CHICAGO: Transit Developments

[emathias]

Originally Posted by VivaLFuego

...
The 1978 figure looks way off, though --- the old reports I have show a daily turnstile count of over 550k, which actually was the highest annual average in that era. Since there were fewer enclosed transfer points then, the daily boardings total was probably [roughly speaking] in the 600-625k range... though, that was before construction of the 8-mile O'Hare extension and the 9-mile Orange Line, so it was a smaller system.
...

Thank you for catching that 1978 issue - I've corrected the number to 558,250 - I was looking at the wrong column. That number includes Full and Reduced cash customers, Transfer passengers and "Other" which according to a footnote includes monthly pass customers, firemen, policemen, CTA employees and other non-fare passengers.

[Mr Downtown]

Originally Posted by ehilton44

I was wondering if there was some "spiraling" where there was a decrease in ridership which lead to a decrease in service which lead to an even larger decrease in ridership, etc.

Indeed, that's exactly the pattern we were stuck in through the 80s and early 90s. I honestly didn't believe the system could lift itself up by its bootstraps, but the general prosperity in the 90s allowed CTA to bit by bit start restoring service hours. The boom in North Side population of Loop workers sent the Brown Line ridership soaring. It's tripled since 1970 and doubled since 1994.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by emathias

If the Dan Ryan branch in general and 95th St station specifically "caught up" to the rest of the system in terms of ridership growth, 95th could end up with three times its current ridership numbers in as little as a decade. I don't know about you, but I think that warrants making sure the infrastructure can handle it.

Is there a reason to expect that ridership will return to its peak? The revival of rail ridership on other parts of the system has come about because of gentrification; the influx of wealthier people into neighborhoods that work in the Loop.

This area of the South Side is seemingly not the ridership powerhouse it once was, both because of population loss and because South Siders do not work in the Loop anymore, to the same extent that they once did.

Wilson, on the other hand, is poised for a large-scale gentrification in coming years that could drive a ridership explosion. Rahm has major plans for the area to again become a major entertainment district, and lots of upwardly-mobile residents are moving in after being priced out of Lakeview. JDL is planning towers at the Maryville site, and other developers are waiting in the wings to do projects large and small. There's also an operational need to rebuild Wilson, since the creation of a new transfer point from Red to Purple will have spillover benefits for the rest of the line and the entire Far North Side.

[the urban politician]

^ Keep in mind that it is not just downtown office workers who work downtown.

All of these new hotels, residences, offices, taverns, restaurants, stores require personnel to service them.

If downtown's population continues to rise, and if efforts to attract more tourists continue to be more successful, that will continue to create opportunities (and demand) for lower income workers.

Heck, that auto repair shop being built on the 1800 block of S Wabash that some of us lament may likely create jobs for some south siders

[K 22]

Quick question for the crowd:

I've mentioned this before but I want to bring it up again.

For service to the United Center, would you prefer a Damen/Lake Green Line station or a Madison/Paulina Pink Line station?

Both are about the same distance from the arena.

[Mr Downtown]

^As is the existing Blue Line station. I get 1100 feet from Pink Line at Madison, 2000 feet from Green Line at Damen, and 2200 feet from Blue Line at Damen.

[ardecila]

I was hoping for Madison/Paulina, with a mid-block pedestrian connection centered between Madison and Monroe. This could be lined with trees, shops, bars, etc and offer the most pleasant pedestrian connection. The site plan of the new practice facility may not allow this, though.

[Rizzo]

Originally Posted by K 22

Quick question for the crowd:

I've mentioned this before but I want to bring it up again.

For service to the United Center, would you prefer a Damen/Lake Green Line station or a Madison/Paulina Pink Line station?

Both are about the same distance from the arena.

Paulina and Madison for certain for the reasons ardecila mentioned and also because Madison will become an important transit and development corridor. I was quite surprised to see all the new development around Western and Madison the other day. More than I remember. United Center is the dead space between there when it really should become the focal point.

Decked parking could substantially reduce the arena's footprint and free up space for new development to make that area more attractive. I think United Center is still a modern enough arena to accomodate future state-of-the-art updates that would permit filling in the area around it with new buildings.

[paytonc]

Originally Posted by ehilton44

Wow, what happened between 1990-1995 to bus transit?

Here's a great article (from 2001) that looks at some of the reasons behind the 1990-1993 meltdown:
http://prospect.org/article/buses-do...p-here-anymore
It's interesting to read it today, because what seemed like exceptionally rosy predictions from that era now seem quaintly underwhelming.

[MayorOfChicago]

Originally Posted by Justin_Chicago

I am not sure what the current plan is, but I picture a straight diagonal line from the walgreens/pet store to the cemetary. Personally, I think it would make more sense to extend the subway to Sheridan and turn the redline into an elevated track at Wilson. This should dramatically increase land values in Lincoln Park and Lakeview.

That Walgreens was built from the ground up and opened within the last year. I doubt they're going to go tear it down right after the thing opened.

[ardecila]

Walgreens itself won't tear the store down, no.

I don't think there's a real plan yet, so there's no insider information that Walgreens could have been privy to.

My preferred alignment would have the Red Line crossing Dakin midblock, shifting pretty far away from the corner of Irving/Sheridan. The station would move to the north side of Irving along the cemetery wall, and a transit plaza would be carved out of the corner of the cemetery (this back corner is unused IIRC).

[Justin_Chicago]

I know Walgreen's would not tear the building down, but wishful thinking is that the eyesore will go away with eminent domain. Anyways, it has been almost a year since I read anything about the redline/purpleline modernization plan. Interim improvements lead me to believe it will be a while before we see anything happen. I am getting jealous of the DC and LA transit threads.

[VivaLFuego]

Originally Posted by K 22

Quick question for the crowd:

I've mentioned this before but I want to bring it up again.

For service to the United Center, would you prefer a Damen/Lake Green Line station or a Madison/Paulina Pink Line station?

Both are about the same distance from the arena.

Aside from the IMD Blue Line station (~0.4 miles), there's Ashland-Lake
(~0.5 miles) and the #20 (very frequent service) and the #19 (non-stop after several pickups throughout downtown).

Remember that United Center only has events on what, maybe 130-150 days a year, with activity on those days generally concentrated entirely within a short time window. That sets a pretty low threshold to allow for cost-effective capital investments with public funds for the sole purpose of serving stadium ridership... with the caveat of whether all that land used for stadium parking has so much revenue potential if re-developed that the stadium ownership could justify subsidizing transit costs to allow for less on-site parking --- somewhat analogous to the model the Cubs have gradually fallen into.

[VivaLFuego]

Originally Posted by ehilton44

Wow, what happened between 1990-1995 to bus transit? Looking at it as a line chart over time really puts the decline into context -- most of it (from a pure numbers stand point) happened on the bus side.

In response to a significant (but relatively soft) downward trend in ridership in the late 80s, CTA's trial balloon of targeted tactical service reductions caused a public firestorm, so all pressure for budget balancing was on fares, starting with the 1990 budget year. During late 1990 and early 1991, the recession caused a harsh drop-off in sales tax receipts, with the end result being that in a span of about 20 months, the base fare rose 50%, from $1 to $1.50 by the end of 1991. As the spiral continued into 1992, CTA finally instituted the first round of service reductions and also nearly doubled the price of the monthly pass.

[ehilton44]

With the practice facility and proposed "LA Live"-esque development happening all between Paulina and the United Center, Madison/Paulina definitely seems like the way to go.

While I'm a fan of putting an infill station there, I don't see it as much of a priority as I used to. Whenever I go to events at the United Center I take the Green/Pink to Ashland/Lake and then walked (not bad, especially in good weather) and also taken the 9-Ashland Bus when coming from the North Side. In prior years I've taken the buses that stop right outside the UC, but they are always mobbed after games so I try to avoid them. When I'm heading north after the game I do really miss the X9 though!

Between Ashland/Lake, IMD, the 20, event specific buses, and the 9 (which will soon be BRT hopefully), the UC is already pretty well serviced by public transportation. Obviously a new station would help even more, but maybe there are other places in the city that need the money more?

[K 22]

Originally Posted by ehilton44

With the practice facility and proposed "LA Live"-esque development happening all between Paulina and the United Center, Madison/Paulina definitely seems like the way to go.

While I'm a fan of putting an infill station there, I don't see it as much of a priority as I used to. Whenever I go to events at the United Center I take the Green/Pink to Ashland/Lake and then walked (not bad, especially in good weather) and also taken the 9-Ashland Bus when coming from the North Side. In prior years I've taken the buses that stop right outside the UC, but they are always mobbed after games so I try to avoid them. When I'm heading north after the game I do really miss the X9 though!

Between Ashland/Lake, IMD, the 20, event specific buses, and the 9 (which will soon be BRT hopefully), the UC is already pretty well serviced by public transportation. Obviously a new station would help even more, but maybe there are other places in the city that need the money more?

Understood.

I'm just not enamored with the IMD stop since you have to basically walk a city block just to get OUT of the station.

[ardecila]

Does anybody think it would be good to run a Racine bus? It could go from the Chicago Blue Line station down Ogden to Racine, jog over to Morgan for the Green Line transfer, then back to Racine for the Blue Line transfer and down to Cermak.

Maybe just make an extension of the existing #60? It runs at a decent frequency, it would provide a nice circumferential link, and it goes through areas where there's a lot of growth.

[jpIllInoIs]

Surprised this didn't already exist, but I'm glad Lipinski is involved.

Dan Lipinski office release

U.S. Reps. Dan Lipinski (D-IL) and Michael Grimm (R-NY) are announcing the formation of the Congressional Public Transportation Caucus aimed at addressing issues facing the country’s public transportation systems, including rail, light rail, bus rapid transit, and traditional bus service. This bipartisan Caucus will provide a forum for members of Congress to engage in constructive dialogue on the challenges and needs of mass transit agencies across the country as increasing demand and decreasing funding are putting unprecedented pressure on America’s public transportation systems.

“Public transportation is vital to people from all walks of life in communities all across northeastern Illinois. Buses, trains, and light rail that run safely and reliably reduce congestion on our roads, improve travel times across all modes, cut down on air pollution, and make our communities more attractive places to live, work, and own businesses,” said Rep. Lipinski, who sits on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. “Maintaining and improving our public transportation systems must be a part of the solution to creating jobs at home and ensuring our competitiveness in the global marketplace. I look forward to joining Congressman Grimm in calling attention to these issues as co-chair of the new Congressional Public Transportation Caucus.”

“New York City has the largest public transit system in the nation – transporting millions of commuters each day by bus, rail, and ferry,” Rep. Grimm said. “A strong public transport system is crucial to our economy and our livelihood, which is why it must be maintained and updated to meet growing demand and ensure the highest levels of safety. Unfortunately, there is currently a gap between where our public transportation infrastructure needs to be and where it is today, which is why this caucus is so important. As co-chair of the Congressional Public Transportation Caucus, I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle on solutions that will improve our aging public transportation system and bring it well into the 21st century.”
...

“Transit is a key component of America’s transportation system, which is the backbone for the country’s economy,” said Joe Costello, Executive Director of the Northeastern Illinois Regional Transportation Authority and founding member of the transit advocacy group Getting America to Work. “We appreciate the leadership of Congressmen Lipinski and Grimm in creating this caucus to focus more national attention on this critical need.”

[jpIllInoIs]

The Long, Hot Summer of Transportation Initiatives
by John Greenfield

STREETSBLOG

"Trust me, my friends, this is the year sustainable transportation blows up in Chicago. Say what you want about Rahm Emanuel’s record on education, crime and privatization. But since he took office in early 2011, joined by forward-thinking Transportation Commissioner Gabe Klein and shrewd CTA President Forrest Claypool, the city has embarked on a number of bold projects to encourage walking, biking and transit use. I promise the next three months are going to be a tipping point as we make the move from the car-centric status quo to becoming a healthier, more efficient and more vibrant city."

[sammyg]

With the Divvy bikes launching soon, has anyone seen a station being set up? I can't believe they'll be able to put in all 75 in less than 3 weeks.