Livability grants

[paytonc]

The E-W Corridor BRT will consist of designated bus priority lanes on two miles of downtown surface streets to be used by seven CTA bus routes. The project includes bus signal priority, "next bus" information, and bus shelter branding... Bicycle lanes, bus lanes and streetscape enhancements are also expected to be provided as part of the project.

This project sounds a lot like the recently completed Marquette & 2nd Avenues streetscape project in Minneapolis -- the downtown part of a broader Urban Partnership project for express routes along I-35. (A whole bunch of these are finishing up around the country; SFpark is the latest one to make a national splash.) As a visitor, I thought that the information panels were easy to use (I've always thought that about Metro Transit vs. CTA, though) and it's apparently really sped up/simplified bus boarding in downtown Mpls.

Photos & info:

[Busjack]

This project sounds a lot like the recently completed Marquette & 2nd Avenues streetscape project in Minneapolis -- the downtown part of a broader Urban Partnership project for express routes along I-35. (A whole bunch of these are finishing up around the country; SFpark is the latest one to make a national splash.) As a visitor, I thought that the information panels were easy to use (I've always thought that about Metro Transit vs. CTA, though) and it's apparently really sped up/simplified bus boarding in downtown Mpls.

Photos & info:

http://www.flickr.co...onc/4833132030/

With regard to the bus shelter and next bus sign, probably so.

Contraflow lanes were tried in Chicago in the late 70s and apparently failed. I might not be remembering the State Street Mall in Chicago properly, but I thought it had a bypass lane. I don't think either of the two are coming back.

[JJW]

With regard to the bus shelter and next bus sign, probably so.

Contraflow lanes were tried in Chicago in the late 70s and apparently failed. I might not be remembering the State Street Mall in Chicago properly, but I thought it had a bypass lane. I don't think either of the two are coming back.

I think the contra-flow lanes were installed in 1980 and 1981. From what I hear (I was not around at the time), they were removed due to several pedestrian fatalities caused by people stepping off the curb without looking both ways. According to this link, they were actually quite successful at reducing bus travel times:

http://pubsindex.trb.org/view.aspx?id=210604

[Guest]

I just dont understand how is it that it seems like the Chicago area region is the last in innovative transit projects. Busways and dedicated bus lanes have been in operation since about the 1970s. Fast forward 40 years and Chicago's plans for dedicated bus lanes are still on the drawing boards and not a reality! Chicago always seems to be a latecomer and not the trailblazer when it comes to transit ideas to make cities more livable.

[Busjack]

I think the contra-flow lanes were installed in 1980 and 1981. From what I hear (I was not around at the time), they were removed due to several pedestrian fatalities caused by people stepping off the curb without looking both ways...

The pedestrians not looking both ways seems to ring a bell. Early 80s may be correct (I remember when, for instance, signs saying 20 Madison-Michigan was used in the late 70s in anticipation of the change, but not when it was instituted).

I also wondered how the contraflow lanes could work when, as is usually the case, the curb lane was occupied by building scaffolding. At that time, for instance, the 10 S. LaSalle Building (where I worked for two years), was being torn down to the third floor facade, to make way for the blue steel building on top of that base.

I just dont understand how is it that it seems like the Chicago area region is the last in innovative transit projects. Busways and dedicated bus lanes have been in operation since about the 1970s. Fast forward 40 years and Chicago's plans for dedicated bus lanes are still on the drawing boards and not a reality! Chicago always seems to be a latecomer and not the trailblazer when it comes to transit ideas to make cities more livable.

For that matter, as I mentioned, there was the State Street Transit Mall, and before that dedicated bus lanes on State and Washington. The problem, though, was that they were in the middle, requiring use of a safety island in the street, which was real fun on a snowy day. Undoubtedly, that idea was inherited from the streetcar days.

There are not real rights of way for BRT, as any existing right of way would be used for rapid transit. As I mentioned in connection with the Ashland-Western corridor, these seem little more than a way of getting grants, and not that big of a grant to begin with. Going back to the $193 million BRT grant that was lost, I still can't see how that could have been implemented on 79th east of Halsted or Halsted in Greektown.

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Probably off topic, but it seems like the transit mall idea is losing favor elsewhere. Surfing usual places to which I am accustomed, it appears that Rochester NY thinks the bus lineup on its Main Street (which was designed with the idea to have enough mall to get the federal grant, but not enough transit to make a difference) is a detriment to property values (if any property value is left). After dumping the Renaissance Square project, which would have had an underground bus terminal, it looks as though they are now planning something that looks like the Harvey Transit Center, except enclosed on two sides, two blocks from Main Street.