Here are a list of improvements the Chicago metropolitan region could make to improve transportation and economic prosperity throughout the region
- Enhance security and farebox recovery by adding tap out on the subway/The-L
- LA Metro, BART, and NYC are all adding new fare gates for higher security and have seen substatial decreases in crime. LA Metro is adding tap-out which BART always has had and is seeing substatial reduction in time as well. This is more cost effective than hiring more human personnel for security.
- Involves replacing all faregates with higher security ones and readers on both sides
- Reactivate the St Charles airline:
-
- Allows through running through Union Station for the northbound Metra lines southward
- Increased access to museum campus and Soldier Field for events by placing a station at 18th street.
- South Shore and Metra Electric could run to Union Station, allowing for south side residents to more easily access the West Loop, Amtrak, Metra, and Greyhound.
- Eliminate closely-placed bus stops.
- This is one of my biggest gripes EVERY TIME I use the bus in Chicago. You have some bus routes that have stops placed at EVERY BLOCK. They are literally a 2 minute walk from each other! Eliminate half of these so it’s around a 5 minute walk to each bus station. Buses would run so much faster then. Yes, disabled users may have more of an inconvenience, however I think the benefits are worth it. If you’re concerned about disabled users having risks crossing the streets, that’s a sign that your streets and crossings are too dangerous and that they need to be fixed (raised curbs, shorter crossings)
- Use transit signal priority to speed up buses. There’s various flavors of transit signal priority, but one where we can guarentee TSP on routes with full priority and sped up schedules is what is needed.
- Get back our parking meters! The deal is terrible. It’s hard to exit. Ideas include:
- negotiating, moving spots, just road dieting more
- make driving impossible in chicago, close streets to traffic, etc. so the parking deal isn’t good for the owners anymore 🙂
- HAVE BUSES FOLLOW SCHEDULES. I’m pretty sure buses barely follow the schedule and can get bunched. they just drive their routes. have drivers actually follow the schedule. buses in japan do this and it’s so nice
- Declare to users in apps when busses are NOT RUNNING. Wow, then users aren’t surprised when a ghost bus doesn’t show up!
- Put bus schedules at stops
- wow japan does this. i can look at the schedule posted at the stop and know when the next bus comes, and it arrives. WOW.
- Fund capital improvements. WOW, CTA’s rolling stock, buses, and Metra’s rolling stock are all dying of old age and in desperate need of replacement.
- Red line extension is questionable.
- TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT. OMG. The land use along some L line stations is abysmal! And some it’s not even clear there’s a transit stop. Just older buildings. Metra has a long way to go too! They need to adopt the Japan style of using real estate to generate revenue! NITA allowed development within half mile of rail stops is a step in the right direction, however, they still need to conform to local zoning so… :/