Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about CTA

Why Are Loop Link Buses Moving So Slow, and Will They Get Faster?

By John Greenfield | Dec 23, 2015 | 51 Comments

Since Chicago’s Loop Link bus rapid transit corridor launched last Sunday, there’s been little or no improvement in bus travel times along the route. It turns out that a big part of the problem is that the CTA currently requires bus operators to drive at walking speed while passing by the long, raised station platforms. […]

Chicago Should Take Over the North Lake Shore Drive Redesign Project

By Steven Vance | Dec 17, 2015 | 32 Comments

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, […]

Transit Rankings Agree: Chicago’s Service Not As Good As Other Big Cities

By Steven Vance | Dec 8, 2015 | 30 Comments

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 […]

The ‘L’ Reduces Congestion on Highways More Than Widening Would

By Steven Vance | Nov 24, 2015 | 13 Comments

Yesterday, a road construction lobbying group tricked many local publications into promoting their highway expansion agenda. In what’s become a common strategy for the road-building industry, the American Highway Users Alliance conducted a study called “Unclogging America’s Arteries 2015,” which reported that traffic congestion is really bad and, of course, adding more capacity for cars is the […]

Residents and Politicians Urge CTA to Restore Lincoln, 31st Street Bus Service

By Steven Vance | Nov 17, 2015 | 4 Comments

During the public comment period of last night’s Chicago Transit Authority’s budget hearing, the only one the agency is holding this year, many politicians and residents urged the CTA board to restore the Lincoln Avenue and 31st Street bus routes. The hearing opened with budget director Tom McKone providing an overview of the 2016 spending plan. It maintains […]

The New CTA Budget Doesn’t Include a Fare Hike, But It Should

By Steven Vance | Oct 22, 2015 | 5 Comments

We’re announcing our proposed 2016 budget today. Good news: we’ll continue to maintain/improve existing services and fares stay the same! — cta (@cta) October 22, 2015 Today, the Chicago Transit Authority cheerfully tweeted that their proposed 2016 budget calls for no fare hikes or service cuts, plus some improvements in service. That sounds good in […]

Federal Funds Shifting To More Active Transportation Projects This Year

By Steven Vance | Oct 20, 2015 | 13 Comments

The next group of transportation projects that aim to improve air quality or reduce congestion and should receive federal funding has been approved by Chicagoland’s regional planning organization. The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning evaluates requests for the funding from the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement program. CMAQ has ensured for nearly two […]

Eyes on the Street: Roosevelt Bike Lane and Bus Shelters Nearly Complete

By Steven Vance | Oct 5, 2015 | 9 Comments

The Chicago Department of Transportation may soon be cutting the ribbon on the Roosevelt Road streetscape and raised bikeway project. The initiative involved widening the sidewalk along Roosevelt between State Street and Michigan Avenue to make room for the two-way bike lane, which replaced conventional bike lanes on the same block of Roosevelt. The new […]

Will the Return of the Ashland Express Bus Lay the Groundwork for Full BRT?

By Steven Vance | Aug 18, 2015 | 58 Comments

This morning Mayor Rahm Emanuel and CTA President Dorval Carter announced the return of the #X9 Ashland Express and #X49 Western Express buses. These limited-stop, morning through evening routes formerly paralleled the #9 Ashland and #49 Western local bus lines. While the stops for the local routes are generally spaced a mere one-eighth of a […]

More Ideas for Improving Rail Service at O’Hare Right Now

By Steven Vance | Jul 9, 2015 | 10 Comments

Last week’s Streetblog Chicago post about Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s O’Hare express train proposal struck a chord with readers, with dozens of retweets and almost 100 comments. Lots of people agreed that the existing CTA Blue Line run between the Loop and “the world’s busiest airport” is already a relatively fast, high-quality service. Many readers also concurred that […]

Don’t Deride the Delay: More Ventra App Testing Will Ensure Better Quality

By Steven Vance | May 28, 2015 | 11 Comments

Earlier this month, the CTA, Metra, and Pace announced that they are delaying the launch of the Ventra mobile app from this spring until this fall, and that an independent civic app testing group will help vet it. Contrary to what Chicago Tribune transportation writer Jon Hilkevitch wrote, that’s not a sign that there are “undisclosed issues” […]

CTA: Belmont Bypass Necessary to Accommodate Current and Future Riders

By Steven Vance | May 21, 2015 | 49 Comments

The Chicago Transit Authority published on Tuesday its federally mandated environmental assessment for the Red-Purple Bypass project, better known as the Belmont flyover. The bypass is part of the Red-Purple Modernization project, which will rebuild all of the tracks from Belmont to Linden station in Wilmette, and reconstruct several stations to add elevators and other amenities. This bypass would […]

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