þÿ

A Chicagoland Transportation and Air Quality Commission project in partnership with:

League of Women Voters of Lake County and Lake County Conservation Alliance

Excerpt from Lake County Connecting

Communities Summit Report, July 24, 2001:

"We are concerned about the health of our physical

environment. Air and water quality are important

issues that we feel should be considered when making

decisions about transportation investments and where

growth is going to occur. We are also concerned about

traffic congestion, the ability to use multiple travel

modes to get around, efficient connections between

modes, access to the transportation system by se-

niors and the disabled, and job access for Lake County

residents and non-residents alike."

Connecting Communities caucuses are a public involvement

follow-up to the Connecting Communities summits that involved

over 500 people from throughout northeastern Illinois. The

caucuses are designed to take a "snapshot" of a community's

views on progress toward their summit recommendations.

Some recommendations were major projects that could only

be accomplished over a long time period. Others were practical,

short-term, and inexpensive solutions to community mobility.

Two years ago, Lake County residents gathered at a

Connecting Communities summit to develop

recommendations about transportation, development,

and land use. Many of the same residents (and a few

new participants) met to assess progress on their

recommendations; the group reported substantial

progress in areas like open space preservation,

construction of bicycling facilities, and "the county

moving into the future" by deploying systems like ITS.

These actions by county, forest preserve and local

officials met with widespread approval from the

assembled group.

Other recommended improvements were perceived to

have been stalled by a lack of intergovernmental

agreements, incentives, and cooperation. "Rampant

annexation" by municipalities seeking rapid growth has

posed a threat to existing open space. Transit

improvements have been difficult to attain because

there is no cohesive transit plan for the county. A lack

of intergovernmental agreements can impede good

design, leading to poor connectivity of sidewalks and

some bicycle routes.

The desire for coordination and cooperation was

expressed in terms of improved connectivity and

cooperation between transit agencies and with respect

to coordination across modes (i.e; sidewalks and parking

options at rail stations, new grade crossings that would

benefit both rail and road travel). Another theme woven

through all the recommendations was a desire for more

coordinated planning to facilitate travel by people with

disabilities.

Maintain existing communities to preserve open space.

Participants at the caucus were very aware of recent

open space initiatives and compact developments that

accommodate more growth in less space. Lake County

Forest Preserve District received high praise for

acquisition of new lands and expansion of the Des Plaines

River Trail. Other positive initiatives included: the

revitalization of some downtowns, the county's

consideration of agricultural preservation, and the

inclusion of transit-oriented development (TOD)

in the

Regional Framework Plan.

Participants expressed concern that incentives do not

encourage development in more established communities

like North Chicago and Waukegan. Incentives were

generally seen as a good way to encourage new policies.

One suggestion for new incentives was for the state to provide

funding to locate train stations within town centers. Another

was for the county to offer matching grants to municipalities

for bicycle paths.

The lack of effective intergovernmental agreements was cited

by almost everyone present as a barrier to accomplishing

additional open space preservation. For example, some village

governments were seen as not working in harmony with the

good preservation efforts of the Forest Preserve District.

Stronger county zoning provisions were recommended to improve

and coordinate decision-making about open space.

Establish a grid network of accessible transit bus service

throughout the developed parts of the county.

Stakeholders were united in supporting increased transit service.

They have many different views of what "accessible bus service"

means. Some focused on new ways to use existing service;

Pace was seen as having improved access for people with

disabilities (with new accessible buses) and for cyclists (with

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) are communication and management strategies that rely on advanced technology to improve travel.

TOD is economic development clustered around mass transit stations and bus stations.

Connecting Communities

Lake County Caucus

October 29, 2003

Chicagoland Transportation and Air Quality Commission 2125 W North Avenue Chicago, IL 60647 (773) 278-4800 www.cnt.org/tsp/

bike racks on all buses). Coordination problems

between service boards and municipalities were

mentioned frequently as presenting barriers to bus

use, including the lack of bus-to-rail connections,

the lack of a cohesive county-wide transit plan with

buy-in from villages, and a lack of coordination

between local paratransit programs.

Several people proposed increased funding or new

funding sources for bus transit. They stipulated,

however, that buses go to the places people want to

reach. Specifically, east-west service needs to be

increased, especially for access to some of the

county's larger employers.

The group agreed that ITS would be beneficial but

was unsure of the full implications. People had high

expectations that ITS, specifically "traffic signal

preemption" systems, which allow buses to extend

the timing of a green light, would increase ridership.

Expand rail service.

Virtually everyone at the caucus mentioned the

proposal to double-track the North Central and

increase service as a significant benefit for the

county. However, interactions between Metra,

freight trains and Amtrak need to be better

coordinated. Rail-to-rail bottlenecks and road-to-

rail conflicts need to be addressed. High speed rail

and more grade separations were recommended

improvements.

The matter of access for people with disabilities

and cyclists was raised. Although trains almost

universally meet ADA

standards, not all stations are

accessible. Metra's resistance to carrying bicycles

is an unpopular and baffling position to the general

public, given the success of the other service boards

in smoothly accommodating cyclists.

Additional improvements recommended were:

increased service and frequency on existing lines,

additional stations, better service to O'Hare (east-

west links between the North Central and other Metra

lines), expanded parking (in aesthetically suitable

ways), new shuttle service to train stations, and

expansion of existing "Shuttle Bug" service to

employers.

Create communities where walking is a pleasant

option for completion of trips, continue to expand

the region's multi-use train network and create a

network of safe bike/bus lanes on the region's

east-west and north-south roads.

The Des Plaines River Trail won unanimous approval

from caucus participants. In general, they expressed

much more satisfaction on progress made on

bikeways than on sidewalks. Responsibility for poor

sidewalk coverage was seen as divided between local

government (i.e., a lack of intra- and inter-town

connectivity and lack of pedestrian access to some

transit nodes), mall developments where walking is difficult, and

roads where walking is dangerous.

Many thought villages should educate the public about health benefits

of walking and cycling, and provide better maps and signage in order

to reverse the trend of increased obesity. One person stated it

simply as "Give me more information and I will make different

choices." Other low-cost suggestions included: signage that bicycles

are intended users of local roads, snow removal on sidewalks, a

commitment to village centers rather than sprawl development, and

laws requiring sidewalks in new developments.

Make targeted improvements to the existing road network to

relieve traffic congestion.

Numerous local road projects were cited as positive improvements.

The most highly supported road improvements were intersection

improvements such as left and right turn lanes or improved signal

turning. The group felt that managers of road maintenance or

construction projects should minimize inconvenience to the

community and to drivers to the extent possible, while still completing

projects in the shortest possible time.

Participants speculated on the limitations of road expansion to meet

ever increasing auto travel, citing the adverse consequences to

pedestrians who have to cross wider intersections. Other people

predicted increased vehicle travel in the near future due to a lack of

incentives and mode choice.

New automobile underpasses and overpasses were cited as necessary

to relieve congestion on roadways and to reduce road-rail conflicts.

Additional recommendations included: car pool lanes on the toll road

(with reduced tolls for high-occupancy vehicles), an assessment of

how impact fees on new developments could help pay for the roads

required to accommodate new travelers, and commitment of more

funds to improve existing arterials.

ADA is the Americans with Disabilities Act, which requires improved access for

people with physical mobility limitations.

Transit access is impeded by poor snow removal policies (Photo

courtesy of BPIC Image Library)

The Chicagoland Transportation and Air Quality Commission is a coalition of non-profit organizations from this region that bring federal transportation

mandates to local actors. CTAQC keeps its constituents and members informed about transportation, land use, environmental justice, and other related issues.