Public Transportation 'Saves Energy, Time and Money'

Public transportation benefits more than just riders, according to a report released March 25 by Illinois Public Interest Research Group (PIRG).

In Chicago, the CTA saves city residents and businesses $474 million a year, reduces our oil consumption by about 181 million barrels, and improves the air we breathe by keep nearly 1.3 million tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

“This report shows that transit saves Illinoisans energy, time, and money,” said Brian Imus, Illinois PIRG state director, at a news conference at the Clark and Lake station in the Loop. Imus challenged lawmakers in Springfield to “stop dragging their feet” and develop a capital investment plan that funds transit rehabilitation and expansion projects. Peter Skosey, vice president of external relations for the Metropolitan Planning Council, added that the state should develop a set of objective criteria for choosing projects funded by the capital plan.

Ill. Rep. Julie Hamos (D-Evanston), chair of the Illinois House Mass Transit Committee, said she is hopeful that Springfield will approve a new capital plan this session. According to U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), state lawmakers risk losing more than $4.1 billion in federal money if they fail to come up with a state match.

Read Illinois PIRG’s report, A Better Way to Go: Meeting America’s 21 st Century Transportation Challenges with Modern Public Transit.

Article Highlights Benefits of Transit...3.26 Meeting

As a new report spells out the benefits of rail and bus systems in northeast Illinois, three Chicago communities are meeting to discuss improving their pedestrian environment and access to mass transit in order to make their neighborhoods more convenient and vibrant...find out more.

Seniors Ride Free on CTA Starting This Week

Senior citizens can ride Chicago's busses and trains free of charge starting this week.

News reports in the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times suggest many seniors appreciate the opportunity. For some, the savings on transit fare will help balance rising prices for groceries and medications. Others say they plan to get out more -- to see relatives, spend time at the community center, and even take in the opera!

If you're a senior, do you plan to use public transportation more often now that it's free? If so, tell us where you plan to go.

Also, if you're 65 years of age or older, and you want to take advantage of free rides, visit one of nearly 200 locations across the city where you can register. Learn what you'll need to bring with you by reading the Regional Transportation Authority's Free Rides for Seniors registration guide.

Community Meetings Capture Mid-South Residents’ Transit, Retail Concerns

Change is not only inevitable, but a necessary and healthy part of the life cycle of any city. Change is not coming in the Mid-South – it is here. However, as longtime residents remind us, as we plan for the future of the Mid-South, we must remember, honor, and preserve the history, institutions and traditions established in these Chicago neighborhoods. It is in this spirit that Reconnecting Neighborhoods is working to support the restoration of a once-vibrant area to its rightful place as one of Chicago’s flagship communities.

On Feb. 20 and 27 and March 5, 2008, Reconnecting Neighborhoods held its first round of community meetings in the Mid-South study area. Thank you to all who participated in these meetings.

The communities in this study area, spanning 35th to 43rd streets and King Drive to the Lake, are rich with assets and opportunities. Residents living in and near the study area eagerly shared their views on how to maximize the resources of their community.

Hosted by Ald. Toni Preckwinkl (4th Ward) and Bernita Johnson-Gabriel of Quad Communities Development Corporation , the meetings combined an overview of existing conditions with discussion and mapping exercises to determine community desires for the future of the Mid-South. The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) helped the Metropolitan Planning Council facilitate the meetings, and provided keypad polling technology to record the sentiments of those in attendance.

Some highlights from polling conducting at the meetings were:

Security, distance and reliability were the top impediments residents cited to using public transit

Location, history and diversity were seen as the community’s top assets.

More businesses, especially retail and entertainment, ranked atop the list of community desires, with improved transit a close second.

Please encourage your neighbors to participate in Reconnecting Neighborhoods by filling out the community questionnaire on this Web site. Starting in May, we will begin compiling your input into preliminary recommendations to present for your critique in a second round of meetings this summer. Stay tuned!

Service Extended on #43 Bus Route

Starting March 23, the Chicago Transit Board is extending service to midnight for the #43 bus route, which runs along 43rd Street. The improved service is a direct result of the Quad Communities Development Corporation’s (QCDC) Quality of Life Plan. The plan outlines several strategies for creating a “vibrant, safe and diverse” Quad Communites, including “improving community infrastructure,” such as public transportation access.

According to a media release on the CTA’s Web site:

“Hours of operation on the #43 route will be expanded to midnight during weeknights, with service intervals of every 20 minutes. The #43 connects the residential area along 43rd Street with the 47th Street Red Line station and the #3 King Drive and #4 Cottage Grove bus routes. Currently no east-west service exists east of the Red Line between 39th Street/Pershing Road and 47th Street after 7 p.m. The additional service will go into effect on Sunday, March 23, and is being funded by the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development.”

The Quad Communities Quality of Life Plan was the result of a 16-month effort involving some 500 community members. QCDC is represented on the Mid-South Task Force of Reconnecting Neighborhoods.

Near North meeting scheduled for March 26

The Clybourn corridor between North and Ashland avenues has adapted from a manufacturing hub to a diverse and bustling commercial center. Meanwhile, residential development in the neighborhood continues apace, including a new mixed-income community at Division and Clybourn being created by the Chicago Housing Authority's Plan for Transformation. The need for transportation to evolve along with residential and commercial development is all too clear for anyone who travels to the area – whether to shop on a sunny Saturday afternoon or to deliver the trendy goods beckoning shoppers.

The Near North Task Force of Reconnecting Neighborhoods invites community members to a public meeting on Wednesday, March 26, 6 to 7:30 p.m., Evergreen Towers Apartments, 1333 N. Cleveland Ave., Chicago, to:

- Voice their opinions about how to make their neighborhood more convenient and vibrant.
- Plan improvements that will increase access to transportation, shopping and jobs.
- Learn more about transportation and retail amenities in the Near North, Old Town, Goose Island, River North and former Cabrini Green neighborhood.

This is the first community meeting on the Near North side for Reconnecting Neighborhoods. The meeting is public and open to everyone. RSVP on the Reconnecting Neighborhoods Web site, by e-mailing info@reconnectingneighborhoods.org, or by calling Brandon Johnson at (312) 863-6046.