North NW Cook County Report

Connecting Communities

North-Northwest Cook Caucus

January 13, 2004

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

Palatine/Willow Road Community Mobilization Team

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 deficits.

The northern and northwest suburbs of Cook County are

a complex mix of old and new communities. Their

development and vitality in part relate to their proximity

to transportation infrastructure. Whether they can

attribute their growth to rail lines or tollway

interchanges, these suburbs are rich with transit and

associated infrastructure that makes for healthy

communities.

The group took note of minor progress and major

barriers to their highest priority recommendation: more

rail transit service. Improvements in the bus system

were more readily apparent; creative ideas for building

on those gains were offered by the group. Several of

the suggestions by the 2001 summit were reasonably

inexpensive or require a shift of attitude rather than

funding. Subsequently, significant disappointment was

voiced at the minimal headway made on safety

improvements for cyclists and pedestrians,

transportation planner accountability, and integration

of transit services.

Extend rapid transit/rail service

Long-term projects such as the Yellow Line (CTA)

extension to Old Orchard and the Star Line (Metra) were

welcome but concern was expressed that funding

problems or right-of-way issues could stall these projects,

perhaps indefinitely. With the aging of the region's

population, caucus attendees hoped that demand for

transit would become stronger. In the meantime, they

proposed that Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems might

be built more easily and quickly and accomplish the same

purpose as some rail projects. Recent incremental

upgrades such as extended hours on the Purple Line

(CTA), North Central (Metra) service enhancements, and

the new Glenview (Metra station) were heartily

endorsed.

Expand bus and shuttle service to provide an

alternative to car travel

Bus improvements in the last two-and-a-half years were

more immediately apparent to the group. Examples

included expanded service on Milwaukee Avenue.

Planning efforts like Pace's Vision 2020 and Pace's North

Shore Bus Study were seen as

good representations of

the region's needs. New improvements that were highly

desired by this group were mainly focused on east-west access,

particularly to O'Hare Airport.

Funding impediments were seen as a significant barrier to the

effort to "get folks out of their cars." Traffic signal priority and

increased service were suggested as prudent ways to increase

the appeal of existing bus lines. To further encourage bus use,

participants suggested introductory free service on new routes,

mini-buses for low-volume routes, and integration of the taxi

system with the bus system.

Improve the ease and safety of biking and walking for short

trips

In 2001 one of the big recommendations of summit attendees

was improving the ease with which people could walk or bike.

Upon evaluating progress to date, caucus participants saw some

improvements in ease of use. Installation of bike racks on Pace

buses was repeatedly mentioned as a plus. New sidewalks on

Excerpt from North-Northwest Cook County

Summit Report, June 2001:

"North-Northwest Cook County, which streches from the shores

of Lake Michigan to just short of the Fox River, encompasses

historic 19

Century railroad suburbs, postwar towns of ranch

homes, and newer townhome and subdivision developments

on former cornfields. Older communities such as Evanston,

Park Ridge, Palatine and Winnetka originally took root along

railroads. Newer edge cities like Schaumberg and Hoffman

Estates sprouted seemingly out of adjacent tollway

interchanges. Laced with commuter rail, rapid transit and

tollways, the communities of North-Northwest Cook County

continue to prosper. Transportation continues to play a big

role in the lives of businesses and residents in this region.

Debate rages today over tollway and rail expansion and over

the fate of the region's number one job generator, O'Hare

Airport."

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

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.

Lake Street in Glenview, better access to transit stations

for pedestrians and cyclists, and better forest preserve

connectivity also received favorable mention. Metra's

policy of continued resistance to accommodating

bicyclists cries out for revision. There was the hope

among participants that the Illinois Department of

Transportation (IDOT) is currently paying higher regard

to stakeholders in the Palatine Willow Road than it was

in 2001; the final IDOT plan for the corridor is yet to be

unveiled.

Safety concerns for pedestrians and cyclists that were

raised two-and-a-half years ago have not been addressed

systematically. Participants cited a general lack of safe,

well-lit crossings and the failure of municipalities to plan

for cyclists as intended users of roads. Another

unresolved safety measure is to ensure that sidewalks

are shoveled after a snowfall.

Overall, there was a strong sense that poor

implementation of pedestrian and bicycle safety had less

to do with funding than attitudes. Attendees called for

support of bicycling as a legitimate travel mode and

vigorous enforcement of traffic safety, especially toward

drivers who endanger pedestrians. Potential allies in

this "Safe Routes" campaign might be elementary school

districts.

Transportation planners must be accountable and

Integrate transit fares and services

Progress on these recommendations was much more

negative than for the transit, bicycle and pedestrian

recommendations reported above. The group viewed

public involvement as positive but was skeptical that

real change in transportation decision-making could

occur. Participants noted that even though more public

input was solicited in the past few years, the actual

impact of that public input on transportation plans had

been barely noticeable. "Infighting" and a "turf

mentality" were cited as contributors to a flawed

system. The suggestion was made for new leadership

of the official transportation agencies: "people who want

the common good, not preservation of power."

The immediate regional challenge as seen by participants

of this caucus is to coordinate all transit services

including Metra, develop revenue-sharing agreements,

decrease competition between the providers, and

communicate innovations and incentives offered under

a universal fare system. There was hope that the region

was beginning to step in that direction, with the General

Assembly mandate for a study of transportation planning

in the region. The failure over several years to make

reasonable strides in integrating transit fares and service

epitomized the negative impacts of infighting rather

than cooperation. Sporadic cooperation, like that

between CTA and Pace, was seen as a positive. The introduction

of a "Smart Card" that works for both agencies was favorably

received; participants expressed the hope that paratransit access

would be integrated into the new Smart Card. Uses of the Smart

Card as an ID or for tollway payments were also projected as

possible future considerations for planners.

Inspired by some of the small changes in pedestrian and bicycle

amenities in the northern suburbs and steps towards regional

cooperation, this group was optimistic that big changes were on

the way. While large capital projects like rail transit projects

appear to be complicated, there was hope that bus rapid transit

could fill the void. Participants were interested in seeing better

safety enforcement for bikes and pedestrians and a new

opportunity to bring bikes on Metra, not just Pace and the CTA.

Finally this group anticipated that a universal farecard is on the

horizon and that improvements to regional planning are

necessary and possible.

Participants consider changes in North/Northwest Cook County...

...then post their ideas for all to see.

The scenic Lake Michigan shoreline provides local residents

with myriad opportunities for fun and relaxation.