Use the hashtag #NotaCTABus to call out vehicles that don't belong in the Loop Link lane.
MPC Research Assistant Connie Garritano authored this post.
Stay out of the Loop Link lanes, or you risk being called out on social media with the hashtag #NotaCTABus. Metropolitan Planning Council has long supported Bus Rapid Transit efforts like Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) Loop Link, but they don’t work if other vehicles clog up the lanes. With help from Active Transportation Alliance, Streetsblog Chicago has created a twitter campaign to bring light to the frequent misuse of these designated bus lanes.
Loop Link is designed to increase the speed and reliability of the bus system by allowing buses to avoid congested traffic lanes. However, unauthorized vehicles such as ferry buses, delivery trucks, taxis, ride-share vehicles and even private cars are regularly seen in these lanes specifically reserved for CTA buses, significantly hindering the improvements that Loop Link could potentially bring. For some drivers, it’s not enough that these wide, red lanes are clearly marked “CTA Bus Only.”
It might be tempting to pull over into a vacant bus-only lane even just for a moment, but one unauthorized vehicle can disrupt an entire bus route and delay hundreds of people’s commutes. These violations will remain commonplace until there is regular enforcement of the bus-only lanes. Join Streetsblog Chicago in bringing awareness to this issue and promoting Loop Link enforcement. The next time you catch a Loop Link scofflaw in the act, snap photos and post them to social media with #NotaCTABus. If it’s #NotaCTABus, it shouldn’t be in the Loop Link lanes.