vance | Nov 4, 2014 | 71 Comments

The City of Chicago wants to set up a centralized, online taxi dispatching system that would accept anyone’s request for a cab. This new tool could let the local taxi industry catch up to the user-responsiveness of increasingly popular taxi alternatives like Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar. Those companies’ easy-to-use apps, and sometimes lower fares, are […]

Transpo Leaders Brainstorm at the Shared-Use Mobility Center Launch

By John Greenfield | Nov 3, 2014 | 1 Comment

Transportation leaders from across the nation convened last week in Chicago to celebrate the launch of the Shared-Use Mobility Center, a nonprofit that will work to maximize the potential of car-sharing, ride-sharing, and bike-sharing services to benefit the public. The new organization will promote collaboration between the different services, and encourage cooperation between the growing […]

Ad Nauseam: Use Any App You Want While Driving — Because Safety!

By Angie Schmitt | Oct 10, 2014 | No Comments

Here’s the latest in wishful thinking about distracted driving. A new application called “Drivemode” wants to make it easier for you to use all your mobile apps while you’re behind the wheel — but don’t worry it’s safe! Because, at least theoretically, you don’t actually have to look at your phone. That’s the marketing message […]

Speed Cameras Issue 1.25 Million Warnings, Cut Speeding 43%

By Steven Vance | Jul 21, 2014 | 44 Comments

The City of Chicago’s automated speed enforcement system continues to succeed in reducing dangerous speeding around parks and schools. The Chicago Department of Transportation issued a press release earlier this month, stating that the number of speeding cars observed by its 51 speed cameras has fallen an average of 43 percent ever since the first […]

What’s the Fastest Way Around Chicago? That Depends, Says New Map

By Steven Vance | Jun 27, 2014 | 26 Comments

Researchers at the MIT Media Lab published an interactive map this week that shows a new way to measure access across Chicago via different transportation modes. Instead of assessing how far one can travel by a certain mode, like a previous online map has shown, or showing the cost of travel, this map looks solely […]

Bus to Zipcar to Divvy? RideScout App Makes Connecting A Bit Easier

By Steven Vance | May 27, 2014 | 4 Comments

The number of transportation choices available to Chicagoans continues to grow, particularly as shared options like car-sharing and Divvy bikes become ever more popular. Yet these options can turn the simple act of planning a trip across town into a complicated exercise that requires weighing multiple factors, like cost, convenience, time, and ever-changing availability. RideScout, […]

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