BRT is Coming to Chicago! (Well, kind of...)
CDOT held a planning open house at the Chicago Architecture Foundation last night that focused on design options for the upcoming Central Loop BRT project. Myself along with about 100 other interested parties attended the event, which included presentations by CDOT Commissioner Gabe Klein and Deputy Commissioner Luann Hamilton. Follow the headline link for my full report at ChicagoBus.org.
I’m optimistic about the city’s BRT plans, but I’m still waiting to see Chicago develop what could become a “gold standard” for BRT in the United States. The Jeffrey Boulevard BRT, slated to open later this year, hardly even qualifies with BRT with rush hour-only bus lanes and souped up bus shelters. The Central Loop BRT is more promising, but isn’t traditional BRT in the sense that it serves only portions of multiple routes and will likely not include pre-paid boarding.
What I can only hope will be true BRT (serving an entire line with bus-only lanes, stations, and pre-paid boarding) will someday come to fruition along Ashland or Western. That project is still in the early planning stages.