Analysis identifies feasible routes that would support community, economic development goals, fill transit accessibility gaps
CORE NEWS
On MPC’s report:
- The nonprofit Metropolitan Planning Council has envisioned a nearly 100-mile, 10-route Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) network in Chicago that would be feasible to construct, improve the use of the entire public transit system, and help people access jobs, shops, schools, hospitals, and other destinations.
- The report, Bus Rapid Transit: Chicago's New Route to Opportunity, is based on an unprecedented screening method that identifies not only routes that can be built, but also those that should be built because they would fill accessibility gaps in the current transit network and support community and economic development investments.
- MPC created this new screening method – which uses 14 quantifiable “livability metrics” based on the six federal Livability Principles – both to identify where BRT investment makes the most sense; and to challenge and inspire city and regional leaders, business owners, and residents to rethink transit as a framework for helping neighborhoods and corridors achieve economic and community development goals.
- To obtain a copy of the report, contact Mandy Burrell Booth at mburrell@metroplanning.org, 312-863-6018 (office) or 773-640-1206 (mobile). The report is embargoed until 12 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2011.
On Bus Rapid Transit:
- Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a cost-effective way of using existing roads to provide commuters with a fast, easy and green way to travel. True BRT requires four critical elements: dedicated lanes, pay-before-you-board stations, at-grade boarding, and signal priority at intersections.
- A well-planned and well-executed BRT system can provide a framework for future investment in housing, open space, and economic development, as well as spur job growth and redevelopment. In places where BRT has been most successful, such as Bogotá, Colombia, the public and private sectors have worked together to get the engineering and operation of the system right, and to coordinate community and economic development near the station and throughout the corridors.
- In his transition plan, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel pledged to develop BRT in Chicago. The Chicago Climate Action Plan also identifies BRT as a cost-effective way to expand the city’s transit network. The Chicago Transit Authority received a $1.6 million Livability Alternatives Analysis grant from the Federal Transit Administration and, in partnership with the Chicago Dept. of Transportation, has begun exploring the potential for BRT along Western and Ashland avenues.
- A bus rapid transit network can be built at a fraction of the cost of light or heavy rail by using existing roadways, and can go from the conceptual phase to operational within three years.
- In May 2011, the Institute for Transportation & Development Policy released the report, Recapturing Global Leadership in Bus Rapid Transit, which proposed a LEED-like rating system for BRT projects and outlined a strategy for American cities to build systems as good as the world’s best BRT, dubbed “gold standard.” While more than 20 American bus projects have claimed the BRT mantle at various times, the ITDP report identified no American cities with “gold standard” BRT systems and just five American cities with bus corridors that earned the title “bronze standard:” Cleveland, Eugene, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh. The report was funded by the Rockefeller Foundation.
- The primary reason no U.S. city has yet realized the full potential of a true BRT system is that none has been sufficiently aligned with key livability goals, such as providing people better access to educational and employment opportunities, or connecting underserved neighborhoods to existing rapid transit service. MPC’s screening method offers a way for Chicago and other cities to do so.
On the public release and webinar:
- Public release: On Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2011, from noon to 2 p.m., at the Union League Club, 65 W. Jackson St., Chicago, MPC will release Bus Rapid Transit: Chicago’s New Route to Opportunity. Speakers will be MPC BRT Project Manager Josh Ellis, who will explain the goals and logic behind MPC’s report; Chicago Dept. of Transportation Commissioner Gabe Klein, who will explain the new administration's BRT goals; former mayor of Bogotá, Colombia, Enrique Peñalosa, president of the Board of Directors of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), who will share what he and his city have learned through their experience with BRT; and Annie Weinstock, U.S. BRT program director for ITDP, who will make the case for gold-standard BRT in the U.S. Media may attend free of charge, but must register with Mandy Burrell Booth, MPC assistant communications director, at 312-863-6018 or mburrell@metroplanning.org. Note: Attire at the Union League Club is business casual or better.
- Webinar: MPC will host a free webinar on Thursday, Aug. 18, from 10 to 10:30 a.m. CDT. The report’s researchers will explain how they developed this groundbreaking new screening method based on 14 quantifiable "livability metrics." They’ll also explain how it made a difference in the proposed BRT network in Chicago, what potential it has to help cities invest in transit that provides economic and community benefits, and how it can be readily adapted to enable cities and regions to make better decisions. Register on MPC’s web site.
QUOTES
Peter Skosey, Vice President, Metropolitan Planning Council
“There is strong interest in getting Bus Rapid Transit right in Chicago. The screening method we developed can help government and civic leaders in Chicago work together to do just that by selecting the best routes, engineering and constructing them to the proper standards, and most importantly, focusing investment along these corridors to transform Chicago neighborhoods.”
Annie Weinstock, U.S. Bus Rapid Transit Program Director, Institute for Transportation & Development Policy
“It’s exciting to see Chicago lining up the key ingredients necessary for gold standard Bus Rapid Transit, including a clear understanding of construction and engineering criteria and community and economic development impacts, as well as political and civic leadership. We encourage and look forward to assisting stakeholders in moving ahead with Chicago’s vision for a world-class BRT system.”
Benjamin De La Pena, Associate Director for Urban Development, Rockefeller Foundation
“We see a tremendous opportunity for Chicago to pursue a truly bold vision for a Bus Rapid Transit network that improves access and opportunity for diverse communities, encourages sustainable development, improves transit system efficiency, and reduces congestion. Chicago could create a new paradigm for providing more affordable but very high-quality transit that other U.S. cities could emulate.”
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
- To obtain an embargoed copy of MPC’s report, Bus Rapid Transit: Chicago's New Route to Opportunity, please contact MPC Assistant Communications Director Mandy Burrell Booth at mburrell@metroplanning.org, 312-863-6018or 773-640-1206.
- Recapturing Global Leadership in Bus Rapid Transit: A Survey of Select U.S. Cities, Institute for Transportation & Development Policy, May 2011, examines BRT networks in the U.S. and makes the case for “gold standard” BRT.
- On page 62, Chicago 2011 Transition Plan, then-Mayor-Elect Rahm Emanuel’s transition plan, states, “The City will develop a bus rapid transit network using existing streets to better connect residents, employees, and neighborhoods and supplement our existing rail network. Maximum impact will be achieved by dedicated bus lanes, signal preemption, pre-paid boarding or on-board fare verification, multiple entry and exits points on the buses, limited stops, and at-grade boarding.”
- On the second page of the Transportation section, the Chicago Climate Action Plan states, “…to seriously cut emissions, the regional transit system needs further development. Key route extensions and innovative services, such as an integrated bus rapid transit network that spans a number of the city’s arterials, will show more Chicagoans that public transport is an attractive alternative to being stuck in transit.”
- Watch this video to see what it’s like to use Cleveland, Ohio’s HealthLine.
- Visit MPC’s BRT web page to review case studies, videos and photos of BRT systems in the U.S. and around the world.
- GO TO 2040, northeastern Illinois’ comprehensive regional plan, states, “Though opinions differ on what makes a community appealing, livable communities tend to share some common traits. They are healthy, safe, and walkable. They offer choices for timely transportation to schools, jobs, services, and basic needs. They are more cost-effective for individuals and local governments. They make the region more economically competitive … Though that sense may seem intangible, livability is seldom an accident. Livable communities are created through effective planning and decisions by local officials, developers, and individual residents.”
- Federal Livability Principles. MPC created its 14 “livability metrics” to be a quantifiable way to assess whether a transit investment meets the federal government’s six Livability Principles.
MULTIMEDIA
- Renderings and graphics from the report are available by contacting MPC Assistant Communications Director Mandy Burrell Booth at mburrell@metroplanning.org or 312-863-6018.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
- Keep up to date on this report and other MPC initiatives: