MPC introduces new Ashland Avenue BRT mapping tool designed for community, developer use

Metropolitan Planning Council

A screenshot of the Ashland Avenue BRT mapping tool.

By Yonah Freemark
September 12, 2013
2 comments

This week, the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) released its new Ashland Avenue Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Mapping Tool, available at metroplanning.org/brtmap.

The interactive map, provided for free use by community members, developers and others interested in the future of Ashland Avenue and Chicago as a whole, offers detailed information about the corridor along which Chicago’s first gold-standard BRT line will run. Ashland Avenue BRT, scheduled to open in 2015, will increase bus speeds by up to 80 percent between 31st and Cortland Streets by giving buses dedicated lanes, off-board ticketing, improved stations and priority at signals.

MPC’s tool integrates information about zoning, land use, community assets, TIF areas and Census data for areas around stations along the BRT corridor. MPC also evaluated development potential based on current floor area ratio allowances and the city’s proposed TOD ordinance; that information is integrated into the tool.

Visit the tool at metroplanning.org/brtmap.

Keywords

Bus Rapid Transit, transit oriented development, web

Comments

1. Charles Paidock from Chicago, IL on September 19, 2013

"Ashland Avenue BRT, scheduled to open in 2015, will slash travel times by up to 80 percent"

This means that a trip taking normally one hour will be done in 12 minutes. That's amazingly fast. At what speeds do BRT vehicles travel? Does all surrounding traffice in the city come to a halt when a BRT comes along? Pedestrians had better not get in the way of one.
2. Yonah Freemark from Chicago, IL on September 19, 2013

Charles:

You're right -- we stated the facts incorrectly. In fact, the BRT vehicles will speed up buses by up to 80%. That means on a trip that currently takes an hour (about 8.7 miles based on current bus speeds), BRT would speed travel to just 33 minutes (based on CTA's estimates of 15.9 mph speeds with BRT). That's a 45% reduction in travel times.

Apologies for the mistake.