Chicago seeks public feedback on new bus plans

The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) is seeking public input on the development of its Better Streets for Buses plan, which will focus on improving services on key routes across the city.

Residents will be asked for feedback on options for bus improvements such as enhanced bus stops that improve accessibility, traffic signals that give buses priority, and bus-only lanes.

Working in partnership with the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), CDOT has launched an interactive public website and is providing other mechanisms for public comment, including by phone, text, and via paper comment cards distributed at key community locations.

“Developing the ‘Better Streets for Buses Plan’ with our partners at CTA will help achieve key benchmarks within our city’s Strategic Plan for Transportation that sets forth a vision and specific steps towards achieving greater equity through increased mobility,” said CDOT Commissioner Gia Biagi.

“CTA buses are accessible, affordable and available throughout the city and improving bus service is key to achieving transportation equity in Chicago.”

Interactive maps

The project website allows residents to put “pins” on interactive maps to indicate where they feel bus corridors should be prioritised, or where bus riders experience issues with buses or use of the street.

It also includes an ‘ideas wall’ about the types of street treatments that can be used, as well as examples of bus priority projects, CTA trivia, surveys, and a children’s activity book.

CTA President Dorval Carter said: “Buses reach across all of our neighbourhoods and for many it is their primary mode of travel.

“We’re committed to investing in the bus network to improve access to opportunity and ensure all Chicagoans have good options to reach jobs, schools, medical care, parks – and their friends and family. When streets work better for buses, buses work better for people.”

The agencies will host three virtual public meetings in May, where residents will have the opportunity to offer feedback.

The development of the plan is being supported by a US$300,000 Unified Work Plan grant administered by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, but funding for any infrastructure improvements has yet to be determined.

Image: David Wilson (Flickr)