Alderman Mary Ann Smith's Reaction to the CTA's Red Line Rush-Hour Service Cuts as part of the Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project
I. Introduction
The CTA slowdowns announced this winter can have potential long term effect on the 48th ward. After the 2 to 3 years of brown line repairs are complete, we may have an extended period of work on the Red line. We may be looking at a decade or more of disruption.
Appropriate solutions to the challenges presented by the CTA track upgrades should have both a citywide and local component. Even as the CTA does what it can shifting buses, routes, policies and timing, local areas can offer positive solutions that increase options and keep transit dependent areas moving forward.
We are going to advance a set of local options which can combine to maximize the number of people who stay on transit, even while keeping it a consideration for those who switch.
The options are also meant to empower local users who feel frustrated by the current situation. We want to give them a variety of practical, sensible alternatives. Finally, we want these changes to become models for better, long term transportation polices and modes which are so crucial to our reviving neighborhood.
II. Background
Chicago's 48th ward contains large parts of two of the densest and most transit dependent neighborhoods of Chicago -- Edgewater and Uptown.
Like many parts of the City, many residents commute into the central area to work, and travel throughout the City for shopping, errands, entertainment, schooling and so on.
Edgewater also sits at the nexus of north and northwest commuting patterns from feeder streets onto the LSD, a key arterial feeding the downtown. Consequently, traffic congestion is horrid at least twice a day.
For years, we have struggled to balance the parking demands of residents, commuters who drive in and park to board the El, local businesses and visitors to the lakefront. We have been a pioneer on traffic calming, adding green-space for quality of life, innovative parking pricing, bike commuting and car sharing.
The community has also seen, in the last decade, the gradual transition of a dangerous, unstable and crime ridden high density area, Kenmore Winthrop, into a more stable, moderately priced middle and working class neighborhood. But this neighborhood is profoundly dependent on transit for the work commute, and due to a glaring lag in retail, for other essential services as well.
The CTA's recent announcement of significant delays on the Red Line is a catastrophe for these communities. Coupled with the fact that following the Brown Line improvements, there will be years of slow down continuing on the Red Line until needed improvement are performed there, we have a very significant problem.
There used to be a sign at Granville saying "22 minutes to the loop." Last Tuesday, a 48th ward resident clocked it at 1 hr. 10 minutes to Randolph. (We believe it usually takes 40 to 60 minutes). Double that, both ways as predicted, and we are asking a commuter to spend two to four hours a day commuting to the loop. No way. They're going to move. Forcing gainfully employed residents out of an area we have fought so hard to reclaim is simply not an option.
III. Goals
IV. Strategies
To accomplish these goals, we will implement a package of small scale, sustainable programs and transportation options.
1. HOV Lanes. Designate one lane in each direction on Lake Shore Drive as an HOV lane. This will allow for buses to arrive & depart from downtown in a more efficient timeframe. This will be a particularly important provision as we increase the volume of lakefront express buses in order to compensate for the diminished Red Line capacity.
Explore designating specific interior streets with bus express lanes during rush hours. Options could include stripping parking for HOV/bus use only at those times, or designating a specific lane. It would require enforcement, but high enough penalties can alter behavior.
2. Additional bus service. At the 2-14-07 CTA Board Meeting, the CTA announced additional lakefront express and north-south arterial bus service. This is a welcome development. While we understand there are capacity/equipment limitations, we feel the CTA should examine adding some additional 147 Lakefront Express buses to the a.m. rush hour, and adding new lakefront express bus routes.
3. Carpooling/vanpooling. As a temporary response to the issues created by the CTA slowdowns and repairs, 48 will embark on a program that links residents, who must drive, together into HOV settings.
We are a high density neighborhood generally commuting to high density locations. The linking, mapping and communication software to accomplish this in a large scale and efficient manner already exists and has been tried and proven in other locations. We think this has big potential here.
4. Pricing mechanisms. Because downtown parking costs are seen as a disincentive to these programs, 48 will advocate that the City of Chicago Parking tax be waived during work hours for carpoolers and vanpoolers enrolled in the program. Enrolment will be open to all, regardless of location. We will suggest that the tax be raised on all others, to keep the revenue flow neutral. This will directly encourage others to carpool as well, further reducing congestion and making better use of downtown parking resources.
5. Multi-modal centers. We will create a series of highly visible neighborhood multi modal "centers" that function as Rail/Bus/bike/car sharing/shuttle nexi. These will be conveniently spaced throughout the neighborhood to maximize access, use and visibility. The goal is that by easily walking to any one of these centers, you can access rail/express bus/IGO/bikerental/shared rides/parking shuttle. These centers would expand the options for commuting downtown and expand access to neighborhood shopping options.
Eight sites are presently in discussion and will be publicized for community review in the near future.
6. Shopping Shuttles and We will lose greenspace as yards become parking pads and as demand for lots pressure schools, other institutions and new developments to lay as much asphalt as possible.
It will impact the fragile commercial districts as fewer residents walk by going to the El., as nighttime parking demands get more intense (creating friction between existing and growing restaurant districts and residents), and as homeowners and shoppers/users compete for spaces during the day.
If nothing else, the demand, so far largely resisted, for permit parking or other restrictive parking controls will reassert itself.
To counterweight this, we want to create Transportation Enhancement Districts that do a number of things:
8. Maintaining Ridership. All of these ideas will draw current riders concerned with the impact of these changes on their trips to pay attention to these proposals. This may provide a good venue for convincing some folks to use proposed CTA alternatives.
Every multi-modal station will be at a CTA bus stop and close to rail, with instructions and maps. This involves CTA or another vendor proving express service at those stops.
CTA can implement a pilot project for local cafes and businesses that tell riders where each bus is -- how far away. That way, we can wait inside or out, or choose to let a full bus go by for an empty one that follows.
Let the spaces become "Edgewater Artists and Entrepreneur Space" Let local artists, advertisers and vendors use the space to display what they do. They would be only open during certain times that they were monitored.
Like the Edgewater Antique Mall, cut each space into four or five booths. No amenities. One booth in each space is coffee, a book exchange and community information and announcements. And, once a month, free stuff like light bulbs or promotional beach balls or coupons. Or Music.
This isn't a perfect solution -- but it puts people and activities, short term, in very ugly space. It involves and empowers the community and maybe, it'll give a go-getter the perk they need to transition from an unknown to the next community Salvador Dali.
9. Increase access to Metra by re-opening closed stations along the Ravenswood line. Decades ago, Metra closed stations along the Ravenswood line accessible to local residents. We need to reopen those stations as a primary access point to the growing west loop district.
7. Transportation Enhancement Districts. One of the consequences of the CTA slowdown will be an increased demand for parking in 48. As newer arrivals demand spaces, and existing residents buy cars rather than moving, this will impact both our greenspace and our commercial districts.