I think the pilot routes Durbin mentioned are (mostly) a good start. Chicago Avenue is definitely a great candidate.
Halsted has some excellent potential as well, as alot of downtown auto commuters are people going to the West Loop for whom most bus and rail lines aren't convenient, and the 8 in its current state is VERY unreliable (true for commuters from both north and south). Further, a reliable and quick Halsted route also hooks Bridgeport into the rapid transit network, with quick connections to the Orange and Blue Lines.
As already mentioned, 79th doesn't make sense to me in the context of congestion mitigation.
North Michigan (from the river to Oak) is a good candidate for a bus-only lane (eliminate right turns at all but a few streets, viciously target cabbies doing pickups/dropoffs). I would argue that Western or Ashland could actually make great candidates: alot of congestion is caused by people making cross-town trips, which plugs up arterials (Ashland is an absolutely nightmare in rush hour) and the expressways. Diverting some of these to cross-town rapid transit could have a notable impact on congestion.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Abner
Hope this won't get lost in the BRT conversation: Viva, you've talked about how the O'Hare branch is being repaired to a 70 mph standard. Do you know whether they will run at that speed (or any speed over 55) with current trains, or will we have to wait for delivery of the new stock? I understand the existing cars can feasibly travel at that speed, but wasn't sure if CTA would allow it given their age and condition.
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The 2200s can only safely go about 60 or 65mph. 70mph won't happen until the new railcars are delivered and the 2200s fully retired. I do recall hearing they plan to upgrade to at least 60mph once the track project is done, though.