Changing Direction

Center for Neighborhood Technology

Changing Direction: Transportation Choices for 2030

Center for Neighborhood Technology

The general public has been excluded for too

long from transportation decisions in North-

eastern Illinois. Given the opportunity, the citi-

zenry would fundamentally reform transporta-

tion planning to accomplish broader regional

goals. The overall vision the public prefers

would provide more transportation choice; in-

clude the public in transportation decision-mak-

ing; re-invest in existing communities; invest

to enhance land use and quality of life goals;

provide a safe travel environment with im-

proved accessibility for all; create a cleaner

environment and preserve open space; and

equalize the distribution of resources.

Summary of the Publi

Summary of the Public'

c'c'

c'

c's Plan

s Plan

How the Plan Was Developed

Connecting Communities Summits were held in eleven local areas of the

Northeastern Illinois region between April of 2001 and August of 2002 to

facilitate public involvement in transportation planning. Before each sum-

mit, local and regional partners assisted Center for Neighborhood Technol-

ogy staff to invite a broad spectrum of the general public. "Mini-summits"

were held to supplement the data collected at the geographic summits. Mini-

summits were aimed at targeted groups that were not strongly represented

in the summit process, or groups that have special needs and concerns.

A summit report was written for each area, based on the priorities expressed

by the public. Summit participants met a second time to review, amend

and approve their report. Summit and mini-summit reports can be obtained

at www.cnt.org/2030 or by calling 773 278-4800, ext. 2030.

Changing Direction: Transportation Choices for 2030 is the synthesis of

summit and mini-summit reports. This plan reaffirms and expands on the

goals and principles of the Citizen Transportation Plan (1995).

Acknowledgments

The Center for Neighborhood Technology wishes to acknowledge and thank the many local and regional partners who

helped to make this process successful. Partner organizations are listed on the back cover. Acknowledgement and thanks

are also offered to the individuals from throughout the region who commented on and helped refine this report: Alba

Alexander, Eraina Dunn, Amanda Eichelkraut, Sue Harney, Ben Helphand, Richard Martin, Steve Perkins, and Sheila

Schultz. Photos on pages 2, 5, 7 and 11 were provided by Sustain. Maps were produced by CNT.

Maps and budgets were used to help people

set realistic priorities.

RECOMMENDATIONS

RRRRReallocate spending priorities to provide choice.

eallocate spending priorities to provide choice.

Improve transit options for all users and potential users.

Create safe walk

Create safe walkable and bik

able and bik

able and bikeable streets.

eable streets.

Ensure the efficient movement of freight through the region.

Encourage sustainable land uses.

Integrate regional transportation plans with High Speed R

Integrate regional transportation plans with High Speed Rail initiatives.

ail initiatives.

Design communities that promote physical activity

Design communities that promote physical activity.....

RRRRReallocate funds to better serve the safety needs of non-motorized users.

eallocate funds to better serve the safety needs of non-motorized users.

Minimize transportation impacts on the natural environment.

Ensure that transportation planning agencies respond to the public.

Improve accommodations for travelers with different abilities.

1

Changing Direction: Transportation Choices for 2030

New Choices for a New Century

A quiet revolution is taking place in Chicagoland.

*

This revolution opposes destructive state and regional

policies that have reduced the public's choices and

degraded communities for the last half-century.

Many of the most successful suburban communities

have begun to revitalize their town centers, or have

even built town centers where none existed before.

Whole communities have risen up to reject "big box"

stores, usually for fear of traffic nightmares or to

preserve a cherished downtown. Citizens in various

parts of the region have challenged plans from the

state department of transportation that would turn their

local roads into speedways.

In the City of Chicago another sign of revolution is

apparent in changing demographic trends. The city's

population rose in 2000 for the first time since 1950,

fueled primarily by an increase in the Hispanic

population. White flight still occurred between 1990

and 2000 but a countermovement was evident with

former suburbanites moving into city neighborhoods,

seeking the convenience and energy of walkable

communities served by multiple transit routes. There

is a growing awareness in urban and suburban

communities of the efficiency and dynamism of "old

fashioned" places.

Generational change is progressing as steadily as

ethnic change. The baby boom generation will reach

retirement age in the first quarter of the 21

st

century.

The ranks of non-drivers, and of people using

wheelchairs and other auxiliary devices, is about to

rise dramatically. The region has not been configured

to meet a growing senior population's needs.

Northeastern Illinois residents are acutely aware that

their tax money fuels the restriction of their choices

and the encroachment of traffic on their

neighborhoods. The public is dissatisfied with the

emphasis on roadway expansion over transit options.

The most basic, inexpensive and healthful mode of

travel walking is effectively prohibited in some

places and dangerous in most.

*

Chicagoland, or the Northeastern Illinois region, includes the six counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will.

Some people want to work and play in the same place.

Summit Attendees

The 500-plus Chicagoland residents who gath-

ered at Connecting Communities Summits and

mini-summits in the first two years of this new

century believe that their tax dollars are not be-

ing invested wisely to meet the challenges of

the new century. They expressed their dissatis-

faction in ways as diverse and unique as their

local communities, but their concerns can be

captured collectively by one word choice.

The summit attendees were representative of the

region in their travel habits. As a group, they

reported in surveys that their primary way of

moving around their communities and the re-

gion was by car. Yet by an eight-to-one margin

they preferred expanded transit options over con-

struction of new roads.

2

Center for Neighborhood Technology

Who Pays? We Pay!

Taxpayers Shoulder the Burdens

The costs taxpayers incur to facilitate individual

movement at the expense of collective access are

much too high. The public pays three times for the

transportation choices made available by state and

regional planning agencies. First, taxes fund

construction and maintenance of various

transportation projects. Individuals and families pay

a second time to make household transportation

purchases, based on the infrastructure choices

available to them. Taxpayers pay a third time to

mitigate air and water quality impacts of the

transportation system and for

health care costs caused by air

pollution and a lack of routine

physical activity.

Because of a lack of travel options

in some areas, transportation costs

consume an increased portion of

household budgets. People use a

variety of terms to describe

dissatisfaction with consequences

of "auto-dependence," "the

automobile mono-culture" or

"auto-centric culture." They have

good reason to be dissatisfied.

The Impact of Sprawl

According to research published in

Driven To Spend,

1

there is a

correlation between sprawl and

increased transportation costs.

With sprawl development the only

viable travel option is the most

expensive; choice is limited.

Although regional growth is

inevitable, the current investment

in new roads can be channeled into

other transportation options to

improve community access,

environmental quality and

household investment options.

Transportation and the Household Budget

Transportation, the second highest expenditure in the

household budget, consumes a national average of

18 cents out of every household dollar or $6,312

annually.* Only housing consumes more of the

average household budget. Income devoted to home

ownership creates household wealth. Auto ownership

creates debt. The weight of household transportation

spending is especially burdensome for lower income

people who are forced to spend up to 36 cents out of

every dollar on transportation.

Auto Costs in the Six-County Region Are Much Higher For

Households Distant From Town Centers

*

Census figures for 2000 indicate that nationally the transportation portion of the average household budget is now 19%.

3

Changing Direction: Transportation Choices for 2030

Household transportation expenditures in the six

counties of Northeastern Illinois consume about 15%

of the average family's budget. This region has the

second largest transit system in the nation. The

availability of public transit reduces the regional

average for household transportation spending by

$876 per year, when compared to the national average.

Local variations in household transportation expense

correlate directly with the amount of transit available

in a particular community (see figure above) and to a

lesser extent with the safety and convenience of

pedestrian and bicycle options.

The Regional Budget for Transportation

The official 2020 Regional Transportation Plan

2

calls

for spending $40 billion on transportation

infrastructure between 2000 and

2020. When the Chicago Area

Transportation Study (CATS)

expands the plan by an additional 10

years, to 2030, that number is likely

to rise to at least $60 billion. Sixty

billion dollars seems like a huge sum

of money, but spread over 30 years

and eight to ten million residents, it

is just above $200 per year per

person. This is very little compared to

the household expenditures driven by the

availability or lack of travel choice.

If current spending patterns are carried

forward over the next 30 years, almost

60% of all transportation investment will

be directed to road maintenance and

construction. About 40% of the region's

investment will go to maintain and build

transit. Less than one half of one percent

will be dedicated to walking and

bicycling.

This investment pattern causes

individuals to pay increased household

transportation costs to compensate for the

region's lack of transportation choice.

Federal transportation law was changed

a decade ago to allow more flexible spending with

what had previously been designated "highway

funds." Both the public and federal government

support transportation "choice" but transportation

planning agencies in this region have not seized the

opportunity to retarget highway dollars.

Federal transportation

law was changed a

decade ago to allow

more flexible

spending with funds

designated for

highways.

RECOMMENDATIONS

RRRRReallocate spending priorities to provide

eallocate spending priorities to provide

choice.

Move funds from highway construction into

transit, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.

Integrate transportation infrastructure

decisions with strategies that reduce incentives

to drive, like Location Efficient Mortgages

SM

,

car sharing, "live-near-work" policies, transit-

oriented development and "green insurance."

Lowest A

Lowest Average Auto Costs

verage Auto Costs

Oak Park

5,232

Evanston

5,407

Cicero

5,444

Berwyn

5,501

Harwood Heights

5,573

Elmwood Park

5,618

Highwood

5,693

Blue Island

5,739

Maywood

5,740

Forest Park

5,727

Highest A

Highest Average Auto Costs

verage Auto Costs

Old Mill Creek

7,068

Mettawa

7,049

Bull Valley

7,041

Barrington Hills

7,034

Prairie Grove

7,000

Wayne

6,987

Wadsworth

6,968

Long Grove

6,958

Spring Grove

6,955

South Barrington

6,947

Highest and Lowest Average Household Auto Costs

by Suburban Municipality

4

Center for Neighborhood Technology

What Do Taxpayers Want?

Rail transit is highly desired everywhere in the region.

Transit is the Highest Priority

Voices are rising across the region for transit

improvements. Grassroots citizens and community

activists chose transit over new roads by an eight-to-

one margin to improve transportation in the region.

Other constituencies have voiced similar priorities.

The Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission

(NIPC) held a number of public meetings about

regional issues in 2001 and 2002 comprised largely

of governmental officials.

3

Chicago Metropolis 2020,

a business coalition formed to address regional issues,

conducted outreach directed primarily to the business

community.

4

Both the NIPC and the Metropolis 2020

outreach processes uncovered a strong desire for more

transit options, supporting grassroot priorities. The

region is united in its desire for transportation choice.

Transit choice allows residents to achieve several

mutually beneficial goals. Pedestrian traffic near

stations and bus stops stimulates local economic

development projects. Reduction of auto use achieves

environmental benefits. More transit options provide

increased access for populations with disabilities,

seniors and children. Household transportation

spending can be re-directed from investment on

depreciating assets to investment in appreciating

assets like education or housing. Or families can

improve their quality of life with discretionary

purchases.

Increase Rail Transit

The desire for increased rail transit was heard through-

out the entire region. City residents on the South and

West Sides face difficult commutes. The new rail

projects most frequently mentioned in the city were

the Mid-City Transitway, the Red Line Extension to

130

th

Street and the Gray Line.

5

The desire for increased rail service was equally strong

in suburban areas and produced a greater mixture of

project proposals. New service to facilitate travel from

suburb to suburb was the most significant transit pri-

ority in suburban communities. In the Calumet area

where jobs are scarce, and in North/Northwest Cook

County, where commuters pour onto local roads on the

way to work, rail transit is seen as a highly desirable

way to create additional job access. In the built-up

suburbs of DuPage County and West Cook County,

congestion increases with every road expansion; tran-

sit is seen as a viable and attractive alternative to high-

way expansion proposals, especially as an alternative

to widening I-290 in the Western suburbs. Recent re-

ports that the reconstruction of the "Hillside Strangler"

cost $140 million and created two years of construc-

tion slow-downs but made no appreciable difference

in travel times

6

offer hard evidence that current state

transportation policies create expensive failures rather

than travel choice.

Improve Bus Service

Citizens had numerous ideas for improving bus service

throughout the region. They would like to see a grid of

service wherever possible, rather than routes that

meander over an irregular course. They seek more

frequent bus service to enhance its practicality. Bus-

only lanes at choke points were seen as a solution to

the impact of auto congestion on bus schedules.

Express bus service on existing, heavily traveled routes

5

Changing Direction: Transportation Choices for 2030

would decrease travel time on buses. Automated signal

pre-emption is seen as a necessary enhancement to

expedite bus travel. In places where rail is desirable,

but impractical for fiscal or other reasons, the public

would like to begin to implement Bus Rapid Transit

systems, using a combination of existing roadway and

new exclusive bus lanes. There was strong support in

many different communities for conversion of transit

fleets to alternative fuel vehicles.

To increase transit use for the

80% of trips that do not involve

the work commute,

7

the region

will need to provide new flexible

types of service. Trolley and

shuttle bus service were seen as

viable alternatives for local travel.

Travel within towns and between

adjacent towns, as well as trips to

malls, health facilities, schools

and colleges could be met by

marketing trolleys as an attractive alternative for short

auto trips. Demand-responsive systems for populations

with disabilities, especially those for whom mainline

service is not available or not an option, need to be

integrated across local boundaries.

Pedestrian Access is Fundamental

Pedestrian access is an essential component of both

bus and rail transit. Streetscapes that are comfortable

for pedestrians are an incentive to transit use. Ample

sidewalks and ramped crossings within one-half mile

of all rail stations and bus stops should be the standard

in all areas of the region. Attractive, well lit waiting

areas with shelters and benches emphasize that

pedestrians are an integral part of the landscape.

Link Transit and Cycling

Some transit operators have taken impressive steps to

link transit and bicycles, a policy that meets with strong

approval from the public. Pace has outfitted its whole

fleet of buses with bike racks; use of the racks

quadrupled between 2001 and 2002, to over 1100 riders

a month in mid-summer.

8

The Chicago Transit

Authority has begun to install bike racks on its bus

fleet and allows bicycles on the rail system during all

but the heaviest rush hour periods. Metra has been

very slow to respond to the public's call for better

links between bicycle and train travel, in spite of the

success of bicycle accommodations by other transit

systems locally and across the nation.

Getting to transit by bicycle can be a larger challenge

than getting on it. The public can not understand why

the simple and inexpensive enhancements needed to

accommodate bicycles on the streets within a few

miles of transit are not done routinely. Ample bike

parking at all train stations and most bus stops is

another simple and inexpensive incentive to cycle.

Promote Transit-Oriented Development

Transit-oriented development is seen by the public

as a sensible and sustainable way to encourage

economic growth without the unfavorable impacts of

remote malls and "big box" stores. Shops and services

near stations increase the local tax base. Transit-

The Loop is one of many transit destinations.

Linking CTA, Metra

and Pace - a

relatively

inexpensive step -

would increase

access and mobility

for everyone.

6

Center for Neighborhood Technology

oriented development creates a sense of shared

public space and a center for the community. In

turn, the economic and community activities around

a station draw increased riders to the transit system.

Transit-oriented development doesn't just evolve in

most places. It must be planned. One of the largest

barriers to robust transit-oriented development is the

dedication of acres of land around stations to auto

parking. In many communities, residents initially

expressed the desire to increase parking to entice

commuters to use transit, as well as expressed a

desire to create transit-oriented development at local

stations. To resolve the potential conflict, the public

supported comprehensive transit-oriented

development as the highest priority, with increased

bus feeder service or with parking at a more remote

location served by shuttle vehicles.

Minimizing parking will create an attractive transit

environment, discourage short auto trips (over half

of the emissions of a trip are released in the first 8.5

minutes after starting a cold engine),

9

allow for

ample bus boarding/disembarking areas near train

stations, and maximize revenue to communities from

tax-generating land uses.

Coordinate Existing Systems

Another transit theme is sounded

throughout the region: better

coordination of existing transit

systems. Since public dollars

have already funded existing

investments, taxpayers would

like to maximize their benefit.

The relatively inexpensive step

of linking CTA, Metra and Pace

service and fare structures would

increase access and mobility for

everyone, facilitate reverse

commutes and non-radial

commutes and increase the ease

and attractiveness of using

transit.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Improve transit options for all users and potential

users, coordinate existing service and create a

transit-

transit-supportive environment.

supportive environment.

Serve existing communities with a variety of

transit options.

Increase state funding for transit and dedicate

some federal highway funds to transit projects.

Employ a multi-modal approach that emphasizes

clean and healthful access to transit nodes.

Extend bus service to allow evening and weekend

travel on all routes.

Retrofit transit fleets to use alternative fuel vehicles.

Revise the RTA charter to enforce coordination of

transit operations, eliminate competition between

service boards and equalize the RTA tax structure.

Pedestrian traffic is critical to the success of most transit systems.

7

Changing Direction: Transportation Choices for 2030

Provide a Full R

Provide a Full Range of Options

ange of Options

Invest in Pedestrian and Bicycle Paths

Seniors who remember safe, neighborly city streets

now fear crossing local intersections. People with

disabilities face mobility limitations caused by poor

sidewalk surfaces and a lack of ramps at crosswalks,

not to mention the absence of sidewalks in some

communities. Parents drive children to nearby

activities or to school for fear of traffic injuries,

reducing opportunities for independence and physical

activity. Without resorting to the expensive option of

purchasing a car, many teens in suburban communities

are housebound. Cyclists everywhere report the

constant hazards of moving within traffic that is

indifferent or hostile to their rights as travelers.

Currently, only one half of one percent

of regional transportation dollars fund

bicycle and pedestrian improvements.

For every two lane-miles of new road-

way, it is possible to build 100 miles of

sidewalk or bike path.

10

The public

made strong recommendations for ma-

jor increases in pedestrian and bicycle

options. In addition to improved ac-

cess, the public expects to attain other

goals by reducing encroachment of

roads on human-scaled infrastructure.

The taxpaying public believes that pedestrians and

cyclists are treated like second class citizens. The

deeper truth is that even the minimal funds used for

their benefit are applied disproportionately. While the

state funds 80% of roadway expenditures and local

communities pay 20%, sidewalks are funded at a 50/

50 state-to-local match.

11

Eliminate Hazards

Pedestrians and cyclists from every area of the region

who try to co-exist with traffic on existing streets feel

threatened. Multi-lane roadways in DuPage County

were reported to be formidable barriers to both

pedestrians and bicyclists. Bicycle lanes were proposed

for rural roads in Will and McHenry Counties. Paving

a small portion of the shoulder in rural communities

would add little expense relative to the benefit gained.

In city neighborhoods there was a groundswell of

support for policies to reclaim urban streets.

Northsiders were particularly vehement about

pedestrian rights. Among recommendations made

throughout the city were wider sidewalks, street

furniture, pedestrian plazas, roadway redesign to

slow traffic, stronger enforcement of pedestrian and

bicyclist rights, improved pedestrian and bicycle

access to transit stations, and even covered bike trails

for winter use. "Car-free villages" were

recommended for city neighborhoods in the Central

Area of Chicago.

Improve Crossing Signals

Other recommendations applied more generally to

all areas of the region. Improvements were

suggested to crossing signals. In some cases the

timing was not sufficient for all pedestrians to cross

the roadway safely. Audible signals to aid visually

impaired travelers were also recommended. In both

city and suburban communities there were

recommendations that sidewalks and bicycle routes

be plowed in winter. Current snow plowing

practices often obstruct crosswalks and bikeways.

Facilitate Purposeful Cycling

While the public, including those who don't cycle,

proved to be very receptive to bicycle infrastructure,

there was consensus that in some places bicycle

infrastructure is exclusively recreational; too little

priority is placed on bicycle travel to commute to

work or to accomplish household errands. The City

of Chicago and some suburban municipalities have

made a good start in providing some safe, functional

routes and some bike parking near transit and

commercial areas. The public has responded so well

that bike racks in many areas are filled to capacity.

This is evidence of the wisdom and fiscal

responsibility of these modest investments. The

demand for both recreational and purposeful travel

options was extremely strong everywhere and often

linked to the desire to access transit easily and

efficiently.

"Car-free

villages" were

recommended

for city neigh-

borhoods.

8

Center for Neighborhood Technology

Plan for a Full Range of Trips

This region's planning and construction policies have

focused disproportionate attention on ways to

accommodate the vehicles in which people commute

to jobs. Yet the commute to work is only one of the

five daily trips the average person makes.

The transportation projects that should facilitate trips

to schools, daycare, the cleaners, health facilities, the

friend who lives a half mile away or a recreation site

are often very different from the projects designed for

the work commute. Because appropriate options are

not offered for non-work trips, commuters must often

compete with other travelers for limited road space,

frustrating both groups. The region needs to determine

the most efficient way to accommodate a variety of

trips to reduce congestion, improve air quality and

promote choice.

Strategies to Move Freight

The region's ability to plan for freight movement has

become just as irrational as its investments to move

people. Communities in the South, West and Southwest

parts of the region appeal for a coordinated strategy to

address rail and road intersection conflicts with a

system of grade separations.

Freight shipment and transfer is a vital part of the

regional economy. The movement of freight is itself

an important industry that adds more than $8 billion

per year to the regional economy and employs more

than 135,000 people in the region.

12

Freight service is

essential for every industrial business, and freight

distribution puts products on the shelves of every store.

Better planning could increase the freight sector's

employment and financial benefits but reduce the

negative impacts of congestion and air pollution. Many

rail lines abut vacant land in Chicago's South Side and

in the South Suburbs; better planning could enhance

economic development in the areas where it is most

needed.

Integrated freight transportation planning means

guiding the location of industrial businesses and making

strategic public investments that will allow freight to

move by efficient types of transportation such as

railroad or barge. When planning is not integrated,

trucks carry a disproportionate share of total freight.

Freight moved by truck causes three times more air

pollution per load than loads carried on rail. Truck

shipments also clog the roadways and increase

pavement maintenance costs. Because freight

planning has not been coordinated in Northeastern

Illinois more than 90% of large freight loads are

moved by truck.

13

Industrial Redevelopment Opportunities Near Rail Lines

Waterways, Highways and Rail Intersect Near Vacant Land

in the South Suburbs

9

Changing Direction: Transportation Choices for 2030

Encourage Land Use Reform

A dual approach is needed to address the transportation

crisis so clearly identified by the public. In addition to

new transportation policies, land use reforms are

necessary. Municipalities should amend their local zoning

ordinances to encourage compact development to support

transit, if their residents are to reap the benefits of choice.

Residents of suburban communities often articulate a need

for "corner stores" and other amenities near their homes,

to reduce their daily car trips and free roadway space for

longer trips. In many places single-use zoning requires

residents to "use a gallon of gas to get a gallon of milk."

Use "New Urbanist" Designs

The public addressed the growing use of "New Urbanist"

design

14

to create streetscapes that promote walking,

bicycling and transit. Buildings with windows and

porches facing the street offer an inviting streetscape.

Blank walls and garage doors do not. Sidewalks that are

uninterrupted by driveways draw more use, are seen as

safer and are less obstructed by parked vehicles.

Developments laid out in a grid pattern offer walkers,

cyclists and transit users predictable options. Curved

streets and cul-de-sacs can present an incomprehensible

challenge to neighbors from the other side of town.

Parking lots separating commercial buildings from street

activity present a pedestrian with a gray sea to cross

territory in which he or she clearly does not "belong."

Commercial buildings near to where people begin their

errands (from home or work), with comfortable access

routes for walkers, bikers and transit users and modest

amounts of parking, promote community vitality.

Businesses that can be reached by many modes can invest

in expansion instead of investing in the construction and

maintenance of auto-storage facilities.

Transportation Policies and Land Use Plans

Should Not Conflict

The public believes that there must be efforts to ensure

that transportation policies don't continue to sabotage land

use planning. There are better roadway configurations

than those that currently assault some communities. One

remedy is called Context Sensitive Design.

15

Context

Sensitive Design does not disrupt or hamper local

community safety. The historic, cultural and

economic attributes of a community are respected by

this new methodology. Roadways are adapted to fit

community context, rather than the community being

forced to adapt to the limitations imposed by the road.

Support the Development of High Speed Rail

High Speed Rail offers a new opportunity to the

region, one that is highly supported by the public for

economic as well as transportation benefits. Full

realization of those benefits will be highly dependent

on the extent to which High Speed Rail is integrated

and coordinated with existing ground and air

transportation systems. Infrastructure improvements

needed for dependable High Speed Rail service, such

as grade separations with roadways and intersecting

railroads, will benefit freight service as well, and will

provide safety improvements for all.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Create safe walk

Create safe walkable and bik

able and bik

able and bikeable streets.

eable streets.

Redesign roadways to be multi-modal and

sensitive to community context.

Fund bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure at

the same state-to-local ratio as roads, i.e.,

80/20 versus 50/50.

Commit at least 5% of regional

transportation resources to bicycle and

pedestrian infrastructure.

Improve signage, signalization, crosswalks

and provide pedestrian amenities.

Empower a public agency

Empower a public agency, with public

, with public

participation, to mak

participation, to make integrated plans and

e integrated plans and

strategic investments to ensure the efficient

movement of freight through the region.

Encourage land uses that support mixed-use

zoning

zoning, transit-

, transit-

, transit-oriented development and

oriented development and

compact design.

Integrate regional transportation plans with

High Speed R

High Speed Rail initiatives.

ail initiatives.

10

Center for Neighborhood Technology

A Broader Vision

Daily exercise becomes a habit over time.

Improve the Region's Quality of Life

The transportation infrastructure choices the public

makes are deeply embedded in the broader goals they

cherish for the region. Priorities spring from a deep-

seated belief that these investment decisions are

fundamentally quality of life decisions. The public

believes the role of transportation engineers should

be to implement regional policy decisions in the most

efficient, cost-effective manner, not to determine

regional policies. In this region the taxpayers perceive

that they have been excluded from these decisions for

decades by transportation agencies.

*

Choice Promotes Health and Safety

Auto use is heavily advertised as the way to reach the

American Dream, but instead has steadily degraded

the quality of life for the American public.

Obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other health prob-

lems related to inactivity are on the rise across the

country. According to the Centers for Disease Con-

trol and Prevention, 22 states reported that at least one

of every five people was obese in 2000.

16

Thirty-eight

percent of the population of Illinois is overweight and

nearly half lead sedentary lifestyles.

17

The medical

community has just begun to study the impact of daily

transportation choices on overall activity levels.

As conditions for biking and walking have declined,

so too have rates of physical activity. Across the

nation, the number of trips people take on foot has

dropped 42% over the last 20 years.

18

There has been

a decrease in the average number of pedestrian

fatalities recently, but many public health experts

speculate that the reduction is due to the decrease in

overall pedestrian travel rather than to safer conditions.

There were 4,763 pedestrian fatalities, in the United

States in 2000, down from 5,584 in 1995.

19

In Illinois,

pedestrian injuries account for almost 15% of all traffic

deaths, but receive only eight-tenths of one percent of

the federal transportation dollars administered by the

state department of transportation.

20

Parents Want Safe Choices

Parents are frustrated with the lack of safe and

reasonable choices for their children. Some children

spend most of their time indoors and inside cars. Their

parents hope to avoid an unequal encounter between

a 75-pound child and a 2,000 pound machine. Since

nearly 25,000 child pedestrians are injured annually

in the U.S. by motor vehicles

21

this is an

understandable impulse.

Parents are just beginning

to understand that that their protective impulses have

enduring consequences.

Healthy Behaviors Are Learned

Reduced activity levels become life-long habits for

children who never or rarely walk to school or can't

play outside in front of their homes for fear of traffic.

Inactive children are not merely at risk of health

consequences when they reach middle-age.

Pediatricians report that heart disease, high blood

pressure and Type II (adult-onset) diabetes, which

once afflicted adults, now appear with increasing

frequency in children.

The proportion of overweight children between the

ages of six and eleven has tripled since the 1970s.

22

Today, fewer than one student in eight walks or bikes

to school. The Surgeon General recommends thirty

minutes of exercise a day, to help Americans live

happier and healthier lives. The ability to walk or

bike to school would help many more children meet

that very minimal guideline.

*

The Chicago region is unique in the nation with a regional planning body, the Chicago Area Transportation Study, that is

separate from the land use agency, composed almost exclusively of one demographic segment, not geographically represen-

tative, controlled by the state department of transportation and with committees composed primarily of transportation

bureaucrats.

11

Changing Direction: Transportation Choices for 2030

Which Vision Should W

Which Vision Should We Choose?

e Choose?

Scenario One assumes people will continue to disperse

throughout the region in a sprawling pattern. Scenario

Two assumes every existing community in the region

will grow at the same rate as the overall regional rate,

maintaining the same proportion of the region's

population as it had in 1990. Scenario Two assumes

more compact land use in existing communities.

The projected increase in the region's population and

households means that vehicle miles traveled will

increase throughout the region in both scenarios

(except where land is preserved from development).

New infrastructure to facilitate choice will help to

slow the increase in congested travel.

Scenario One: Continued Sprawl

VMT = Vehicle Miles Traveled

12

Center for Neighborhood Technology

Scenario Two: More Compact Development

The Center for Neighborhood Technology analyzed potential housing and travel trends to visualize the effects of future growth

policies. Analysts looked at two scenarios to predict the increase in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) by 2030. Both scenarios assume

a population increase of 1.8 million people by 2030, as (preliminarily) forecast by the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission.

The model used in the analysis held certain variables constant, including the number of residential acres, the amount of transit

access and household size. The model does assume that at certain density levels, businesses and services will tend to locate near

enough to households that some trips can be made without a car.

13

Changing Direction: Transportation Choices for 2030

Create a More Healthful Environment

Northeastern Illinois is a "severe" non-attainment area

for air quality, according to the Environmental Protection

Agency. A new standard, which the region may have

even more difficulty attaining, is likely to go into effect

after 2003. There is debate about the degree to which

transportation emissions impact air quality, although it

is clear that increased emissions are not an asset to human

health.

Asthma is a growing threat to public health, for both

children and adults. Lack of activity, coupled with

increased particulate emissions, worsens the problem.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, the number of people with asthma grew 75%

from 1980 to 1994.

23

Asthma can be triggered by

exposure to allergens, indoor pollutants and ambient air

pollutants (such as ozone, acid aerosols and diesel

particulates). Approximately 25% of children in the

United States live in areas that exceed the federal

standard for ozone and nearly 5 million people under

the age of 18 are affected nationally.

24

The public understands that personal health is impacted

by the natural environment. There is a strong emphasis

on environmental integrity throughout the region. In

the collar counties of DuPage, Kane, McHenry, Lake

and Will, air quality was a particular concern. Other

environmental issues like protecting open space, water

resources, wildlife habitat and agricultural land were also

considered to be very important.

Cook County and Chicago residents tended to be more

exclusively focused on the air quality impacts of

congestion in and near their communities. The remedies

for environmental damage proposed by citizens closely

parallel their remedies for other transportation burdens

more choice for pedestrian, bicycle and transit options.

People throughout the region also recommend

converting transit fleets to alternative fuel vehicles to

improve air quality and human health.

Strong, Sustainable, Equitable Communities

There is a strong sense that transportation dollars are

wasted on expensive attempts to build more of the same

projects that have failed to offer viable options in the

past. Public funds are used to build projects that drain

the life from existing communities near the center of

the region, sully outlying towns with unsustainable

development and plow through county agricultural

preservation policies. Inhabitants of Prospect Heights

and Pilsen, Glen Ellyn and Oak Park, Itasca and

Northbrook, Barrington and Austin fought back to

save their communities.

Eastern Will County residents have endured years of

uncertainty about the fate of their farms because of

the proposal to build an airport 41 miles from

downtown Chicago (in spite of the fact that the last

airport the state built, in Mascoutah, IL is severely

underutilized). Kane County is the most recent area

mobilizing to save its way of life. Recently announced

plans to construct a highway through the sparsely

populated, western part of the county would dissolve

the county's endorsed land management plan and

agricultural preservation policies.

Expand Opportunties for Regional Equity

There is a strong message that regional growth must

advance equitably. This message is articulated in

many ways. Residents of Chicago's South Side and

the South Suburbs were keenly aware that their

communities have suffered from disinvestment.

Regional investment decisions either failed to respond

to, or actually worsened, disinvestment by drawing

industry and households to outlying areas served by

new roads. The consequence is longer commute times

for the least affluent communities. Of the 33

communities that have average commute times of 30

minutes or more and have incomes below the regional

median ($51,680 in 2000), more than half are

concentrated in the South Suburbs.

Residents of the Central Area of Chicago contend with

a web of rail viaducts, but have little or no local access

to Metra service. Two important CTA train routes in

the Central Area were allowed to deteriorate to the

brink of abandonment until communities mobilized

to save them. The Green Line rehabilitation did not

restore all the original stations and the deterioration

of the Blue Line (Cermak Branch) caused significant

and ongoing service reductions. In both cases the

14

Center for Neighborhood Technology

Towns With Average Commutes of 30 Minutes or

More and income Below the Regional Median

populations most impacted are lower income

and people of color. Pilsen residents wonder

how the region found funds in 2000 for two

Metra extensions into rural areas, at the same

time the 254,112 people living within one

mile of the Cermak Branch were in danger

of losing service altogether for lack of

rehabilitation funds.

Reduce the Jobs-Housing Mismatch

Another regional equity issue that often arose

was the imbalance in access to jobs,

particularly from the communities with the

least household resources. The "jobs-

housing imbalance" has become a regional

crisis, with low-income households unable

to find affordable housing near newer job

centers and often unable to find jobs near

existing moderately priced housing.

Employers report difficulty finding and

retaining workers willing to make arduous

commutes. Because the jobs-housing

mismatch requires a coordinated approach to

both land use and transportation policy, this

region is unable to apply remediation

strategies. Northeastern Illinois is unique

because transportation planning (the

responsibility of the Chicago Area Transportation

Study) is separate from land use policy-making (the

responsibility of the Northeastern Illinois Planning

Commission).

Develop a Better Travel Environment for

People with Mobility Limitations

In every part of the region, citizens strongly articu-

lated a sense of the injustice done to seniors and mem-

bers of the disability community by current transpor-

tation policies. The public was keenly aware that im-

provements for people with mobility limitations also

benefit the region as a whole. Most people have trav-

eled in or pushed a stroller at some point. Everyone

hopes for "golden years" characterized by indepen-

dence, mobility and essential opportunities for low-

key exercise. Equality of movement for the very

young, the very old and the disabled is fundamental

to a civilized society.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Design communities that promote

physical activity

physical activity.....

RRRRReallocate highway funds to better serve

eallocate highway funds to better serve

the safety needs of non-motorized users.

Minimize transportation impacts on the

natural environment.

Ensure that transportation planning agen-

cies respond to the public.

Improve accommodations for travelers

with different abilities.

Indicates a town that meets both criteria.

15

Changing Direction: Transportation Choices for 2030

Illinois General Assembly

Restructure regional planning agencies.

Require extensive and meaningful public

involvement.

Require that the Chicago Area Transportation

Study (CATS) be proportionally representative

with a majority of members independent of

the state department of transportation.

Ensure that land use decisions will precede and

guide transportation investment decisions.

Revise the Regional Transportation Authority

charter to equalize tax benefits and burdens and

to require coordination of existing transit

assets.

Authorize creation of a Freight Transportation

Authority to enhance the economic opportuni-

ties of freight handling and minimize the air

quality impacts.

Support transportation choice.

Set aside 33% of federal Safety dollars to fund

"Safe Routes to Schools."

Require that all road construction and rehabili-

tation projects serve multi-modal uses and are

sensitive to community context.

Fund bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure at

the same state-to-local ratio as roads, i.e. 80/20

versus 50/50.

Flex state and federal highway dollars into the

transit fund.

Flex state and federal highway dollars into the

bicycle/pedestrian infrastructure fund.

Guarantee state funding to match federal

funding opportunities

Increase funding for track upgrades to support

high speed rail service.

United States Congress

Ensure that Northeastern Illinois receives

funds commensurate with its role as the core

of the nation's economic and transportation

systems.

Dedicate sufficient funds to alleviate impacts

caused by one-third of the nation's domestic

freight traveling through the region.

Reinforce the public involvement require-

ments of federal transportation law.

Work with the regional transportation agen-

cies to provide ample funding for maintenance.

Provide new funding only for projects that

have been approved in the Regional Trans-

portation Plan.

Legislative Objectives

Footnotes

1

Driven to Spend, Surface Transportation Policy Project and the

Center for Neighborhood Technology, 2000.

2

2020 Regional Transportation Plan, Chicago Area Transportation

Study, 2000.

3

Common Ground: A Blueprint for Regional Action, Northeastern

Illinois Planning Commission, 2002.

4

Presentation by Frank Beal, Executive Director, Chicago

Metropolis 2020 to the Chicago Area Transportation Study, April

3, 2002.

5

http://community-2.webtv.net/GLRTS/

GRAYLINECONVERSION/

6

"Drivers Still Can't Like the Ike," Chicago Sun-Times, Robert

Herguth, Thursday, May 16, 2002.

7

Transportation Data from the 2000 Census, Surface Transporta-

tion Policy Project, 2002.

8

Pace press release, August 22, 2002.

9

Interview with Dean Englund, Deputy for Development, Chicago

Area Transportation Study, August 19, 2002.

10

Congressman James Oberstar, speech in Las Vegas on September

23, 2000.

11

Local Agency Agreements, Bureau of Design and Environment

Manual, Illinois Department of Transportation, 1998.

12

Statistical Summary and Value of the Intermodal Freight Industry

to Northern Illinois, Chicago Area Transportation Study, 1997.

13

Ibid.

14

http://www.cnu.org/

15

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov///////csd/index.htm

16

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, 2000.

17

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, Illinois Department of

Public Health, 1995.

18

Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey, US Department of

Transportation. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 1995.

19

Fatality Analysis and Reporting System, US Department of

Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration .

RE

20

Mean Streets 2000, Surface Transportation Policy Project, 2000.

21

Traffic Safety Facts 2000, US Department of Transportation,

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2000.

22

Mean Streets 2000, op. cit.

23

"Forecasted State-Specific Estimates of Self-Reported Asthma

Prevalence -- United States, 1998," Morbidity and Mortality Weekly

Report, December 4, 1998.

24

National Air Quality and Emissions Report, 1997, Office of Air

Quality Planning and Standards, US Environmental Protection

Agency, 1998.

16

Center for Neighborhood Technology

Changing Direction: Transportation Choices for 2030