Tag Archives: Advocacy

Chicago commits to more progress on Vision Zero

Jan 26, 2016 | by Active Trans

Since adopting a Vision Zero goal in 2012 to eliminate all traffic fatalities by 2022, the City of Chicago has taken many steps to make our streets safer and save lives.Unlike peer cities in the U.S. and around the world, this initial progress has been achieved without a multi-year action plan or more dedicated funding for safety improvements in the city budget.Now it appears city leaders may be prepared to take these next critical next steps.On Tuesday, the Vision Zero Network announced that Chicago will participate in the Network’s inaugural Focus Cities Program. Chicago and nine other U.S. cities were selected based on their commitment to Vision Zero and willingness to work together to achieve further progress.Sign our petition to...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, Chicago Central, Chicago North Side, Chicago South Side, Chicago West & Southwest Side, Chicago West Side, Walking, zero vision

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Study finds BRT leads to economic development

Jan 22, 2016 | by Active Trans

Many cities across the United States are adopting bus rapid transit (BRT) as a cost-efficient way to improve their public transportation system.A new study by Arthur C. Nelson from the University of Arizona and published by the National Institute for Transportation Communities (NITC) at Portland State University, found that there are many economic benefits in areas where BRT is implemented.Nelson analyzed real estate trends, commercial rents and the expansion of multi-family homes in cities with high-grade BRT, such as Cleveland, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.The study says from 2000 to 2007, areas located within a half-mile of BRT corridors experienced stimulated office space growth. New multi-family residential development increased and premium rents gained foothold for office spaces within the corridors...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, Walking

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NYC’s Select Bus service leads way to BRT

Jan 4, 2016 | by Active Trans

New York City buses are notoriously slow and some, like the M66 crosstown route in Manhattan, are slower than the average turtle. The NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) are changing this through Select Bus Service, the city’s version of bus rapid transit (BRT). Since 2008, nine routes have been added in all five boroughs and bus speeds increased by 15-23 percent. There are a mixture of BRT features varying upon each Select Bus route, such as camera-enforced visible bus only lanes, minimum bus stop spacing, off-boarding payment kiosks and signal priority. Some Select Bus-only lanes have designated times where cars are prohibited, allowing buses to move quickly in rush hour traffic. Payment kiosks at...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, Planning, Walking

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Chicago’s first BRT to speed up east-west travel in Loop

Dec 14, 2015 | by Active Trans

Service will begin in the Loop Link corridor – Chicago’s first bus rapid transit project – on Sunday, December 20, the City of Chicago announced today. The Loop Link is an exciting improvement for the thousands of Chicagoans who ride the bus, bike and walk across the Loop every day.The addition of dedicated bus lanes rightly gives transit riders priority downtown while freeing up space for protected bike lanes and people walking.We urge the city to continue to improve the corridor by adding more features like prepaid boarding that will further speed up service.In addition to red dedicated bus lanes on Madison St. and Washington Blvd. connecting Ogilvie and Union Stations to Michigan Ave., the project includes eight new downtown bus...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, Chicago Central, Planning, Walking

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CTA plans to remove local bus stops on Ashland, Western

Nov 9, 2015 | by Active Trans

As part of an ongoing effort to speed up bus service on two of most popular bus routes in the city, CTA is preparing to remove some of the least-used stops on the #9 Ashland and #49 Western buses.The agency says 85 percent of all trips in the corridors will be unaffected by stop consolidation, and that the changes will save riders up to 7.5 minutes per trip. (See a map of the stops proposed to bemaintained and discontinued.)If approved by the CTA board, the changes would take effect in late December. Riders are encouraged to provide feedback on the proposal by email at [email protected] or phone at 1-888-YOUR-CTA.Speeding up local service is a worthy goal and the majority of...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, Chicago West & Southwest Side, Planning, Walking

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Bus Rapid Transit can be successful in the USA

Nov 2, 2015 | by Active Trans

Take note, Chicago, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority’s HealthLine is the highest rated BRT line in the United States and a prime example how it can be successful. The HealthLine runs more than 6 miles along Euclid Ave., connecting to other buses and major job centers between downtown and and University Circle. The 24-hour line uses dedicated bus lanes, has its own traffic signals and has a few stations located on road medians. People can easily connect to jobs, schools, hospitals and major cultural institutions. And their average commute times are reduced by 10 minutes. More people are able to explore car-free transportation options.The project made streetscape improvements to sidewalks and crossings and added bike lanes.  Since its inception in 2008, Cleveland...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, Walking

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Kinzie Street protected bike lane will stay!

Sep 2, 2015 | by Active Trans

In a big win for Active Trans members and supporters, Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) officials confirmed the Kinzie Street protected bike lane will remain in place. Earlier this year, 42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly introduced an ordinance that would require CDOT to temporarily remove the lane, which was Chicago's first protected bike lane and one of the most popular bike routes in the country. This much-loved bike route connects the North and West Sides of Chicago to downtown.  Citing concerns about traffic congestion associated with the Wolf Point development, Ald. Reilly proposed installing a new bike lane on Grand Ave. as an alternative to Kinzie. However, that Grand Ave. bike lane never materialized, and it’s clear that people would continue...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, Chicago North Side, Planning, transit, Walking

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Restoring express bus should lead to building BRT on Ashland

Aug 18, 2015 | by Active Trans

On Tuesday CTA announced the restoration of express bus service on Ashland and Western Avenues during peak hours. The CTA ended express bus service on the #9 Ashland and #49 Western routes amid budget cuts in 2010. The #9 Ashland route is the most popular bus route in the system with 10 million boardings annually.Today's announcement is good news for transit riders who are forced to deal with overcrowding and slow, unpredictable trips on two of the most popular bus routes in the system. This decision should be a first step towards CTA building a true bus rapid transit (BRT) corridor on Ashland with dedicated bus lanes, improved stations, and enhanced sidewalks and medians.The CTA’s own analysis from 2013 shows restoring...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, Planning, Walking

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Rapid transit on Ashland is critical to our Transit Future

Aug 5, 2015 | by Active Trans

Everyone who travels around Chicago recognizes Ashland Avenue as one of the most important transportation corridors in the city and can see it’s long overdue for an upgrade.No matter what mode of transportation you’re using, trips are often frustratingly slow and unpredictable, especially during the morning and evening rush.Installing center-running dedicated bus lanes and granting buses traffic signal priority, as the city first proposed in 2013, would speed up many of those trips and offer fast, consistent transit service to more than 10 million riders every year.That’s why the Ashland Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project is one of 10 potential rapid transit expansion projects featured in our Transit Future vision.If you live near Ashland, click here to tell the Cook...

Tags: Advocacy, Chicago North Side, Chicago South Side, Planning, Walking

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Belmont Bypass is about more than just saving time

May 28, 2015 | by Active Trans

Transit systems as large as Chicago’s are complex networks where one seemingly minor issue can cause ripple effects throughout the entire system, slowing trains and frustrating riders all over city.For decades the Clark Junction on the North Side, where the CTA’s Red, Purple and Brown Line trains meet, has been one of those problem spots. Currently, trains on three of the four tracks in the area are forced to stop to allow northbound Brown Line trains to cross.This bottleneck results in 40 percent of weekday trains being delayed by as much as three minutes. The proposed Red-Purple Bypass would eliminate these delays by building a structure allowing Brown Line trains to pass over the top of existing tracks.The immediate time...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, Chicago North Side, transit, Walking

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