New Report Shows Chicago Area Public Transit Needs Some Work
By Chuck Sudo in News on Feb 6, 2014 10:35PM
Poor planning, lack of communication between the Chicago region’s transit agencies and parts of the area not even served by public transit have resulted in “transit deserts” according to a new report drafted for the task force established by Gov. Pat Quinn charged with reforming the area’s public transit agencies.
The draft prepared for the Northeastern Illinois Transit Task Force by the Center for New Technology warns that the goal of doubling public transit in the area by 2040 will not be met unless efforts by the area’s transit agencies are “refocused with customer satisfaction as the primary objective.” Good luck with that.
The report repeated similar concerns from a previous one released in October by the Metropolitan Planning Council that determined a lack of coordination between CTA, Metra and Pace, competition between and duplication of efforts by the three agencies and a lack of accountability has resulted a system that doesn’t fully serve the people of the region.
The lack of coordination between the three agencies “creates operational inefficiency, redundant service and gaps in service,” the report read. Of particular note, “transit deserts” not served efficiently by public transit have formed along booming job centers in Oak Brook, Naperville and the I-90 corridor from O’Hare International Airport to Schaumburg. The report found most jobs in the region can’t be reached in a 90-minute commute.
The report recommends “new, broader mandate” to meet the region’s public transit and suggests better usage of ridership and housing resources, creating a plan to boost ridership and creating “performance measures” to reach those objectives.