On the April 15th OpenGov Hack Night, Ed Oser with Center for Neighborhood Technologies and OpenCity Apps presented their work on both the Transit Future plan and the web app that shows it off.
Transit future is a plan put together by the Center for Neighborhood Technologies and the Active Transportation Alliance that outlines a way to radically transform transportation in the Cook County region and enhance access to transit throughout the city.
Ed Oser explains below:
The transit plan for the Cook County region would dramatically expand the public transit system. Many of the suggested routes may look familiar as they were proposed before, but never implemented such as extending the Red Line south, creating a “Gold Line” that would convert the Metra Electric line to a CTA line and increased Bus Rapid Transit lines like the one proposed for Ashland Avenue. Here’s a complete breakdown below:
The transit plan borrows a lot from the City of Los Angeles which has made major plans to significantly increase the availability of public transportation across the LA metro area.
Transit Future proposes a half a cent sales tax increase in order to come up with the $20 billion required to fund the project. Currently, that can be done with just the Cook County Board of Commissioners approval. Once the revenue stream is in place, the County could then secure an America Fast Forward Grant which would allow the County to borrow the money up front and begin construction.
To support the Transit Future initiative, you can sign the petition here.
