.
	News about CTA Doomsday partly averted for 2010. Alert (in pdf.) Link to CTA info. Changes in UC subsidized routes. Gold line relationship CTA and Metra Electric gains support of officials and in CMAP, Chicago 2016-- but dropped from Benefits Agreement HPKCC funds day passes for teen transit/city learning program at Neighborhood Club Fare increases Jan. 09 *****Gathering storm for early 2010- the cuts- and mapping effects New kind of credit card debit boarding planned What faces new president Ron Huberman that can effect our area's well being, ability to host Olympics without meltdown. Doomsday short- State capital 5-year program CTA directions, meetings, news, alerts. March 14 207public hearing on CTA-UC community routes at 979 E. 60th. How to go with hybrids, energy-efficient buses. Transit Justice Coalition holding meetings on slow zones, Pink Line problems Will bus tracker help some of the flow problems? And what about meltdown infrastructure? CTA route changes, new buses, including with University of Chicago Bunching was back, CTA, ward offices worked to stop it CTA Meetings, contacts. Conditions of testifying at CTA Board, hearings/comment opps.- New and old CTA amenities- One way to deal with Olympics said to be version of Gray Line conversion- see Gray Line page. All site pages on CTA. outside this page: - All Transit pages linked from Resources -CTA map of Hyde Park and near South Side routes including hours of service -U of C CTA and evening routes and maps including new #192 to downtown stations CTA is located at 567 W. Lake St. incl. customer service. 1-888 YOUR-CTA (968-7282), TTy 1 888 CTA-TTY1 (282-8891. http://www.transitchicago.com) The revamped website is designed to make it easier to find customer help, with a search engine, quick links including Bus Tracker, schedules, routes, trip planners, construction alerts. Coming or in place: sign up for customizable email and text message alerts. President ___ Rodriguez, Board Pres. ? Generally 2nd Wednesdays at 567 W. Lake. CTA board meeting. April 7. For more information, please visit www.transitchicago.com/about/transit_board_meetings/default.aspx. Link to emergency and diversion-from-route information at the website. Coming early next year sign up for CTA email alert. Learn about emergency evacuation procedures at chicagotribune.com/ctatraining, www.metrarail.com, www.pacebus/com. Bus Tracker can save you time. (Not yet tracking all routes, but now most in HP incl. 171 and 172.) http://www.bustracker.com. UC Office of Transportation and Parking-- interim head is Rodney Morris, formerly of the Medical XCenter transportation and reporting to Marlon Lynch. Many students remain dissatisfied with recent changes and residents with loss of even early evening UC-CTA service. CTA is putting on a full-press for safety especially for women. A big doomsday looms for the start of 2010. Hearings. More coming. Meanwhile, Doomsday is partly averted again in 2010. http://www.transitchicago.com/assets/1/finance_budget/2010budgetbook.pdf 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. Some highlights of CTA doomsday from print media: Deficit still $180m. Rides cost $7 and tax take is down %30 percent. Lost to seniors and others free: $30m. 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. There may be adjustments to this but some reduction is likely. 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 at 12:30 vs present 1:30/1:45 ). Certain: Elimination of express service on 9 routes, here X3, X4, X55. January 21, 2010 Red Eye facts and comments on coming CTA cuts Routes with service reductions. All rail lines except Yellow Routes in the area with reduction in start and end times as well as less frequent service: 6, 15, 28 (system total 41) Eliminations: X3, X4, X55 (system total 9) Longer waits on 119 routes and the trains except Yellow: 287 of c.2000 buses taken out of service (effect might depend mainly on time of day or whether there are too few vehicles on the route at rush hour). OWL night service will not be reduced. Administration including Jacky Grimshaw and unions point blame at each other, one saying the unions have not contributed while non union take many furlough days and have had no raises in 4 years, the other side saying they took a pension and health care giveback recently and there’s still a lot of administrative bloat. The most recent proposal, for the union to forego its 3.4 raise (cost $20m), was rejected. Also pointed out is the huge number of free rides (not just for seniors) that together amount to $39 million and have increased by 16.8 million rides in the 11 months since the free ride program went into effect. Layoffs plus cuts are projected to save $95 million in a $300m shortfall, and unpaid days for nonunion another $32m, deferred capital spending another $90m. The cancelled fare hikes would have brought in maybe $83m—instead the RTA will CTA float bonds and the state cover part of the service on the bonds. What would be CTA priorities to restore if money appeared? First the start and end times on the 41 routes Next the nine express routes (ed.- This implies that they think the c15% reduction in buses and trains can be managed by them and the public or they can manage/ignore any outcry). So, how bad is it? UC students have created website "heat maps" of changes in travel time by neighborhoods and blocks. Effects seem light on rush hour, but things are not so good at night. UC subsidized CTA Changes under way 2009- and changed more in 2010 It's definite- #173 downtown-Lakeview and #174 Green and Red Lines were eliminated and not reconfigured. The University had justified them as necessary to student and staff safety and convenience. Also, #171 was changed- and back to original route. Both 171 and 172 had their hours trimmed to end at 6 pm, service frequency was restored midday. And a new route will be tried, but private, not CTA, for the south and west sector: 55th, Ellis, looping at 61st or to the Cottage 63rd Green Line, east on to hit approx. Woodlawn and 63rdd, north to 60th, east then north on Woodlawn to 55th. 5th Ward Alderman Leslie Hairston has criticized lack of notification to her office and of public meetings. Capital The city will spend part of its Stimulus money for 58 hybrid buses, Blue Line upgrades (mainly ballast in the subway, and station upgrades. Due to weather damage to ballast, slow zone trackage on all rail lines had increased from 5 to 13 percent. 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." One question is whether legislators will succeed in rolling back the seniors free provision to a needs-based basis. Gov. Quinn opposes. It costs 50 million plus in tough times for transit agencies. Also, whether transit wil be in a capital plan. So far it has n ot happened. HPKCC Transit Task Force Chairman's transit blog service including commentary on the CTA bailout, next steps, fare hikes, move of route #15 back to Lake Park, parking. New UC/CTA routes and their maps: http://www.yourcta.com/maps/bus/bus.html The University discussed and is seems to be considering or planning changes with bus routes (more info needed). CTA board meets 2nd Wednesdays at 10 am. 547 W. Lake, 2nd Floor. You must contact them in advance if you wish to speak.
More information concerning the Gold Line transit proposal, (Metra So Chic. Electr. upgrade-CTA lease-el-like frequency-univ. card- added Bronzeville station) including an explanation of the name change, can be found here: http://alwaysintransit.typepad.com/hyde_park_urbanist/2008/11/gray-gold.html Additionally, SOUL, with HPKCC and CECD reps, met with staff from the offices of Ald. Hairston (who hosted the meeting), Sen. Durbin, Rep. Jackson, Majority Leader Currie, state Senator Raoul, Ald. Preckwinkle and the Chicago Dep't of Transportation. Like most of our meetings with politicians on this effort, this meeting was very positive and we got commitments to go forward from all involved. Holdup was Metra, which prevailed. The proposal was dropped or swapped in the final benefits agreement. April 2009 HPKCC funded day transit passes for participants in the 2009 Teen Summer Program at Hyde Park Neighborhood Club. This program teaches teens how to use and trip-plan on CTA (encouraging an early buy-into- using transit) and brings them to many diverse parts of Chicago. Read page about. NOV. 13 2008 THE BOARD VOTED A FARE INCREASE FOR JANUARY 2009.(There are also 632 layoffs.) Here are the changes for January 2009: Bus up $.25- card and Chicago Card $1.75 (seniors free), cash up .25- $2.25 Rail all $2.25 and no cash option; no bargain for cards. Up $.25 to $.50. Transit card goes from $1.75 to $2.25, Chicago Card goes from $1.75 to $2.25. All transfers stay $.25. Passes go up 15% vs proposed 20%. 1-day pass goes up .75 to $5.75; 2-day eliminated, 3-day goes from $12 to $14; 5-day eliminated; $7-day goes from $20 to $23, 30-day goes from $75 to $86. Ridership is up and fuel down, advert. rev. should go up and the Governor has reinstated $32 m in reduced-fare subsidies, but sales and real estate transfers are really down and maintenance needs up. IT WAS 'NO DOOMSDAY' FOR CTA/RTA/Metra AND SENIORS RIDE FOR FREE now thanks to General Assembly's early 2008 agreement. The law includes 530 million in property and sales tax increases. Fiscal responsibility, more CTA oversight were included. Seniors with the right cards can ride fee later this year; disabled penalized. There was a separate 10% Metra increase in February 2008. Transit home. Can CTA stay in good shape and take advantage of fuel-cost driven new customers and not wear out? How many will put up with standees only L cars? And what will the effect be of rising fuel costs? The CTA gambled on rising fuel costs and locked in a high rate-- actual prices went down. A big deficit will have to be addressed at the April 2 2009 board meeting. At the March meeting an 11-point program was introduced by staff of internal cuts to reduce the shortfall by 80 million, but that leaves 75 million. How much sales taxes will be down for 2008 and in 2009 projections should be released by the end of March. CTA is now extending free fare rates for military personnel and disabled as well as seniors. The Gov. has agreed to rescind his veto of $32 million in subsidized rides reimbursement. And the other shoe...Many billions of dollars behind in capital needs. Daley's major step: Daley announces $227 million start on repairs, upgrade in February 2008- demands results by fall 2009, and a state Capital Plan. From Chicago Tribune Red Eye article, February 15, 2008 Mayor Daley issued a challenge Thursday to the CTA: on-time buses, cleaner and quieter trains, attractive shops in rail stations, and fare machines that accept credit cards. Daley demanded that he start seeing quick results as he announced $227 million project to improve the safety, reliability and comfort of CTA trains and buses. Although the mayor didn't mention Chicago's Summer Olympic bid, most of the improvements would be completed before October 2009 when the International Olympic Committee is set to name the host city for the 2006 games. The planned new CTA investment focuses on its most pressing problems, as well as on introducing amenities that would benefit everyday customers as well as visitors from abroad. The top priorities include eliminating "slow zones" on the rail system, overhauling outdated bus and train fleets to reduce equipment breakdown, installing more security cameras and using global-positioning system technology to inform readers about delays. CTA officials did not consult with the RTA before releasing the latest blueprint for improvements Thursday. The RTA essentially has veto authority over individual transit projects under newly passed state legislation. But RTA officials say they appreciate the mayor's involvement and understand his motivation. "It's going to take a while to turn around the deterioration that has occurred at the CTA," said RTA Executive Director Steve Schlickman. Daley on Thursday called on the CTA to redouble its commitment to operate a quality system and not relax in the wake of recent passage of new state funding for transit operations. The immediate goal is "improving the customer experience," said Daley at CTA headquarters. "Ours is a 1920s system. It's costly and inefficient." Rehabbing the emergency exits in the Red Line and Blue Line subway and installing new larger canopies on elevated train platforms, both by December, are among the goals City Hall set for the CTA. Without a state capital spending budget to help pay for infrastructure, CTA officials said they have no choice except to issue bonds to finance th $227 million project in part. They hope the bonds would be paid off with anticipated future federal transit funding. But a state capital program must be approved no later than early 2009 to safeguard tens of millings of dollars in federal funds earmarked for the CTA, Metra and Pace. That would require the legislature and Gov. Blagojevich to set aside their differences over how to pay for structural improvements statewide. "The state needs to act," Daley said. By 2010 a system may be in effect on CTA where your credit cards will have a chip allowing them to be read and automatically be debited by CTA readers instantaneously- just tap the reader at turnstyle or on bus. CTA will enter into deals with credit card companies and will be able to reduce use of its own cards, which is very expensive and time consuming for them under the present vendor. This has been very successful in Europe and Asia and is part of the move to one or just a few cards vs having a card for every store etc. Deals will probably emerge as with cards and banks-- sign up with us and get week of free transit or an ongoing discount, or..... CTA will put the system out for bid in early 2009. A question is what that will do to hopes for intermodality/universal cards, as for a Metra Electric South Chicago "Gold Line" (already is with PACE), since Metra is not moving in either direction, at least at present. Ways to pay now: CTA Chicago Card. Value added at vending machines (few outside CTA system) CTA Chicago Card Plus. As above but can have value replenished automatically from your bank or credit card CTA magnetic strip transit cards, passes. Buy at Jewel, Dominick's and some other locations (like phone cards) Cash--buses only! Hurdles face Ron Huberman's replacement . Resolution of funding, other woes will affect area progress, ability to cope with Olympics. Doomsday is back on the table but less than feared. MHNDASH/1352719301   _______________________ Frank Kruesi's departure as president of CTA, anticipated by many, may or may not remove a perceived lightning rod but leaves many headaches for his successor, Ron Huberman, until now Mayor Daley's Chief of Staff. Kruesi, a transportation professional as well as politician, brought many innovations and a hard headed approach among positives. How will Mr. Huberman will funding and funding changes from the legislature, gain more collaboration with the suburbs and downstate (perhaps in exchange for more accountability and transparency), and refocus on the nuts and bolts needed now and for the South Side future with or without the Olympics? Right now, CTA alone faces c $5.8 billion in capital needs, an operating budget c$110 million in th red, and for a new funding level if even current needs and service are to be maintained, according to RTA. Huberman, 35, promises both belt tightening and "new and innovative ways to deliver service more efficiently. Everything is on the table. Several administrative positions involving $22 million was cut by Mr. Huberman. CTA did very belatedly reach a tentative agreement with their unions ( 3 percent or more for 5 years but heavy give back on health and pension) once it was clear they have to prove to the state that they are being fiscally responsible. The pact depends on their getting not $130 million but $200 million from Springfield (which is again passing a continuing resolution on the budget for one month.) Doomsday was averted for CTA, Metra and PACE. But fares may still have to rise due to fuel costs and early 2008 agreement to give seniors free rides. CTA directions, news, meetings RTA has formed "Transit Partners" for it's new "Moving Beyond Congestion" program, the public is invited. But just as the RTA, CTA et al went to the legislature for a basic $10 billion to prevent system degradation 1) a state audit greatly faulted the services on efficiency, leadership, and priorities and 2) the governor decided he wants to fix health, education and pensions first while the city has to gather funds as a last resort backing for the Olympics (which may or may not bring upgrades to transit). CTA train ridership was up dramatically in 2005, but bus usage slipped some for a net gain. The latter is disturbing and reasons should be surveyed and shared with communities. Also, with train use sure to be disrupted by Brown Line reconstruction, the CTA's funding woes are sure to be compounded. Slowdowns on trains continue to increase due to inability to keep up with repair needs and flat funding. Yet watchdogs, including a state audit, point to absenteeism, high salaries, bloated bureaucracy, inefficiencies including in procurement, poor priorities including on expansion and getting the last federal dollar and other problems as compounding the woes. And there have been a series of entrapment in the tunnels, on the els et al--with little improvement of communications during emergencies. In December 2006 CTA extended for another 6 months the trial period for Pink Line, Blue Line cuts , etc. There are coalitions(Citizens for Transit Justice) fighting to go back to the old way. They have a petition drive. These changes affect many in our area, including those needing to access the west side medical center, juvenile justice, an UIC--so tell CTA your take and suggestions. Service starts earlier and ends latter on area routes on weekends, especially #14 and 6, with shortened time between buses. The class action suit on lack of availability of the new transit cards in early 2006 has been settled without prejudice. Riders with claims must bring documentation of extra money spent and efforts to buy the cards to Edelman, Combs, Latturner & Goodwin LLC 120 S. LaSalle St. Suite #1800, Chicago, IL 60603. For more info visit transitchicago.com. If you note changes (+ or -) in bunching etc. please send comments to hpkcc@aol.com and we will forward, also to Sue Purrington of the 5th Ward Office- spurrington@cityofchicago.org. CTA has put more buses on the #6 and #26 routes and the #6 now starts earlier, at 4:45 am on Saturday. The #15 generally starts at 3:45 am according to Ald. Hairston. Alert on the CTA rapid transit lines. The Sun-Times said in mid-September that there is an unprecedented number of slow zones on all el lines. CTA has purchased 200 more low-emision busses for $74.4 million to replace aging buses. 276 of these New Flyer low buses are already in service and are said to give 60 percent fewer emissions. And they have the back door that you touch (not always successfully) to have open. But some neighbors complain about buses continually parked and running in the neighborhood. There is a dilemma as to whether and what kind of hybrid to use. CTA is said to now be looking at a new kind used in Cleveland. Complete Street: The regional planning agency's Soles and Spokes division sent out notice of the following City of Chicago notification of policy on total accommodation on the public way: The City of Chicago released a landmark Complete Streets Policy Oct. 10, mandating for the first time that all transportation users must be accommodated in all transportation projects. According to a multi-agency document issued by the city, the policy is expected to be implemented in a variety of ways advocated by Chicagoland Bicycle Federation and its Healthy Streets Campaign. The policy calls for pedestrian improvements like bulb-out curb extensions for crosswalks, countdown crossing signals, median refuges, and re-timing signals to minimize pedestrian delay and conflicts. To read more, visit www.biketraffic.org/content.php?id=1024_0_16_0_C. Think ChicagoCard and ChicagoCard Plus. Visit ChicagoCard page. CTA has averted a strike in 2006 -or rather had it averted by an arbitrator who will rule in summer what will replace the spit-shift rostering method of route staffing. Meanwhile pension costs continue to mount. CTA insists the whole transit pot in the region needs to be increased. CTA is adding more articulated buses on the lakefront express routes affected by Dan Ryan closures and now provides #192 service downtown from the U of C Hospitals Goldblatt entrance. For other changes being considered see UC/CTA Routes page. Visit Farehike home and CTA Funding. CTA found it necessary in January 2006 to institute a quarter fare hike and loss of transfers to those using cash rather than cards and virtually double fares for supposedly-subsidized paratransit. U of C let out its Hospitals-downtown train station shuttle to CTA in February 2006. It is now route #192, rush hour one way from and to Goldblatt entrance, 860 E. 59th St. Now a #174 to 55th Green nd Red Line stations to start fall 2006 as 5 year contract is renewed. Details about these and other changes in the UC Routes page. CTA had cut planned purchase of buses, rail car overhauls and train signal improvements. Nevertheless, more buses and rail cars are being purchased and coming on line. Backlog and future capital need is estimated at 8 billion. CTA is getting new satellite guidance for its bus fleet. Many buses are now set up for alternative fuels. CTA reports ridership up more much in 2005 and 2006. Congress did increase aid in 2005 for Illinois Mass Transit by 28% (vs national average 45%) but the lack of significant increase for Illinois combined with the end of IllinoisFIRST funds ($260m a year) means a drop in RTA capital allotment this year from $900m to under $500m. If RTA can't scrape together another $125m match to garner a federal $500m, the capital allotment will fall under $100m in 2006. Top Transit Justice Coalition holds meetings on train slow zones, Pink Line problems, lack of maintenance crews. The Little Village Environmental Justice Organization has been surveying riders about slowdowns on the Cermak/Douglas Pink and Blue Lines since the beginning of summer. Our latest survey shows that since the Pink Line began, 46% of trips were reported to be longer by an average of 20 minutes. 13% of riders reported their trips take the same amount of time. 33% reported a shorter trip. 8% of the trips were made by undecided riders. Over 70% of people surveyed want the 54/Cermak Blue Line back without a cut in frequency. Now the CTA has revealed that in addition to the lack of Blue Line trains connecting Cermak to O'Hare, in addition to the slowdowns caused by extra Pink Line trains on the Loop, nearly every rail line on the system is experiencing slow zones due to construction, train traffic, and poorly maintained track. In fact, 18% of the linear track (almost 1 in 5 sections) is under slow zones and there is no way to get it all moving again before the end of the year. Why? Instead of doing necessary maintenance on existing track, the CTA is diverting operating funds to questionable projects like the Pink Line. (see below for links to news articles on this) With CTA budget hearings around the corner, we may again be facing Doomsday service cuts and fare hikes. This is NOT AN OPTION for Chicago's workers, students, and families. We need to keep EVERYONE in this city moving. We invite all CTA riders and community groups to the first Transit Justice Coalition meeting, if you feel you have a complaint with the CTA, want to get back the Cermak/Douglas Blue Line and/or have an idea about cheaper, safer, more efficient public transit for all. Earlier in 2006, CTA President Frank Kruesi justified the $38 million of taxpayer money spent so far on the Pink Line by claiming it would save riders 5, 10, or even 15 minutes. According to the new survey, the average CTA trip is about four and a half minutes longer since the Pink Line began, but those with longer rides have felt the change much more sharply. Now slow downs are paralyzing the entire city, and things are only likely to get worse as winter weather approaches! If the CTA rearranged spending priorities, they could keep the existing train system running. For example, with the $5 million spent on Pink Line operations, the CTA could hire 3 additional 18 person crews to work on eliminating the system wide slow zones. We thank all of you who took the time to complete our survey. Now we need to get the word out to the media. It’s time the CTA Board and President Frank Kruesi act like they care by giving us, their clients, what we want - regardless of our race, income, national origin, or the neighborhood we come from. We need to restore the 54/Cermak Blue Line to pre-June 25 service levels during all hours of the day, and cut back the Pink Line to relieve potentially dangerous train congestion from the Loop. Bus Tracker- will it help flow, customer use? What about preventing the breakdowns, esp. underground and on els, communications during emergencies, the pessimistic agency projections on systems upgrades? Bus Tracker program clocks Hyde Park buses. Chicago Maroon, May 20, 2008. By Christina Schwartz Hyde Parkers can now wait for the bus from the comfort of their homes. The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) yesterday expanded its satellite Bus Tracker service to include 18 additional routes, bringing the total routes covered to 32. This number includes four routes that make stops in Hyde Park: the #55 Garfield, #55X Garfield Express, #59 59th/61st Streets, and #63 63rd Street routes. Bus Tracker makes use of a satellite GPS to locate buses, then calculates traffic flow and other factors to determine the estimated time between stops. Using the feature, CTA riders can view projected arrival times at bus stops from a computer, cell phone, or other wireless device with Internet access. Customers can access the time estimates in both map and list format. The map function shows the bus traveling along the route in real time, while the list format provides estimated arrival times of the next two or three buses. The online information refreshes each minute, and the site allows users to set up alarm notifications when a a bus nears a selected stop. CTA officials said that he Bus Tracker additions are a part of broader transportation reforms that attempt to accurately predict time intervals between buses and to prevent bus bunching. According to the Chicago Tribune, CTA President Ron Huberman (a.M., M.B.A. '00) announced the initial expansion of t he Bus Tracker system at a March press conference. "I'd definitely use [Bus Tracker] to figure out when the #55 is coming. What wil really be great, t hough, is when they expand it to the #6, #171, and #172," second-year Michael Powell said. CTA launched the Bus Tracker program in 2006 on a test basis. It also installed a downtown bus shelter equipped with a bus tracker display screen. The CTA has encouraged customers to provide feedback via the system's website. A quick scroll through comments posted in response to the effectiveness of the initial route that incorporated the system turned up mixed reviews. In a test conducted by a Maroon reporter, the system lagged, and the map and bus listings did not always update on time. According to the CTA website, Bus Tracker should be accurate within 5 minutes when a bus is 30 minutes away from a designated stop and accurate within 75 seconds when a bus is fewer than five minutes awry. The CTA plans to add Bus tracker to all 154 routes by spring 2009 and eventually to launch a "next-train" service which will provide train arrival times at all 144 El stations. Top Route changes and new routes, buses CTA's 2003 bus reconfiguration, adjusted through 2005, increased ridership and service area, but some think weakened the east-west connections. Service seems to have largely adjusted to needs in Hyde Park, although some still complain of bunching and thinning (especially southbound in the evening) or would like more daytime service to the west Loop, especially if it could run directly to/from the UC campus. To learn the story of the changes and the partial success with community input--including our workshops, start from the Bus Routes Changes homepage and also visit the Transit Task Force pages. In August 2005 the #15 Jeffery Local bus route went back to Lake Park between 51st and 56th Streets rather than E and S Hyde Park Blvd. and 57th Drive. This has been sought by both local aldermen and the Hyde Park Transit Task Force as well as shoppers/businesses and residents on Lake Park. Moving the route to Lake Park was backed overwhelmingly at a Sept. 2004 hearing. CTA's own studies agreed. It is probably the only one of the the 3 changes the TTF sought that will be enacted. Notice as usual was top-down and tardy. All buses and routes are now ADA accessible. converted free to Chicago Card and Chicago Card Plus through July 31 only. New buses continue to come on line. www.transitchicago.com or 888 968-7282. In June 2006 CTA announced it is buying brand new small buses to navigate neighborhoods such as Hyde Park with narrow streets. Here they will be used on the UC routes-- see there. In addition to the new 192 downtown express, other remote routes may be changed or added. Bunching got considerably worse in July and August 2006 on the #6, 14, and sometimes 28. Supervisors are out in force at ward office insistence. Progress and action reports are expected soon. It seems to involve long term and newer drivers as well. Related to Ryan project traffic?? Top CTA board and other meetings, contacts CTA Board meets second Wednesdays, 1o am, 547 W. Lake. These are brief, largely pro forma, and non participatory-or have been until now. Only 15 minutes is allowed for comment period at Board meetings. You must sign up in advance by calling Gregory Longhini, 312 321-0394. CTA lets any one person talk only once in six months. So sign up so they won't say nobody cares. An alternative is to pick up/view on their website the press briefs and submit written comments. The separate committees include Human Resources, Strategic Planning, Capital Construction Oversight, and the Finance, Audit & Budget Committee. For an exact schedule of committee meetings call 312-664-7200 x15026. Chicago Transit Authority. or www.transitchicago.com. Route and schedule information. CTAhelp@transitchicago.com, www.yourcta.com/news/ctaandpress/ (where you can also find press releases), 1 888 YOU-RCTA Top Amenities CTA's newer kinds of buses seem to be spread more evenly through the system, are ADA accessible, hug closer to the ground for loading and unloading, have enunciators (that are often out of sync with stops ahead and that many think are too loud--the speaker passengers waiting for buses), have good air conditioning. The city's contracted bus shelters help when there are not too many waiting to board and have CTA maps. Maybe there could be more information about connections or what's at the stops. Some spots that should have the shelters still do not--and there seems to be no schedule for getting them. There have been complaints about advertising inappropriate to children by school and park entrances. Index of all site pages on CTA Bus Routes home/changes since June 2004 and final. (Bus routes home). To Maps of changes Original bus reconfiguration and evaluations since August 2003 Original changes maps home December 2003-mid 2004 changes, protests, reactions, resolutions Bus Routes 2004 Transit Task Force Workshops Chicago and smart cards; inter transferring between services/tow. universal card CTA News and info CTA maps . Maps: new/changed routes CTA and HPKCC Task Force meetings, records of CTA: original fare hike page, incl. HPKCC resolution CTA 2003 fare hike and changes CTA 2005 funding crisis, proposals (CTA cuts-hikes-funding home) CTA funding crisis/long-term problem Meetings and (navigator to some) Reports-Transit, Transportation Transit Needs and News (various reports) Transit saves lives, promotes health Transit Task Force committee page home Transit Task Force committee latest reports, updates, thoughts Transit Task Force/HPKCC Resolution September 2004 Transit Task Force Bus Route (and funding) 2004 Workshops See also Gray Line. Top
		A service of Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference Transit Task Force/ Transportation and Parking Committee and the HPKCC website, www.hydepark.org. (email) Help support our work: Join the Conference! Join and work with the Task Force- contact chairman James Withrow.
HPKCC HOME