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Service
of Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference, Access and Transit Task Force,
Chair James Withrow, and
its website hydepark.org.
"Resources" includes a link index to all our transit and access
pages, as well as links to many transit and related sites.
Transit
and Access Website Homepage, Latest News and Updates
HPKCC
program home. Committees.
About HPKCC.
Accessibility
Hot Topics. Quality
of Life Hot Topics.
Transit
and Access Committee page.
From HPKCC Transit
Task Force. Transit
Task Force updates, reports.
To Parking Improvement District
proposal page.
Al Klinger says Investment in transit,
infrastructure key to building a world class city.
Contact service boards: see in CTA,
Metra, RTA
pages or the Transit Links
pages.
Link index of active transportation pages:
Links/Resources.
Doomsday
2010? We'll see how Feb. 7 2010 cuts play out
U
of C/CTA routes, schedules/routes/changes and about.See UC
Routes page. UC
interface is bus.uchicago.edu.
Gold
Line update State
passes 5-year capital program.
Call for innovative ideas, April 2010
All
routes and their maps: http://www.yourcta.com/maps/bus/bus.html.
Bits:
The city
will start enforcing city stickers inc. permit parking August 1.
August
3 there will be an open house on Go To 2040, the regional plan up for
adoption in October 2010. At CMAP,
GO TO
2040 will guide growth in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry,
and Will Counties for the rest of this century. In addition to land
use and transportation, GO TO 2040 also addresses the full range of
quality-of-life issues, including the natural environment, economic
development, housing, and human services such as education, health
care, and other social services.
Between
June 11 and August 6, 2010, partners, residents, and stakeholders
have an opportunity to provide input on the draft GO TO 2040 comprehensive
regional plan for northeastern Illinois.
To share
GO TO 2040 in more detail with the region's residents, CMAP will host
a series of public meetings and we hope you can join us to learn more
about and provide feedback for the regional plan at the following
informational event near you:
Chicago/Cook County
August 3, 2010 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
CMAP Office Cook County Room 233 S. Wacker Drive,
Suite 800 Chicago,
IL 60606
Each
open house features a short plan overview presentation by CMAP staff,
followed by a question-and-answer period. This is the final public
meeting but if you are unable to join us for this informational meeting,
you may also review the plan and submit comments through August 6,
2010 on the GO TO 2040 website, www.goto2040.org.
We will
also hold smaller briefings for partner organizations. Please contact
me at ealeman@cmap.illinois.gov
or 312-386-8816 for information. After incorporating this final public
input, we will present the GO TO 2040 plan for approval by the CMAP
Board and MPO Policy Committee in October. And then the work of implementing
its recommendations will begin, and the region will be counting on
your continued support and involvement.
Be sure to have
your say before the comment period closes. We look forward to your
involvement. Remember we cannot plan for the future without you!
Best Regards,
Erin Aleman
Senior Planner
July
12 the 53rd TIF supported with $87,000 engineering and design study
to open Harper Ave. to through traffic, and wider impacrt of the same.
Said to be desired in addition to necessity for Harper Court redevelopment.
Shoesmith
School held a test during the remainder of the school year 2010 of limiting
traffic on 5oth St. to school drop off and pick up only for each 15
minute peak periods (morning 8:45-9 am). It worked.
Zipcars
has expanded to 14 cars on campus. Between Zipcars and I-Go, there is
plenty of opportunity from several locations in Hyde Park to have occasional
use of a car. See in ShareCar
page.
Some have
cited evidence that the South Side is being disproportionally hit by
the CTA cuts. Overall, effects have been uneven. There is little likelihood
so far that the unions will make concessions despite lay off of over
1,000. Is a worse crisis coming with non-payment by the state? And the
House voted Thursday to eliminate free bus rides except to truly needy
seniors, but it is unclear that the Senate or Governor will go along.
March
2010 Congress passed the HIRE bill that funds the Surface Transportation
Fund through 2010 and makes it solvent through 2011. So the remaining
58% of allocations can now go forward. The general transportation reauthorization
bill has not yet passed.
Depending
on which way you look at it, seniors lucked out or again fail to pull
their weight as a state Senate committee fails in April 2010 to pass
return of seniors to half fare except those who qualify for circuit
breaker tax relief. Actual seniors appear divided on the issue.
Starting
Sept. 9 09, you can now buy Metra tickets on line with credit cards.
CTA
passes are available at many local stores
Will
there be an effect from 1) the early 2010 resolution introduced in the
State Senate for Metra trains stopping at all stations and creating
some competition and service increase by allowing the South Shore to
pick up any passengers at their Illinois stops or from 2) a lawsuit
in early 2010 alleging funding and service bias against minority communities
throughout the region, including by an alleged unfair share going to
Metra?
Doomsday
is partly averted again in 2010-cuts in frequency may be the big problem.
Meanwhile there is on going conflict with PACE over disabilities service.
Also, Metra
Electric fares are going up.
http://www.transitchicago.com/assets/1/finance_budget/2010budgetbook.pdf
Some
highlights of CTA doomsday from print media: Rides cost $7
and tax take is down %30 percent. Lost to seniors and others free:
$39m.
Fare
hikes: Averted: Fare hikes, fares being frozen for two years under
a bond issue agreement brokered by Gov. Quinn, RTA, andCTA.
Service
cuts: Some are finalized some not.
110
of 150 routes and trains- less frequent service -waiting times
could increase dramatically. Presumably
the strongest impact will be in mid day and later evening.
Certain: Cut in hours on 41 bus routes (morning and
evening, 25 mins. to 3 hours + but here mainly #6, #15, #28 will start
at 4 am (vs 3:30 for 28) and end at 12:30 vs present 1:30/1:45 ).
Certain: Elimination of express service on 9 routes, here
X3, X4, X55.
UC students have
created website
"heat maps" of changes in travel time by neighborhoods and
blocks. Effects seem to be light at rush hour but not so good at night
even with no cuts to "owl" night routes.
HPKCC
supports RTA South Lakefront Corridor Study.
(This
will be undertaken RFP went out summer 2010; whether there will be progress
on Gold Line or other options is a guess. Meanwhile resolutions and
lawsuits seek more access to service along lines in minority communities
or to rebalance the taxing powers and subsidies. )
Sent
October 20, 2009 to RTA Funding Programs Public Comment
The
Hyde Park-Kenwood Communtiy Conference wishes to communicate its support
for RTA's proposed stdy of the South Lakefront Corridor:
Whereas
public transportation is vital to the residents, businesses and
non-profit institutions located in Southeast Chicago, and
Whereas it is important to take advantage of all the existing transit
resources in Southeast Chicago, and
Whereas Southeast Chicago enjoys an unusal, for Chicago, combination
of Metra and CTA transit operations, AND
Whereas the Regional Transit Authority is best-placed to encourage
collaboration among the transit agencies to improve the speed and
reliability of public transportation in our region,
the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conferecne hereby resolves that
the RTA should be encouraged to commit to the South Lakefront Corridor
Transit Study.
Jay
N. Ammerman, President
HPKCC
has requested a community meeting on reopening 57th St. Stony to Lake
Park to 2-way traffic. Such a meeting is being planned.
Conversion of the Lakefront to pay parking progresses.
But Ald. Hairston made a deal to use ald. menu money to keep 100 spots
free at 63rd St. beach. Lots of people are upset with this and the parking
machines and charge increases in general. Seelmeetign April 15, 2010.
U of C has returned route 171 to its original
route in East Hyde Park thus again limniting its interace for people
wanting to go to 53rd St. business district but increasing daytime frequency
even though all the public routes now end at 6 pm. The new route #200
southwest into Woodlawn is private, not CTA. 173 to north side and 174
to rapid transit are gone, replaced by a student shuttle to Roosevelt
Rd.
The
watchword now is "Complete Streets." Any changes and
planning must now take into account everything from property line to
property line including walks, striping, signage, proper accommodation
for all modes and needs of less-abled and elderly.
Stimulus funds will help CTA with new buses,
the Blue Line, maybe more. Some is surely for Metra.
Call
for projects that enhance... April
2010
Dear Partner For
Transit, from Moving Beyond Congestion. April 7, 2010.
We are soliciting prospective projects for our Funding Programs Call
for Projects which will begin today, April 7, 2010. These programs provide
financial support for planning, operating, and capital transit projects.
The Call for Projects will allow potential applicants an opportunity
to pitch project ideas that are innovative and will increase transit
usage, improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the region's current
transit system, provide for better mobility for seniors and people with
disabilities, or improve job access.
Prospective projects should be located within the six-county RTA service
region which consists of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will
counties. Last year, the RTA allocated more than $11 million in federal,
state and local funding to support innovative projects that offered
a plethora of transit options to applicants through transit-oriented
development and local transit improvement plans, introduction of services
and capital improvements.
Visit the RTA Funding Programs webpage at www.rtachicago.com/programs
for general background information and to download an application.
ABOUT THE PROGRAMS
All projects funded through the following programs are consistent with
the legislative mandates and the RTA's updated strategic plan. The programs
range from planning studies and initiatives to transit operating and
capital projects.
Community Planning Program
The Community Planning Program is available to municipalities to create
plans for local station area/transit-oriented development (TOD), local
transit improvement, TOD guidelines, local coordinated paratransit plans
and detailed implementation studies. More information regarding the
Community Planning Program can be found at www.rtachicago.com/cp
Subregional Planning Program
The Subregional Planning Program is available to counties, townships,
councils of Mayors, the City of Chicago, and the CTA, Metra, and Pace.
Eligible planning projects include Subregional and market focused plans
such as transit service restructuring studies or efforts focused on
developing specific market opportunities; countywide or Subregional
transit improvement studies, transit-oriented development studies and
paratransit studies. More information regarding the Subregional Planning
Program can be found at www.rtachicago.com/srp
Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC) / New Freedom (NF) Program
The JARC/NF program is available to local governments, transportation
agencies, and the CTA, Metra and Pace for operating and capital projects
derived from the RTA Coordinated Public Transit Human Services Transportation
Plan (HSTP) that enhance mobility for seniors, people with disabilities,
and low income populations, address reverse commute markets and/or provide
access to jobs. More information regarding the JARC/NF Program can be
found at www.rtachicago.com/jarcnf
Innovation, Coordination and Enhancement (ICE) Program
The ICE Program is a competitive funding program, established as part
of the 2008 Mass Transit Reform Legislation. The program provides operating
and capital assistance to enhance the coordination and integration of
public transportation and to develop and implement innovations to improve
the quality and delivery of public transportation. Projects funded through
this program advance the vision and goals of the RTA Strategic Plan
by providing reliable and convenient transit services and enhancing
efficiencies through effective management, innovation and technology.
More information regarding the ICE Program can be found at www.rtachicago.com/ice.
___________
April
2, 2009. A down payment on a state capital plan for transportation uses
state funds to leverage federal stimulus funds- total $3 billion. Gov.
Quinn has signed it. It
includes $490 for transit and a sizeable amount to the city for streets
and potholes. Known local projects so far include Lake Park Avenue.
The
capital package includes a mix of state funds and federal stimulus dollars
received under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of
2009 to provide for a new multi-year capital program for roads, bridges
and mass transit. The $3 billion state portion of the capital program
is made possible by bonding $200 million in Road Fund dollars and another
$100 million from the General Revenue Fund. RTA (Moving Beyond Congestion)
says.
July
2009: It is unclear how much of the 5-year 31 billion state capital
budget passed in July 2009 will go the CTA and the other agencies- much
will go to start up high speed rail. $18 billion is for transportation,
leveraging about $4 billion in federal funds and are partially covered
by transportation user fees. The ratio for transit is improved to 1
in 4 dollars. The downside according to Metropolitan Planning Council,
is that money allocated by the new capital plan is not coupled with
spending reforms to evaluate the merits of projects against state goals.
HB2359 - now HB4590 - outlines a process by which transportation projects
should be selected and evaluated. The bill should have been passed in
tandem with the Illinois Jobs Now program. Because it was never called
for a House vote, lawmakers did not have the opportunity to approve
these critical reforms that would change the way we spend limited capital
dollars. Another question is how much is "shovel-ready."
Moving
Beyond Congestion says, Northeastern Illinois' transit agencies will
receive $2.7 billion in funding through a combination of investments
approved in early April and the just-signed capital plan. The regional
transit system needs to replace outdated vehicles and equipment, deteriorating
rail ties and tracks and aging stations, resulting in slow zones and
less reliable service.
The service boards have already announced plans for the state
capital and federal stimulus funds they have received this year. Investments
will include rehabilitating and purchasing new train cars and locomotives,
new buses and paratransit vehicles, remodeling and expanding stations,
parking lots and other facilities. Additional infrastructure such as
communications, signals and electronic systems will also be upgraded.
Riders should see improvements in service in the near term and throughout
the five-year program. We will follow up to send details about the funded
projects.
The state capital funds will help address critical maintenance needs
and move the system toward a state of good repair, but additional capital
dollars will be needed to expand the system and add new services to
meet growing demand for public transit. Also at the federal level, the
RTA is working with the service boards and the Illinois Congressional
delegation to dedicate funding for northeastern Illinois transit in
the surface transportation bill that is being developed in Congress.
For a full summary of the Illinois Jobs Now! plan, visit http://www.illinois.gov/publicincludes/statehome/gov/documents/Illinois%20Jobs%20Now%20Press%20Packet%202.pdf
The
latest revival of the Gray Line Lite concept (now Gold Line)
was cast in Olympics context, by the 5th Ward Olympics Task Force and
by a wider Southsiders Organizing for Unity and Liberation, became part
of a newly launched umbrella Communities for Equitable Olympics. The
plan includes 10 minute service, Visit http://alwaysintransit.typepad.com/hyde_park_urbanist/2008/08/gray-line-lite.html.
Chamber, HPKCC sign on. Kudos to James Withrow
and Linda Thisted. (Description of similar concepts started by Mike
Payne are in our Gray Line
page.) Note: These
kinds of transportation improvements, which involve getting agencies
to work together and find areas where priorities can converge are always
next to impossible.
Here
is an update drawn from the July 7 2009 Red Eye:
...a
coalition of South Side activists also would like to commute for
the Gold. Underserved by rapid transit, residents there would benefit
from a proposed "gold Line," an innovative hybrid of both
Metra and the CTA, according to Southsiders Organized for Unity
and Liberation, or SOUL. With the city bidding or the 2016 Games,
the line also would serve key Olympic venues, say SOUL members,
who represent more than 20 churches and community organizations.
"The project would help support the needs of thousands of people
on the South Side," said Dhyia Thompson, co-chair of the group's
Gold Line Task Force. Although the Olympics served as inspiration,
the real goal is better access to jobs -- especially downtown and
in the suburbs -- as well as improve transportation options, supporters
say. Parts of the South Side, particularly neighborhoods close to
the lakefront and south of Jackson Park are among the city's most
populated and the most in need of additional rapid transit, SOUL
believes.
Under
the group's Gold Line plan, more frequent trains would be provided
on the Metra Electric District Line [South Chicago Branch}. The
plan also calls for allowing transfers between Metra trains and
CTA buses and adding a new station at 35th street. The proposal
faces a number of obstacles. These include securing funding, overcoming
a historic lack of cooperation between Metra and the CTA and even
proving the line is needed.
SOUL
estimates that implementing the Gold Line would cost $159 million
[far less than the other new lines described later here and with
a larger pool of riders]. this would pay for adding 26 Electric
District Highliner cars for $91 million a well a for new tracks,
station upgrades and fare equipment [all arguably desirable anyway].
But funding for big ticket mass transit projects is already scarce
to non-existent, experts say. the Regional Transportation Authority
has lobbied vigorously for a $10 billion, five-year capital plan
to maintain and expand transit systems, but the legislature this
spring came up with a "status quo" $2.7 billion capital
package.
But
the bulk of the money for the Gold Line or any other major capital
project would have to come from the federal government. Metra and
th CTA already have projects in the planning stages that those agencies
say would help the underserved Southeast Side and south suburbs
and would bolster public transportation for the Olympic venues.
One
project, Metra's proposed SouthEast Service Line, would extend commuter
rail service through the city on existing Union Pacific/CSX railroad
tracks to 20 suburbs in South Cook and Will counties. A preliminary
estimate puts the line's cost at more than $524 million, but the
figure is likely to be much higher. Meanwhile, the CTA is looking
at an extension of the Red Line that would connect the current terminus
at 95th Street with 130th Street. Estimates for that project rang
from $210 million to $1.1 billion, depending on the specific route.
Gold
Line supporters say a key component of their plan calls for permitting
transfers between Metra and the CTA. "It you put both Metra
and the CTA to work, the problem is that there's no transferability,"
Thompson said. While the two agencies operate independently, the
RTA has been working to implement a universal fare card that it
hoed to start testing next year.
The
Gold lIne, is similar to a Gray Line proposal, which transit advocate
Mike Payne created and has promoted for years. The concept received
little traction from the CTA an Metra. The Chicago Metropolitan
Agency for Planning has included it on a list of long-range planning
projects, but the Gray Line isn't considered a high priority, a
spokesmen said. SOUL has lined up support from community organizations,
several aldermen and state legislators. Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.)
has agreed to seek $995,000 in federal money to fund a Gold Line
study.
Members
of SOUL have met with transit agencies and the Chicago Department
of Transportation. The RTA urged the group later this year to apply
for funding to evaluate the need for the project, said RTA Executive
Director Steve Schlickman. "We wil look at hat teh SOUL people
are advocating and assess the value of all the options and see what
makes sense," Schlickman said. But the Gold LIne will have
to compete with other projects for money, he said. SOUL has also
pitched the plan with Chicago's Olympics organizing committee. "We
got involved originally because we were looking for a transportation
idea around the Olympics," said Linda Thisted, chair of the
SOUL task force. "We wondered what could benefit the South
Side long-term and teh Olympics."
Even
without the Olympics, SOUL believes the Gold LIne would be worthwhile,
Thisted said, adding the group is prepared for the long haul. "We're
just kind of plugging along," she said. "Nothing in transit
goes very fast. These things can take years."
The
article also compared getting to the proposed Lincoln Park Tennis
Center and to the Aquatics Center in Washington Park. From an L
line the former is a 15 minute walk, the latter a 10 minute walk.
The former has several buses lines nearby, but mostly north-south,
while the latter connects via fewer lines but equally on n-s and
e-w axes (note that the 174 is gone).
SOUL,
Communities for Equitable Olympics, legislators and aldermen along
the line have joined forces to 1) seek a full costing out study
2) include the project in an Olympics Benefit Agreement. Main components
are frequent service (will cost more rail cars), inter transfer,
and a new station in Bronzeville at 35th.
SOUL
defends Gold Line in June 17 Tribune
Your
story, "Olympian effort by lobbyists," (June 7, Chicagoland)
refers to the Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation Gold
Line transit project as a "pork barrel spending project that
has little or nothing to do with the city's bid." The Gold
Line will improve transit on the South Side by providing more
frequent trains on the Metra Electric line, allowing transfers
with CTA buses and trains, and building a new station at 35th
Street. This line will serve many of the proposed venues, including
Soldier Field, McCormick Place, Jackson Park, Northerly Island
and the Olympic Village. These venues have a combined seating
capacity of 140,000, so more frequent train service along the
Metra Electric line will help the city transport people to and
from the games and will enable South Side workers to access the
jobs that wil be created in building Olympic facilities in those
locations.
With
South Side residents having the longest commute times in the Chicago
area, the Gold Line is an important priority for the South Side
regardless of whether Chicago is awarded the 2016 Olympics.
Ben
Booker Vance, president, Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation;
pastor, St. Stephen's Lutheran Church, Chicago
http://alwaysintransit.typepad.com/hyde_park_urbanist/2008/11/gray-gold.html
http://alwaysintransit.typepad.com/hyde_park_urbanist/2008/08/gray-line-lite.html.
April
7, 2009. Gold Line dropped from CBA but still backed by Chicago Maroon-
asks UC admin to push.
For
the last few days, representatives of the International Olympic
Committee (IOC) have been wined and dined as city officials shuttled
them between sites of proposed Olympic venues. IOC members have
seen a host of glitzy proposals for multi-million dollar projects
and infrastructural improvements. What they haven't seen is anything
resembling a strategy for revamping the city's transportation system.
Instead, the bid relies on the existing train network along with
temporary shuttle services, but pointedly offers nothing in the
way of long-term improvements.
For
Hyde Parkers, this represents a wasted opportunity. The proposed
"Gold Lien" -- an El route that would take the place of
the South Shore [South Chicago] Metra Line in East Hyde Park --
would be a boon for the neighborhood. The line, which would run
every 10 minutes and allow 25-cent transfers to other CTA buses
and trains, has been pushed with an eye toward the Olympics (hence
the name). The idea behind this initiative is that the Games would
increase congestion and a new El line would be necessary to serve
the massive influx of people. Most appealing to Hyde Parkers is
that long after the Olympic torch is snuffed, the Gold Line will
still be here.
the
Gold Line is a good fit for Hyde Park whether or not Chicago gets
the bid, but the Olympics present the best chance to push it through.
An El stop, particularly in conjunction with Olympic-sized crowds
-- an, in an ideal world, a new hotel -- would spur development
in the neighborhood. Hyde Park would become a more attractive destination
for retailers and restaurateurs, and a more convenient one for tourists.
For students, meanwhile, freezing late-night waits for the 55 at
Garfield would become a thing of the past. If the Gold Line materialized,
Hyde Park would undoubtedly be a more appealing place to live. On
a broader scale, new transit options would also be environmentally
friendly, giving Hyde Parkers adn outsiders an incentive to leave
their cars at home.
The
U of C exerts considerable influence as one of the South Side's
major institutions, and with its purchase of properties in Washington
Park and with President Zimmer's seat on the 20156 Exploratory Committee,
the University has been actively nvolved in the bid. Going forward,t
eh U of C should take full advantage of its clout to push for new
transit options for Hyde Park.
The
Olympics wouldn't be a panacea for all of Chicago's problem. But
it inarguably presents a unique opportunity for massive infrastructural
improvements. The U of C and the city should not trip over the finish
line when it comes to public transit.
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