Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about CMAP

Evanston and Chicago Applying for Federal Funds to Expand Divvy North

By Steven Vance | Aug 15, 2013 | 49 Comments

The Evanston City Council on Monday approved a proposal to apply for federal funds through the Transportation Alternatives program to pay for a minimum of seven Divvy bike sharing stations (map) in the adjacent suburb. A staff memo to the council [PDF] recommended that Evanston make an agreement with the City of Chicago to collect […]

Residents Start Petition to Fight IDOT’s Circle Interchange Project

By Steven Vance | May 15, 2013 | 13 Comments

The residents of 400 S Green Street, the building where the Illinois Department of Transportation plans to build a new highway ramp just a few feet away, have begun a petition to rally neighbors in opposition to the project. The proposed flyover is part of IDOT’s $400 million Circle Interchange expansion, a project that the Chicago Metropolitan […]

The Missing Piece in Crash Reports: Ridership Data

By Steven Vance | Apr 24, 2013 | 16 Comments

This is the edited text of a speech I gave Monday night for the City of Chicago’s Earth Data Celebration about the use of data in measuring sustainability performance measures in Chicago. As deputy editor of Streetsblog Chicago, and co-editor of Grid Chicago before that, one question I field quite often from readers is, “How many […]

Circle Interchange Project Highlights Flaws in Regional Planning Process

By Steven Vance | Mar 15, 2013 | 16 Comments

The Illinois Department of Transportation’s Circle Interchange highway project appeared out of nowhere. It wasn’t around when the GO TO 2040 regional plan was being crafted and then adopted by 7 counties and 284 municipalities, a process that lasted from 2005 to 2010. It didn’t show up until 2012, when IDOT asked the Chicago Metropolitan Agency […]

As Circle Interchange Clears Another Hurdle, Doubts Remain About Its Value

By Steven Vance | Mar 11, 2013 | 23 Comments

On Friday, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning transportation committee voted to recommend the addition of the Illinois Department of Transportation’s $410 million Circle Interchange project to GO TO 2040, the official regional plan. According to CMAP’s estimates, the project will increase carbon emissions and decrease transit trips. Governor Pat Quinn has directed IDOT to pursue […]

Chicago Traffic Is Congested. So What Should We Do About It?

By Steven Vance | Feb 7, 2013 | 54 Comments

Chicagoland has a lot of traffic congestion, according to this year’s Urban Mobility Report from the Texas A&M Transportation Institute [PDF], yet we continue to build more roads while transit service and walking and biking facilities don’t seem to increase as fast. Meanwhile, gas taxes and other fees on drivers fail to pay for all the […]