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Vlajos Dec 6, 2017 6:12 PM

Is CTA definitely raising rates? If so, how much? What will the monthly pass cost?

emathias Dec 6, 2017 6:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vlajos (Post 8010392)
Is CTA definitely raising rates? If so, how much? What will the monthly pass cost?

Definitely doing it - the RTA is forcing them to. I've heard they're raising the base fares by a quarter, which seems fair given how long it's been since the last increase. I would guess that means that monthly passes will rise to either $110 or $115. It's possible monthly passes won't increase, though not likely.

Vlajos Dec 6, 2017 7:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emathias (Post 8010461)
Definitely doing it - the RTA is forcing them to. I've heard they're raising the base fares by a quarter, which seems fair given how long it's been since the last increase. I would guess that means that monthly passes will rise to either $110 or $115. It's possible monthly passes won't increase, though not likely.

Thanks, I agree, it's completely reasonable. Just curious what the increase will be.

Jim in Chicago Dec 7, 2017 6:41 PM

All this talk about the ORD express train makes me want to ask about the current condition of the Blue Line track (redux). Every time I ride it to the airport, which is more often than I'd like, it seems to be getting worse, even on the stretches that were recently redone. You just get flung from side to side repeatedly, particularly bad as you leave ORD, but on other stretches as well. Do the tracks really take that much of a beating from the trains or is this a case of shoddy work or planned obsolesence?

Mr Downtown Dec 8, 2017 2:15 AM

New CTA fares:

https://i.imgur.com/F60IG1n.png?1

Monthly pass goes to $105.

tjp Dec 8, 2017 3:14 AM

Totally reasonable. I thought train fare was $2.50 already :haha:

Randomguy34 Dec 8, 2017 12:10 PM

David Reifman was interviewed about a month ago by Walter Burnett about development in the city, and Reifman mention that the "Division" Brown Line stop won't get rebuilt until after the Belmont Bypass project gets built. His justification was that the Brown Line is already at max capacity, and adding an additional stop which will add thousands of riders to the Brown and Purple Lines will be too much for the system until frequency can be improved by the bypass project. Unfortunately, it looks like construction for the bypass won't begin until 2019, and construction is expected to take 4-5 years.

Vlajos Dec 8, 2017 2:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjp (Post 8012235)
Totally reasonable. I thought train fare was $2.50 already :haha:

Agreed, that's not even keeping up with inflation.

emathias Dec 8, 2017 4:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Randomguy34 (Post 8012480)
David Reifman was interviewed about a month ago by Walter Burnett about development in the city, and Reifman mention that the "Division" Brown Line stop won't get rebuilt until after the Belmont Bypass project gets built. His justification was that the Brown Line is already at max capacity, and adding an additional stop which will add thousands of riders to the Brown and Purple Lines will be too much for the system until frequency can be improved by the bypass project. Unfortunately, it looks like construction for the bypass won't begin until 2019, and construction is expected to take 4-5 years.

I wish the CTA could us some modern techniques to speed up their timelines on critical infrastructure work - could even save them money, possibly. I know it's relatively complicated to construct the bypass while running two of the busiest lines in the system through the site, but still seems like it shouldn't take 4-5 years to do it if they could.

ardecila Dec 8, 2017 7:59 PM

Will the few extra Brown Line trains from the Belmont Flyover project really add that much capacity? We just increased the capacity by 33% less than ten years ago with the increase to 8-car trains, and apparently it was filled up almost immediately. More importantly, if the Brown Line adds more trains, are there slots for them to enter the Loop? Already we have significant rush hour delays at Tower 18, I'm not sure more trains can be squeezed through.

If the Brown Line really is that maxed out that a station can't be added in a key area, maybe CTA should look at providing alternatives to the Brown Line like bringing back the #11 Lincoln bus, or switching the railcars back to longitudinal seating to pack more riders in.

PKDickman Dec 8, 2017 8:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ardecila (Post 8012980)
Will the few extra Brown Line trains from the Belmont Flyover project really add that much capacity? We just increased the capacity by 33% less than ten years ago with the increase to 8-car trains, and apparently it was filled up almost immediately. More importantly, if the Brown Line adds more trains, are there slots for them to enter the Loop? Already we have significant rush hour delays at Tower 18, I'm not sure more trains can be squeezed through.

If the Brown Line really is that maxed out that a station can't be added in a key area, maybe CTA should look at providing alternatives to the Brown Line like bringing back the #11 Lincoln bus, or switching the railcars back to longitudinal seating to pack more riders in.

It's not about adding brown line capacity. It is about getting rid of bottlenecks that ultimately limit capacity.
Right now, this bottle neck affects three lines so even a minor increase in capacity is tripled.
Next it'll be tower 18 and the loop. They'll probable need to shift Clark & Lake a bit to the east to keep trains from backing up to the junction.

WrightCONCEPT Dec 8, 2017 8:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emathias (Post 8012720)
I wish the CTA could us some modern techniques to speed up their timelines on critical infrastructure work - could even save them money, possibly. I know it's relatively complicated to construct the bypass while running two of the busiest lines in the system through the site, but still seems like it shouldn't take 4-5 years to do it if they could.

It seems that because they are dealing with two of the busiest lines in the system that this will take longer to build without significantly shutting down both lines to do the construction, which could probably shave a good 3-4 years off of the project.

MayorOfChicago Dec 8, 2017 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjp (Post 8012235)
Totally reasonable. I thought train fare was $2.50 already :haha:

I actually thought that too, that trains were $2.50 and the bus $2.25.

OhioGuy Dec 14, 2017 12:39 AM

Morning Commute Feeling More Crowded? Blue Line Sees Explosive Growth, Data Show
The California stop is seeing twice as many morning riders compared with 2002, and growth elsewhere on Blue Line’s O’Hare branch is far above average.

Quote:

t’s not just you. Blue Line trains along the O’Hare branch are getting more crowded during morning rush hour.

Uber and Lyft have chipped away at CTA ridership overall in the last few years, but morning rush hour use (between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m.) has increased 13 percent across all stations since 2002, according to a Chicago analysis of CTA data acquired through a Freedom of Information Act request. Northwest Side stations have seen the highest rates of growth.

Six of the top 10 stations with the biggest increase in morning rush hour use are along the northern branch of the Blue Line, including all stations between Belmont and Damen.
Quote:

Though there are no plans to increase the number of cars running during rush hour, the agency is focusing on how it spreads out trains during rush hour and plans to introduce new, upgraded train cars on the Blue Line within the next few years.

ardecila Dec 14, 2017 8:49 PM

I'm curious to see what CTA can do to ease congestion in the medium-long term. It's not as simple as just running more trains... the boarding process takes time, so you can only set the headways so low. Even just "running more trains" requires expensive signal upgrades to maintain safety, and require new policies to quickly deal with the inevitable disruptions like medical emergencies, crime/police activity, etc. You don't want trains running right on top of each other without really careful coordination.

The easiest quick fix is to rip out or reconfigure seating in cars. CTA did this before on the Brown Line, it eases rush hour congestion a bit but offers fewer seats for riders during off-peak periods. CTA could also go to a three-door configuration, again at the expense of seating (at this point, the cars would be very similar to those on the numbered subway lines in NYC).

In Paris, I remember a lot of the seats were flip-down, which might be a good compromise, although they would require a new etiquette among riders, and might be more prone to vandalism. Open gangways could also help, by spreading out passengers more evenly among the cars. Platform doors might also help, so riders know where to stand while boarding.

Thinking even more outside the box, CTA could improve bus service on Milwaukee with bus lanes on the most congested portions and encourage riders to switch to the bus. Certainly disabled persons would be more likely to switch, to avoid the vertical journey up or down to the L platforms.

OhioGuy Dec 15, 2017 7:47 PM

^ Expand the blue line to accommodate 10 car trains? It’s been talked about with the red line. How about blue as well?

streetline Dec 15, 2017 11:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by k1052 (Post 8020352)
Five buildings within three blocks of each other. SB is pitching a corporate campus to somebody.

Looking beyond just SB, practically every lot along the train tracks between Morgan and Union now has something substantial proposed to be built.

It seems to me like now would be a good time for the alderman and developers to get together and propose some improvements over the tracks themselves. A raised park-like path over the tracks could really tie the area together into a coherent campus. You could walk from the retail and residential area along Desplaines 5 blocks west to Morgan without ever descending to the rail level. And restoring the bridge at Sangamon as a pedestrian plaza as part of that could improve circulation and connectivity across the tracks.

And the developers are already going to be paying into the neighborhood fund so they might as well find ways to spend some of that money on their own services and projects even if that means they have to kick in a bit more to get the project to happen.

ardecila Dec 16, 2017 4:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by left of center (Post 8019962)
Because its so well served, I dont see major tenants with hundreds or thousands of employees leaving the Loop any time soon. I feel that the West Loop/Fulton Market will remain more of a niche office market, with smaller tenants and fewer employees. It won't realistically be able to sustain more than that. It will compliment the Loop, rather than rival it.

The Clinton Street subway would be a huge help with transit connections. The best aspect of it is that it would create a huge underground Loop for the Blue Line, allowing the Forest Park and O'Hare branches to split into 2 separate lines (which would loop around the Congess/Dearborn/Lake/Clinton 'superloop', much like the Orange, Brown, Purple and Pink lines currently do on the elevated Loop). This will allow the CTA to balance out the two lines. Currently, the O'Hare branch has packed trains while the Forest Park branch runs a bunch of empty trains. The CTA can then focus more train service for the Northwest Side and the airport, as opposed to the underused west side line, which has duplicate service with the Green line half a mile to the north.

The problem with this is you don't wanna cut Blue Line service to UIC or the Medical District. Also, the Blue Line continues to provide service to the West Side long after the Green Line shuts down. That's mainly why CTA runs all those empty trains.

I'd rather see the Clinton Subway to go the Brown Line and through-route to the Orange Line (with transfers to Green/Pink at Lake and Blue at Congress). That would massively decongest the Loop itself, which would just be Green, Pink and Purple. Or give Clinton Subway to Red Line, and run "Brownage" trains via State St.

VKChaz Dec 16, 2017 7:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ardecila (Post 8020965)
The problem with this is you don't wanna cut Blue Line service to UIC or the Medical District. Also, the Blue Line continues to provide service to the West Side long after the Green Line shuts down. That's mainly why CTA runs all those empty trains.

I'd rather see the Clinton Subway to go the Brown Line and through-route to the Orange Line (with transfers to Green/Pink at Lake and Blue at Congress). That would massively decongest the Loop itself, which would just be Green, Pink and Purple. Or give Clinton Subway to Red Line, and run "Brownage" trains via State St.

Hasn't the Central Area Plan already long envisioned the Blue Line running through Clinton and the formation of an underground loop....
https://www.cityofchicago.org/city/e...plandraft.html
Splitting lines could provide more flexibility to the CTA without major service changes.
Separately, I don't know if there would be any value to running a Midway line through as well - providing easy connections between two airports and Amtrak

PKDickman Dec 16, 2017 8:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by left of center (Post 8019962)
allowing the Forest Park and O'Hare branches to split into 2 separate lines (which would loop around the Congess/Dearborn/Lake/Clinton 'superloop', much like the Orange, Brown, Purple and Pink lines currently do on the elevated Loop).

This will allow the CTA to balance out the two lines. Currently, the O'Hare branch has packed trains while the Forest Park branch runs a bunch of empty trains. The CTA can then focus more train service for the Northwest Side and the airport, as opposed to the underused west side line, which has duplicate service with the Green line half a mile to the north.

The blue line O'hare's problem isn't that they don't have enough train cars.
It's butting up against capacity for three reasons. Electricity, headways and train length.
They don't have enough electricty to move any more cars or trains even if they wanted to. The headways are down to 3 minutes now. I doubt that they could ever get below 2 1/2 and 2 3/4 is probably where they will end up. Which will get two more trains an hour.

CTA rail already has the capacity to give every resident of the city their typical 6 mile trip every hour. The problem is they all want to ride the same six miles of the same three rails in the same direction.

IrishIllini Dec 16, 2017 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OhioGuy (Post 8020223)
^ Expand the blue line to accommodate 10 car trains? It’s been talked about with the red line. How about blue as well?

Does anyone know if the new stations along the red line built to load/unload 10 car trains?

Mr Downtown Dec 16, 2017 11:58 PM

^That's been the standard for decades.

bnk Dec 17, 2017 2:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PKDickman (Post 8021120)
The blue line O'hare's problem isn't that they don't have enough train cars.
It's butting up against capacity for three reasons. Electricity, headways and train length.
They don't have enough electricty to move any more cars or trains even if they wanted to. The headways are down to 3 minutes now. I doubt that they could ever get below 2 1/2 and 2 3/4 is probably where they will end up. Which will get two more trains an hour.

CTA rail already has the capacity to give every resident of the city their typical 6 mile trip every hour. The problem is they all want to ride the same six miles of the same three rails in the same direction.


And we cannot produce or obtain more electricity why?

IrishIllini Dec 17, 2017 2:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown (Post 8021275)
^That's been the standard for decades.

Really? Weren't the brown line stations extended for 8 cars not too long ago? Were they built out for 10?

Mr Downtown Dec 17, 2017 2:39 AM

CTA trains don't run on batteries. Electricity at 600 volts DC has to be distributed to points all along the lines. That means constructing new substations and distribution lines.

bnk Dec 17, 2017 2:48 AM

And we can't do that why again? Is it only cost or will, politics, or even the dreaded shadows?

Or is there a physical reason why we cannot produce enough electricity for the said line?

emathias Dec 17, 2017 3:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IrishIllini (Post 8021341)
Really? Weren't the brown line stations extended for 8 cars not too long ago? Were they built out for 10?

I believe they were built such that they could relatively easily be extended again, but that they can't berth ten car trains at present.

Busy Bee Dec 17, 2017 3:23 AM

Cue the transit electric traction engineer wonk with all the DC this AC that and 13,000 Mhz this and 25,000 Mhz that... god knows I don't understand most of it...

PKDickman Dec 17, 2017 3:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bnk (Post 8021349)
And we can't do that why again? Is it only cost or will, politics, or even the dreaded shadows?

Or is there a physical reason why we cannot produce enough electricity for the said line?

Money, mostly.
The kind of money it takes a decade to get and the kind of money that get put off whenever you go, hat in hand, to beg for money to deal with any of the other emergencies that will happen during that decade.
Here, read this:
http://chi.streetsblog.org/wp-conten..._FINAL_002.pdf

IrishIllini Dec 17, 2017 5:19 PM

Not to push my version of the Clinton/Larabee subway, but I think branching it from the red line would make the most sense initially. I'd eventually like to see it extended beneath Clybourn along the North Branch. The North Branch won't truly be competitive as an office market until it's more easily accessible to people who don't live on the north side or in north shore suburbs. Allowing people to get there from Union and Ogilvie at a minimum is crucial in my opinion.

ardecila Dec 17, 2017 8:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown (Post 8021275)
^That's been the standard for decades.

No, 8 cars is the (general) CTA standard. New stations like Morgan, Cermak-McCormick, etc all have 8-car platforms even if they don't see 8-car trains in normal service.

Oakton was kind of a special case... I believe it was value-engineered down to a 4-car platform, but was designed in such a way that it can be expanded to 8 cars later by converting a walkway leading to the north headhouse.

On the Red Line specifically, CTA has been doing some advance planning for ten-car trains. I believe Howard was the first station to open with an actual ten-car platform, the length is 520'. The new Wilson also has a 520' platform. Probably the new 95th will, as well, and any new stations built as part of RPM.

Fullerton and Belmont only have a 420' platform, but have the structure in place to extend the platforms later at minimal cost. They may choose to build this extension as part of the Belmont Flyover contract.

Pioneer Dec 18, 2017 6:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by left of center (Post 8019962)
Because its so well served, I dont see major tenants with hundreds or thousands of employees leaving the Loop any time soon. I feel that the West Loop/Fulton Market will remain more of a niche office market, with smaller tenants and fewer employees. It won't realistically be able to sustain more than that. It will compliment the Loop, rather than rival it.

The Clinton Street subway would be a huge help with transit connections. The best aspect of it is that it would create a huge underground Loop for the Blue Line, allowing the Forest Park and O'Hare branches to split into 2 separate lines (which would loop around the Congess/Dearborn/Lake/Clinton 'superloop', much like the Orange, Brown, Purple and Pink lines currently do on the elevated Loop). This will allow the CTA to balance out the two lines. Currently, the O'Hare branch has packed trains while the Forest Park branch runs a bunch of empty trains. The CTA can then focus more train service for the Northwest Side and the airport, as opposed to the underused west side line, which has duplicate service with the Green line half a mile to the north.

Your comment about the Blue Line Franklin Park trains being empty is patently incorrect. Or, maybe I just am not noticing this at the Washington Blue Line stop I cannot find a seat on the train to sit down on my way toward Forest Park in evening rush.

left of center Dec 18, 2017 9:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pioneer (Post 8022501)
Your comment about the Blue Line Franklin Park trains being empty is patently incorrect. Or, maybe I just am not noticing this at the Washington Blue Line stop I cannot find a seat on the train to sit down on my way toward Forest Park in evening rush.

I commuted from Forest Park to the Medical Center between 2002 and 2009, and I usually never had too much of an issue with finding a seat. I would board the inbound trains at 7:30 am and outbound at 5:30 pm. Compare that to the O'Hare blue during rush; forget finding a seat, try to fight for a spot to stand.

Outside of rush hour, the Forest Park trains are pretty lightly used, especially in the overnight hours. The trains literally run empty along Congress between 11 pm to 5 am. Service adjustments could be made independent of the volume on the O'Hare branch if they were 2 separate lines. It would give the CTA a lot more flexibility.

JK47 Dec 19, 2017 6:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ardecila (Post 8021763)
On the Red Line specifically, CTA has been doing some advance planning for ten-car trains. I believe Howard was the first station to open with an actual ten-car platform, the length is 520'. The new Wilson also has a 520' platform. Probably the new 95th will, as well, and any new stations built as part of RPM.

Fullerton and Belmont only have a 420' platform, but have the structure in place to extend the platforms later at minimal cost. They may choose to build this extension as part of the Belmont Flyover contract.


Are the non-loop subway platforms on the 420' format (so Clybourne, Division, Chicago, Grand, Harrison, Roosevelt)?

emathias Dec 19, 2017 7:54 PM

Don't they turn some Forest Park trains back West of Racine or IMD to reduce excess capacity on Forest Park line? I know they can, and I thought they actually do.

Edit: off-rush, they do turn back half of the trains West of Halsted according to the published schedule.

LouisVanDerWright Dec 20, 2017 6:24 AM

What blows my mind is that the Pink Line only runs 4 car trains. You'd think a line plowing through the heart of super dense areas like West Loop, IMD, Pilsen, and Little Village (not to mention all the way out into Cicero) would have the ridership to require bigger trains. That line quite possibly has the most slack for TOD type developments out of any in the system besides the Green Line which just runs through vacant lots for 75% of it's course.

ardecila Dec 20, 2017 7:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JK47 (Post 8023614)
Are the non-loop subway platforms on the 420' format (so Clybourne, Division, Chicago, Grand, Harrison, Roosevelt)?

It’s been discussed before in this thread... I can’t easily measure underground platforms in Google Maps, but I’ve heard the subway platforms are just barely long enough for ten cars, which would put them around 480’-500’. There’s no room for error, which causes problems when human motormen have to berth the trains. Some kind of assist technology would probably be needed to berth the trains quickly and reliably without trapping the folks in the last car...

As for the Pink Line, all platforms are already capable of 8 car trains. I have to imagine CTA would run longer trains in a heartbeat if they thought the demand was there. The only limitation is the size of the fleet, but with a new rail car order in process, now would be the time to order more. We’ll see what CTA does once the new 7000s get delivered.

I ride the Pink Line a decent amount, and it’s rarely crowded to the point of being uncomfortable, even at peak. Yes, it goes through dense neighborhoods, but not ones with a ton of downtown workers who commute at the peak of the peak. A lot of the commuters on the Pink Line are medical workers, students, and service workers who probably don’t work a regular 9-5. I’m worried that CTA will eventually decide to run 6-car trains, but less often, to free up more spots for the Brown and Purple Line on the Loop. I’d rather cram into a more crowded train that comes more often, if I get where I’m going sooner.

the urban politician Dec 20, 2017 2:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright (Post 8024479)
What blows my mind is that the Pink Line only runs 4 car trains. You'd think a line plowing through the heart of super dense areas like West Loop, IMD, Pilsen, and Little Village (not to mention all the way out into Cicero) would have the ridership to require bigger trains. That line quite possibly has the most slack for TOD type developments out of any in the system besides the Green Line which just runs through vacant lots for 75% of it's course.

That’s because it hasn’t been “discovered” yet by evil developers and their evil armies of yuppies who drink fancy cocktails

SolarWind Dec 24, 2017 9:18 AM

Van Buren Street Bridge Reconstruction
 
November 29, 2017



December 21, 2017


J_M_Tungsten Dec 24, 2017 4:54 PM

O wow, that’s cool. I’m so confused by that circle project, though. The staging on that project has to be intense.

MayorOfChicago Dec 26, 2017 3:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J_M_Tungsten (Post 8028473)
O wow, that’s cool. I’m so confused by that circle project, though. The staging on that project has to be intense.

I'm very curious to see it when it's FINALLY done. They're really going to squeeze a lot of lanes into that area. There are 16 lanes of traffic planned for between Adams and Jackson.

There are roughly 30 lanes of traffic that will be contained inside the Harrison, Van Buren, Halsted, Des Plaines block of roads.

IrishIllini Dec 26, 2017 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the urban politician (Post 8024644)
That’s because it hasn’t been “discovered” yet by evil developers and their evil armies of yuppies who drink fancy cocktails

I'm just theorizing here, but I think it's more so that the first "typical" station on the Pink Line isn't until 18th St. I'd guess most riders between Lake and Polk are arriving on outbound trains and leaving on inbound ones. 18th St. may be the first station to see more traditional commuters (inbound riders AM / outbound PM). This may be why the Pink Line doesn't need to consistently run 8 car trains. It may be the closest L line to having balanced ridership. I'll have to look into it.

The Pink Line could use stops at Roosevelt and Madison, but that'll only happen if there's a lot of infill. I also think it'd be beneficial if the Pink Line took a counter clockwise course after entering at Lake/Wells and instead of making the full loop, went south at Van Buren/Wabash and out to 63rd and Ashland. That would address issues of infrequent on the far south side and decrease congestion in the Loop since there'd be fewer trains making left turns at junctions (maybe inbound trains could use Wabash/Lake legs and not Wells/Van Buren?). Passengers would still have access to both sides of the Loop if they were coming on a Pink Line train that didn't use the Lake/Wabash legs of the Loop by transfer at four station of the shared stops on the west side.

IrishIllini Dec 26, 2017 10:15 PM

Does anyone know if the CTA keeps detailed data on L ridership? Can you see the ridership broken out into inbound and outbound trips? I assume the turnstiles are tracking that, but I don't have any concrete way of knowing.

PKDickman Dec 26, 2017 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IrishIllini (Post 8029414)
Does anyone know if the CTA keeps detailed data on L ridership? Can you see the ridership broken out into inbound and outbound trips? I assume the turnstiles are tracking that, but I don't have any concrete way of knowing.

Cta ridership reports give station totals, but turnstiles at most stations serve both directions. Where the stations have multiple entrances, they list them separately.
What I'd like to see is one broken down by time of day.

http://www.transitchicago.com/ridership/default.aspx

the urban politician Dec 26, 2017 11:57 PM

Pink Line at Roosevelt?

Sheesh... Like the fancy new investments at Blue Line and Belmont, I just have to laugh. I laugh at how much this city throws money away at auto oriented planning.

Property owners of sites with auto-oriented design should be penalized, not awarded with gleaming new train stations. They should pay a hefty tax for every surface parking spot. Look at that horrible Costco just north of Pilsen.

I'm so sick of this shit. The city's transit legacy is a gift from the past, but there are too many places where we squander it.

As a property owner myself, here is what I think is a fair proposal:

For commercial properties within 500 ft of a transit stop, the city implements a per-parking-spot tax of X dollars, beginning in 3 years, which goes up every year for 5 years until it reaches the goal rate.

IrishIllini Dec 27, 2017 1:12 AM

The area where the Pink Line crosses Roosevelt is very auto-oriented, yes. There's also a lot of vacant land and it's very close to downtown. We're not trying to retrofit Schaumburg here. BRT would work well on Roosevelt IMO. A Pink Line station there would only increase the area's attractiveness to multi-family/mixed use developers.

Mr Downtown Dec 27, 2017 7:20 PM

. . . who can't build there because it's all IMD land.

IrishIllini Dec 27, 2017 9:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown (Post 8029802)
. . . who can't build there because it's all IMD land.

There are quite a few large scale redevelopment opportunities along both Ashland and Roosevelt in this area and both streets have real potential for effective BRT. Pretty much everything within the boundaries of Western, Roosevelt, Halsted, and the BNSF could be razed IMO. I understand some of that is IMD land, but certainly not all. There are higher priority redevelopment sites in the city, but this area could be something special.

PKDickman Dec 27, 2017 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IrishIllini (Post 8029897)
I understand some of that is IMD land, but certainly not all.

Virtually all.
Oakley to Ashland, down to 14th is all IMD.
East of Ashland, it's a dog's breakfast of instututional developments.

IrishIllini Dec 28, 2017 12:53 AM

Is there a reason(s) that IMD owning land has anything to do with a Pink Line stop at Roosevelt? I'm assuming that people would be working or visiting these future IMD buildings. I guess they could always add more surface parking? :shrug:

OTOH, even if all of the IMD land was developed without any residential component due to zoning and the FBI's campus remained as is, that presence plus the ongoing redevelopment to the east would make Roosevelt a good candidate for an L station. IMD's mission is to be a world leader in patient care and research while also driving economic growth. I don't see why they'd be opposed to a station there. If they are successful in their mission, it would certainly improve access to future buildings on the south side of the district.


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