Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about CTA

Here’s How New CTA Technology Helps Reduce Bus Bunching

By Steven Vance | May 14, 2015 | 6 Comments

If you ride Chicago Transit Authority buses, you’ve probably had the infuriating experience of waiting an eternity at a stop, only to have two or more buses show up at the same time. This phenomenon, known as bus bunching, is the bane of most big-city transit systems in the U.S. To address this issue, the CTA […]

New Type of TIF District Would Increase Funding for Transit Projects

By Steven Vance | May 11, 2015 | 15 Comments

A new bill that passed the Illinois Senate last week would create a new class of tax increment financing district that could only be created around Chicago transit stations and lines to capture the property value that being near transit generates. Most of the revenue generated by these TIFs would be earmarked to pay for construction […]

Pritzker Park Sale Is a Chance to Create New Transfer from ‘L’ to Subway

By Steven Vance | May 8, 2015 | 37 Comments

There are several pros and cons of the city’s controversial plan to sell the Pritzker Park site for development. One important and urgent aspect is that it would be an unparalleled – and potentially free – opportunity to create the first enclosed, wheelchair-accessible transfer between the CTA’s Loop elevated lines and the Red and Blue Line subways. […]

Buy Metra Tickets and Reload a Ventra Account With Upcoming App

By Steven Vance | Apr 10, 2015 | 24 Comments

Imagine this scenario: You’re running late to catch Metra’s UP-North Line to Rogers Park and, because the trains run so infrequently, you really need to make this run. You don’t have a 10-ride ticket in your wallet, the line for a ticket agent is too long, there are no vending machines at Ogilvie Transportation Center, […]

Another 207 Parking-Lite Residences Sprouting In Wicker Park

By Steven Vance | Dec 30, 2014 | 6 Comments

Way back in 2012, one developer proposed what was then a radical idea: tearing down what had been a cheesy restaurant and a moat of parking overlooking a faded corner, and replacing them with a gleaming tower housing 99 apartments, two shops, and just 16 car parking spaces. Ever since 1611 W. Division Street showed […]

CTA Bus Ridership Bouncing Back; Faster Service Would Spur Greater Gains

By Steven Vance | Nov 6, 2014 | 12 Comments

In its proposed budget for 2015, the Chicago Transit Authority didn’t take much of a leap of faith when forecasting continued growth in the record crowds boarding its trains. However, CTA also optimistically forecasts that a multi-year slide in bus ridership, which accounts for 57.6 percent of the system’s total ridership, will end — and […]

CTA Adds Rail Service To Accommodate Rising Ridership

By Steven Vance | Oct 31, 2014 | 8 Comments

The Chicago Transit Authority expects that more people will ride the ‘L’ next year, especially in north side neighborhoods. To accommodate this increased demand, it added six new rush-hour trips on the Brown, Red, and Purple lines at the end of September, and will add even more frequency to the Brown Line and Orange Line […]

New Ventra App Takes Small Step Towards Transit Fare Integration

By Steven Vance | Oct 22, 2014 | 19 Comments

The forthcoming smartphone ticket app for Metra will also make it possible for Chicago Transit Authority and Pace customers to manage their Ventra transit accounts on their phones, the CTA announced last week. Even though the three agencies will spend $2.5 million on the app (plus nearly $16,000 in monthly fees), the Ventra app won’t at […]

Wicker Park Bus Stop Hasn’t Been ADA Accessible for Months

By Steven Vance | Sep 19, 2014 | 2 Comments

For the past three months, #56 Milwaukee bus drivers have had a tough time picking up passengers, especially those with disabilities, from a temporary bus stop in the heart of Wicker Park. The bus stop was formerly located on the northwest leg of the bustling junction of Milwaukee, North, and Damen, in front of a […]

Central Loop BRT Will Skimp On Key “Rapid” Features

By Steven Vance | Jul 23, 2014 | 31 Comments

The Central Loop Bus Rapid Transit project will launch without key features that distinguish BRT from conventional bus service. The busways, which the Chicago Department of Transportation will begin building later this year, will include most of BRT’s concrete features, like high-level bus-boarding platforms and dedicated lanes. These features will undoubtedly speed up six Chicago […]

Lack of Planning Along Orange Line Resulted in Missed Opportunities

By Daniel Hertz | Jun 16, 2014 | 19 Comments

Ever since it opened in 1993, the CTA’s Orange Line has become the public transit backbone of the Southwest Side, with over 60,000 rides on an average weekday. But unlike the patrons of many other ‘L’ lines, who step out of their neighborhood stations onto commercial streets lined with restaurants, shops, and other businesses, Orange […]

CTA: Growing North Side Needs Brown Line Flyover

By Steven Vance | May 23, 2014 | 48 Comments

Last night, the Chicago Transit Authority explained at a packed open house that it simply cannot run any more Red Line trains through the Clark Junction, the busy crossing one block north of the Belmont station where the Brown Line splits from the Red and Purple Lines. To untangle the crossing, CTA has proposed a […]

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