CMAQ - Bus slow zone program

[MRM]

Thoughts on CTA-Bus Slow Zone Elimination Program?

or any other application?

http://www.cmap.illinois.gov/mobility/strategic-investment/cmaq/program-development

TI01164058-CTA-Ashland Av Transit Signal Priority and Signal Modernization-Irving Park Rd to Cermak Rd
TI01164059-CTA-Bus Slow Zone Elimination Program
TI13164167 Pace-I-90
TI13164168 Pace-Dempster Pulse

DR01164110-CTA-Electric Buses and Charging Stations

TI13164060-IDOT-Edens Expressway/I-94 Bus on Shoulder

[Busjack]

Thoughts on CTA-Bus Slow Zone Elimination Program?

or any other application?

http://www.cmap.illinois.gov/mobility/strategic-investment/cmaq/program-development

TI01164058-CTA-Ashland Av Transit Signal Priority and Signal Modernization-Irving Park Rd to Cermak Rd

TI01164059-CTA-Bus Slow Zone Elimination Program

TI13164167 Pace-I-90

TI13164168 Pace-Dempster Pulse

DR01164110-CTA-Electric Buses and Charging Stations

TI13164060-IDOT-Edens Expressway/I-94 Bus on Shoulder

Maybe it is a question of "if you don't ask you don't get," but there are several inconsistencies with previous CTA pronouncements:

• Several of the applications include Ashland, which seems to me that they are at least hedging on whether they get BRT.
• The electric bus and charging stations one, besides maybe announcing that the 1 year test was completed successfully in about 4 months, ignores the option, but that probably isn't relevant to this purpose, but says that if they get the grant, 25 more 6400s would be replaced by electric buses. Also, since it includes 25 charging stations for 25 buses, it again doesn't look like the NF solution of remote charging stations accessed by pantographs is envisioned. Some of the proposed routes (28, 29, 65, and 151) are certainly longer than any on which the 2 buses have been tested. Probably, again, only for rush hour trippers.

I certainly agree with them that the routes in the "Bus Slow Zone Elimination Program" are the most congested.

[BusHunter]

It's hard to say what to do with high traffic routes like Belmont. Bus lanes would probably just mess up the traffic more. Queue jumps might work or tsp, but really I think CTA could benefit off adopting NY's plan of turning late local buses into express buses especially when they have a 4 or 5 bus pack. Skipping a few stops would speed up the service too, they could run a #77A that stops at all the odd address intersections like 1500w, 1700w etc. and a #77B that stops at the even, adopting a skip stop service. Of course all buses would stop at certain major streets. They could make major intersections all stop. Once frequency got less like 10 minutes or more they would have to default back to #77. One thing I notice is that route has so much ridership traffic a bus three blocks behind can still get caught picking up riders at almost every stop. It keeps buses from passing each other and can easily snowball to 3 or 4 buses.

[Busjack]

It's hard to say what to do with high traffic routes like Belmont. Bus lanes would probably just mess up the traffic more. Queue jumps might work or tsp, but really I think CTA could benefit off adopting NY's plan of turning late local buses into express buses especially when they have a 4 or 5 bus pack. Skipping a few stops would speed up the service too, they could run a #77A that stops at all the odd address intersections like 1500w, 1700w etc. and a #77B that stops at the even, adopting a skip stop service. Of course all buses would stop at certain major streets. They could make major intersections all stop. Once frequency got less like 10 minutes or more they would have to default back to #77. One thing I notice is that route has so much ridership traffic a bus three blocks behind can still get caught picking up riders at almost every stop. It keeps buses from passing each other and can easily snowball to 3 or 4 buses.

About all that is requested is queue jumps, tsp, and other spotty improvements. They mention bus lanes, but only for "short segments."

Making buses skip stop or express doesn't cost money and doesn't get you grant funds, unless, like the Pace Pulse application, CTA is putting additional express buses on the route, but neither you nor CTA contemplates that.

Your other issue is essentially whether CTA will ever do something about bus bunching, even though it has made other representations that it has or will (computer aided dispatch being the latest proposal).

[BusHunter]

Bus lanes, even short ones could have unforeseen consequences. Like say if you did a WB Belmont Milwaukee to Pulaski lane. That could probably be sacrificed without too much banter from the community.) Then that traffic will back up somewhere like the east side of Milwaukee and you then have a new problem of traffic backed up around Ridgeway or Lawndale.

[west towns]

Looks like Pace has three transit projects I-90 operations, Pulse Dempster and Edens BOS. Also on full list has vanpool and rideshare.

[west towns]

The CTA applicants to speed up buses seems week not a lot of exact locations or specifics

[Busjack]

The CTA applicants to speed up buses seems week not a lot of exact locations or specifics

Essentially, what are you expecting in a grant application?

Looking back, it has been about 4 years since it was announced that CTA got the grant for what now is going to be called the Loop Link, but what the plans are was only recently announced. Here, CTA has only made applications, and hasn't received the grants yet. The Bus Slow Zone Elimination one refers to "initial concepts," "engineering underway," and "the scope of the request includes detailed engineering and implementation."

BTW: The electric bus proposal says that it is to be implemented in 2019. Up to now, CTA hasn't said anything about keeping 6400s around that long (request says replacing 2001 models, so that would be 18 years). CTA may be b.s.ing the feds to a certain extent here.

[2200fan]

Regarding Belmont, the only way I see improvement is if they went back to the old rush hour parking scheme. That would be no parking on south side of street 7-9 a.m. And no parking on north side of street 4-6 p.m. I'm sure all the business owners would scream bloody murder. And there's not enough off street parking to make this a reality. But I don't see any other way.

[BusHunter]

Reading about the bus slow zone elimination program on the CMAQ grants page,( http://chitransit.org/topic/3710-cmaq-grants/#comment-78453 ) got me curious enough to read about the proposal. Interestingly enough it features the 5 routes #49, #9, #79, #66 and #77. Now suddenly we have the emergence of #X49 and #X9 with features such as tsp. Not really that far from the proposal. Even though it wasn't recommended by CMAQ, it almost sounds like CTA went ahead with it anyway. Could the other 3 routes be the next routes? One thing, all those routes have alot of buses and could benefit off an express bus.

If this is correct, then the 25 electric bus project might still be alive, they just need to find the funding.

[Busjack]

Reading about the bus slow zone elimination program on the CMAQ grants page,( http://chitransit.org/topic/3710-cmaq-grants/#comment-78453 ) got me curious enough to read about the proposal. Interestingly enough it features the 5 routes #49, #9, #79, #66 and #77. Now suddenly we have the emergence of #X49 and #X9 with features such as tsp. Not really that far from the proposal. Even though it wasn't recommended by CMAQ, it almost sounds like CTA went ahead with it anyway. Could the other 3 routes be the next routes? One thing, all those routes have alot of buses and could benefit off an express bus.

If this is correct, then the 25 electric bus project might still be alive, they just need to find the funding.

The press release indicated that X9 and X49 was from money the RTA had already received (Leanne Redden being there). So, that was from a prior grant.

 

“The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) is funding technology to speed up buses and create efficiencies to benefit riders across the region.” said RTA Executive Director Leanne Redden. “We are proud to partner with the CTA, CDOT and other transportation stakeholders to secure this funding and facilitate this important project.”

Redden went on to note that in 2012, the RTA secured a $36 million federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) grant and is providing $4 million in local match to fund program management, engineering and implementation of the program.   She explained that approximately half of these funds have been committed to CTA.

[BusHunter]

It says on that document that the matching funds had been secured? If they were looking for a cmaq grant why would it say that?

[Busjack]

It says on that document that the matching funds had been secured? If they were looking for a cmaq grant why would it say that?

Because most CMAQ grants are only 50%, so the locals have to come up with the match. However, this one sounds like 80%.

[BusHunter]

But if they were shopping around for a grant for this then they were wanting to do it and maybe the RTA grant filled the bill? Funny if they had 50 percent of the funding, then they could conceivably implement half of the project. Maybe that's why they state there will be no other routes because without funding there will not be any and they only had money for 2 out of the 5 routes. They could be looking at other options for the other 3 in the future or it won't happen. The proposal if anything shows interest in goals they want to achieve, but trying to fund electric buses is going to be difficult.

[Busjack]

But if they were shopping around for a grant for this then they were wanting to do it and maybe the RTA grant filled the bill? Funny if they had 50 percent of the funding, then they could conceivably implement half of the project. Maybe that's why they state there will be no other routes because without funding there will not be any and they only had money for 2 out of the 5 routes. They could be looking at other options for the other 3 in the future or it won't happen. The proposal if anything shows interest in goals they want to achieve, but trying to fund electric buses is going to be difficult.

• Clearly, the electric bus application is separate.
• The Bus Slow Zone request is harder to figure out. The memo on that says there was insufficient coordination with CDOT so come back next year when CTA has more engineering, but the proposal otherwise has merit:

While this project ranks well and holds promise as a cost-effective way to improve bus travel times and enhance the customer experience, it does not appear that the sponsor has coordinated sufficiently with CDOT on the project. It may require significantly more engineering than contemplated in the application. Staff's recommendation is to return in the2018 - 22 cycle with more engineering complete or potentially with one or two routes as a test.

This, though leaves open what the relationship of reinstating the express buses with the Bus Slow Zone application.. Maybe because one was RTA and the other was CTA. On the other hand, the application seems to have asked for additional things, such as queue jumps, limited bus lanes, etc. Maybe that's the part that wasn't adequately coordinated with CDOT, since it says that detailed engineering and implementation "would be performed" in close coordination with CDOT.

 

BTW: That application says that so much is being contributed "to reach the 20% local match..." so my last estimate was correct. I guess JARC is 50%.

 

[jajuan]

Reading about the bus slow zone elimination program on the CMAQ grants page,( http://chitransit.org/topic/3710-cmaq-grants/#comment-78453 ) got me curious enough to read about the proposal. Interestingly enough it features the 5 routes #49, #9, #79, #66 and #77. Now suddenly we have the emergence of #X49 and #X9 with features such as tsp. Not really that far from the proposal. Even though it wasn't recommended by CMAQ, it almost sounds like CTA went ahead with it anyway. Could the other 3 routes be the next routes? One thing, all those routes have alot of buses and could benefit off an express bus.

If this is correct, then the 25 electric bus project might still be alive, they just need to find the funding.

• Clearly, the electric bus application is separate.
• The Bus Slow Zone request is harder to figure out. The memo on that says there was insufficient coordination with CDOT so come back next year when CTA has more engineering, but the proposal otherwise has merit:

While this project ranks well and holds promise as a cost-effective way to improve bus travel times and enhance the customer experience, it does not appear that the sponsor has coordinated sufficiently with CDOT on the project. It may require significantly more engineering than contemplated in the application. Staff's recommendation is to return in the2018 - 22 cycle with more engineering complete or potentially with one or two routes as a test.

This, though leaves open what the relationship of reinstating the express buses with the Bus Slow Zone application.. Maybe because one was RTA and the other was CTA. On the other hand, the application seems to have asked for additional things, such as queue jumps, limited bus lanes, etc. Maybe that's the part that wasn't adequately coordinated with CDOT, since it says that detailed engineering and implementation "would be performed" in close coordination with CDOT.

 

BTW: That application says that so much is being contributed "to reach the 20% local match..." so my last estimate was correct. I guess JARC is 50%.

 

And with the 25 electric buses being a separate application, I wouldn't hold out too much hope trying to get funding for them getting resurrected before next year, which I'm guessing is the soonest they can reapply after being turned down this year.