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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.
All
routes and their maps: http://www.yourcta.com/maps/bus/bus.html.
Bits:
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.
HPKCC
supports RTA South Lakefront Corridor Study.
(This
will be undertaken; 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.
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.
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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