Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about Rahm Emanuel

No “Children’s Fund” But Speed Cam Revenue Will Still Boost Kids’ Safety

By Steven Vance | Nov 19, 2013 | 13 Comments

Today in the Tribune, reporter Hal Dardick implied that Chicagoans should be outraged because, despite Rahm Emanuel’s promise that money generated by speed cameras will be invested in traffic safety and violence prevention programs for kids, he hasn’t created a separate “children’s fund” in the proposed city budget. Dardick notes that any revenue generated by […]

What Does Chicago Need From the Next Transportation Commissioner?

By John Greenfield | Nov 8, 2013 | 30 Comments

This morning the Chicago Sun-Times published a fairly solid editorial with some interesting thoughts on the task ahead for whomever takes the reigns of the Chicago Department of Transportation after Commissioner Gabe Klein steps down later this month. “Too often in the past the city’s transportation chief has focused more on potholes and snow removal […]

The CTA Chalks Up the Red Line South Rehab as a Major Success

By John Greenfield | Oct 17, 2013 | 23 Comments

At a time when the CTA has been coming under fire for the glitchy launch of the Ventra farecard system, today’s ribbon cutting for the Red Line Reconstruction project was a well-earned celebration for the transit agency, and a love fest for local politicians. Many residents and journalists originally questioned the plan to completely shut […]

Will Transit Reps Repeat Their Misguided Support for the Illiana Tomorrow?

By Steven Vance | Oct 16, 2013 | 9 Comments

Funding for major Chicagoland transit projects will be at stake tomorrow, when regional representatives convened by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning vote on whether to move forward with the Illiana Tollway. Even though approving the Illiana will jeopardize CTA and Metra improvements by adding competition for the same pot of funds, all four Chicagoland […]

Emanuel Promises Plenty of Opportunities for Public Input on Ashland BRT

By John Greenfield | Oct 10, 2013 | 51 Comments

Today’s Sun-Times article on the city’s plans to implement fast, efficient bus rapid transit on Ashland Avenue and in the Loop didn’t provide much new information on the projects, and it included a few errors. However, it did provide a bit of a window on the mayor’s thoughts on the subject. “Chicago is ‘nowhere close […]

It’s Time for CDOT to Stop Calling Buffered Bike Lanes “Protected”

By Steven Vance | Aug 8, 2013 | 28 Comments

After Rahm Emanuel was elected mayor, he released a transition report that called for creating 100 miles of protected bike lanes by May 2015. It was an ambitious and admirable goal. The report defined protected lanes as “separated from traveling cars and sit[ting] between the sidewalk and a row of parked cars that shield cyclists […]

Divvy Grows to 117 Stations, Launches Corporate Memberships

By John Greenfield | Aug 1, 2013 | 27 Comments

Rahm Emanuel celebrated the one-month anniversary of the Divvy bike-share system at a ribbon cutting this morning for a new docking station at Fosco Park Community Center, 1312 South Racine. The mayor announced that with 117 stations scheduled to be online by the end of the day, Divvy will become the fourth-largest public bike system […]

Emanuel: BRT Part of the “Modernization” of Chicago Transit

By John Greenfield | Jul 31, 2013 | 4 Comments

At yesterday’s press conference touting the CTA’s claim of saving $10 million by cracking down on absenteeism, I asked the Mayor Rahm Emanuel why he’s in favor of reconfiguring Ashland Avenue to create “gold-standard” bus rapid transit. I also asked how he plans to overcome the resistance to turning two of the four car lanes […]

Emanuel Touts Cycling’s Potential to Improve the City at Bike to Work Rally

By John Greenfield | Jun 14, 2013 | 16 Comments

The annual Bike to Work Rally serves as a state of the union for Chicago cycling, and this year there’s a lot of news to report, with the impending launch of the Divvy bike-share system, completion of the Milwaukee protected lanes, and financing secured for the Chicago Riverwalk. This was the first time Mayor Rahm […]

Four Reasons Free Parking on Sundays Is Bad for Chicago

By Steven Vance | May 2, 2013 | 19 Comments

On Monday, Mayor Rahm Emanuel outlined some changes he’s proposing to the infamous parking meter deal the City Council approved in 2009 (henceforth to be referred to as “The Parking Meter Deal,” in recognition of its unique awfulness). Unfortunately, Chicago isn’t getting a better deal. In fact, the city’s parking policy is set to get worse. […]

Renegotiated Parking Meter Deal Is a Mixed Blessing

By John Greenfield | Apr 29, 2013 | 26 Comments

Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s announcement today that he has renegotiated the city’s much-hated parking meter contract to save an estimated $1 billion over the next 71 years appears to be a big win for Chicago residents. The introduction of a new pay-by-cell option, albeit with a 35-cent convenience fee, also seems to be a good thing. […]

Chicago to Pursue Center-Running Bus Rapid Transit on Ashland Avenue

By Ben Fried | Apr 19, 2013 | 29 Comments

After a year of study and outreach, today Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the Chicago Transit Authority, and the Chicago Department of Transportation announced plans for center-running Bus Rapid Transit on Ashland Avenue. Once implemented, the project could set a national precedent for high-quality BRT, improving transit speeds as much as 80 percent during rush hour, according […]

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