The Chicago Transit Authority and Chicago Department of Transportation debuted a “citywide framework” Thursday that they say will improve bus service, but some transit advocates say the plan lacks specific goals and timelines.
“The hope is to establish a citywide framework to guide how the two agencies can utilize infrastructure to achieve faster and more reliable bus service, improved access to bus stops and better bus stops — in order to make travel times shorter and more consistent,” Jennifer Henry, CTA’s director of strategic planning and policy, said in an email.
As part of the Better Streets for Buses plan, tools under consideration to improve travel times include adding transit signal priority, which would allow a bus to send a request to a traffic signal to modify light timing and queue jumps, which give buses an early “go” light.
The CTA and CDOT, the nation’s second-largest transit system and the city’s department that oversees public infrastructure, aim to improve bus service across 17 corridors, or streets, including DuSable Lake Shore Drive. This includes adding bus lanes, making intersections more bus-friendly and upgrading bus stops. Some of the proposed improvements at the bus stops include building more shelters — as opposed to a pole with a sign — and adding heating, lighting and signs that track arrival time.
CTA and CDOT will work to combat “bus slow zones” that make travel times longer and more unreliable in three of the corridors.
The three haven’t yet been chosen, Henry said. Public outreach for which corridors to select will start in 2024, but how long it will take for improvements to move from conceptual design to implementation is unknown.
Other infrastructure changes being considered are adding crosswalks and improving sidewalks, expanding bus stops so buses have more space to merge back into traffic, and providing longer green-light times for streets that serve buses.
Kyle Lucas, co-founder of Better Streets Chicago, said he was glad to see the CTA develop a toolkit of different features that it can use at any bus stop or along any route instead of “having to reinvent the wheel all the time.”
But he and other transit advocates said they had hoped the plan would have more specifics, including a timeline.
“There’s no commitment made; calling this a plan is a little bit misleading. We’re still pushing for them to start making some real commitments and goals,” Lucas said.
He said he was glad to see the plan identifies corridors that are underserved by rail services, which most often affects Black and Brown riders who “get left behind in terms of services.”
Luca Harsh, co-founder of Commuters Take Action, said the group would like to see more transparency on how public feedback would directly lead to improvements.
“As we have seen in the past couple of years, ‘we’re gonna do it’ isn’t worth very much. We want to be able to see how far along they are in the plan,” Harsh said.
The CTA did not provide specifics on which improvements would be implemented or when.
“We will be developing a more specific timeline as we move forward,” Henry said. “There are a number of other advocacy groups that have been really supportive of” the plan.
Amy Rynell, executive director of the Active Transportation Alliance, said in a statement that her organization looks forward to supporting the implementation of the plan to create “a more equitable and reliable bus-riding experience for all Chicagoans.”
“We stand ready to support CTA, CDOT and the city in prioritizing making that vision a reality, as the economic and environmental health of our region depends on this investment in the bus-riding experience,” Rynell said.
When asked how long it would be before riders would see improved service through the plan, Henry said, “Better Streets for Buses is intended to be a long-term framework plan, and as such, implementation will be an ongoing and long-term effort.”
How much service will improve for riders isn’t yet clear. Different tools improve service at different rates, Henry said, and where these tools are implemented depends on community reception.
The public outreach effort and the development of the Better Streets for Buses plan were primarily funded by a $300,000 grant from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. Additional funding for construction will be needed, Henry said.
The plan was created with input from the public in 2022 with more than 1,300 residents providing feedback, which was “a key element” in choosing which corridors were included in the plan.
The proposal comes as the CTA struggles to address reliability issues and staffing shortages.
In 2022, CTA annual ridership was 243.5 million, with 140 million in bus ridership, according to the CTA’s website. As of October, bus ridership had increased 22% in 2023 compared to 2022.
The current numbers are far below prepandemic levels. In 2019, annual CTA ridership totaled 455.7 million with 237.3 million bus rides.
Bus riders, many of whom said they have had service issues in the past, said they were excited to hear about the possible improvements.
William Mendoza, 62, who has been using CTA buses since 1979, said he has waited more than 30 minutes to catch the No. 147 back home from work.
Over the past few years, he says, he believes bus service has gotten worse.
“I’m hoping to see improvement,” he said.
Laura Faletti, 27, says she takes the bus every day to commute to work. Faletti said she had dealt with “ghost” buses — the buses that electronic trackers show are coming but never arrive — and that she had been late to work before because of bus unreliability.
Once or twice a week, she said, she deals with a bus not showing up or being late.
“I’m glad to hear they’re working on it,” she said.
