To: Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot From: Jon Hilkevitch Campaign objective selected: “Increase mobility options to connect people to the places they need to be.” Potential initiative: Reducing roadblocks to mobility across Chicago and the six-county region must start at the top by addressing the decades-old jurisdictional boundaries that have created institutional silos and prevented world-class transportation services from being provided to commuters on a reliable basis under a seamless system, leading to my proposal that the mayor of Chicago work with state lawmakers to sponsor legislation in the Illinois General Assembly to withdraw the Chicago Transit Authority from the Regional Transportation Authority. Why a systemic overhaul is necessary: Separating the CTA from its so-called “parent agency’’ would send a dramatic message to stakeholders and the public about Chicago’s intention to begin a long overdue reform effort geared towards creating a truly unified transit network that treats commuters like valued customers while producing new synergies between all modes of transportation. The structure of the RTA, which employs a staff several hundred on a 2019 budget of $41.9 million, only enforces the city-versus-suburbs tensions that run contrary to the interests of working men and women, the businesses that employ them and the regional economy. The dismal commutes of suburbanites who work in Chicago – whether they are drivers facing up to two hours each way on the Eisenhower or Stevenson Expressways or Metra riders who are forced to stand on packed commuter trains – are, like it or not, the City of Chicago’s problem too. Instead of punishing drivers with a congestion tax for motoring into the city to their jobs, let’s work together to create a smarter, more attractive transit network that incentivizes more people to choose mass transit because it is clearly the better option. We are nowhere near making the case for such a migration today, and the RTA must wear the jacket of blame for failing to provide leadership and fresh ideas. How difficult is it to emulate the best transit systems in the world? The answer: Not very. From London to Tokyo, first-rate signage and human greeters welcome travelers deplaning at airports and tell them how to find and how to use the higherspeed trains that whisk them to city centers. At O’Hare and Midway Airports, new arrivals are mostly on their own to figure out how to find the CTA Blue and Orange Line stations and to get around the greater Chicago area. So, is it any wonder that far too many of them go with a knee-jerk reaction to wait in taxicab or rideshare queues and that their first impressions of Chicago are the inefficiency of our notoriously congested highways? A similar failure to grab even the low-hanging fruit frustrates our local citizenry, who must wait years in some suburbs to receive commuter parking privileges at municipal lots adjoining Metra stations. The lack of parking, along with Pace feeder bus schedules that do not accommodate many working families, account in part for Metra’s inability to grow its ridership. And speaking of Pace, whose main reason for existing these days centers largely on its paratransit service operation, the RTA has been ineffective in helping the suburban bus agency win approval to expand its popular bus-on-shoulder express service to all Chicago-area expressways or to go beyond just a few pilot projects involving bus rapid transit in the suburbs. The 45-year-old RTA bureaucracy has outlived its usefulness. The RTA operates not a single bus or train, it serves as a toothless enforcer over the CTA, Metra and Pace, and it churns out study after study that are largely ignored by the service-planning departments at the three transit agencies. In addition, the RTA’s fundamental role of bean-counter has become obsolete, as the CTA, Metra and Pace all meet their mandate to submit balanced budgets each year. The current RTA system is broken and it’s time for extensive reforms that focus on public transportation and land-use policies that help people to live closer to their jobs and improve quality-of-life by slashing the number of hours spent commuting. The CTA, Metra and Pace have made progress in recent years regarding integrating fare collection through the Ventra system. However, as fares have increased, ridership has fallen and serious operational silos remain firmly in place. The holes in the bifurcated RTA system have led to “transit deserts” where little to no regular service is offered, and in locations where transit does run, commuters are frequently frustrated by the unpredictability of travel times on any day and by poor connections between buses on routes operated by one transit agency and trains operated by a sister agency. A little background: The RTA was created by voter referendum in 1974 to provide financial oversight to a transit system seemingly unable to control costs. That referendum was a squeaker, passing by less than 1 percent of total votes. It was opposed by 90 percent of car-dependent voters in Will, Kane and McHenry counties, but backed by more than 70 percent of Chicago voters, based on the promise that a new regionwide transit funding source would benefit the cash-strapped CTA. “… the suburbs quickly turned the RTA into a political battleground,’’ according to the authoritative Chicago transit history website www.chicago-l.org. “While the city moved to retain control of the CTA, the suburbs attempted to minimize the cross-subsidies to the city. Though the RTA was not completely immobilized by the struggle, it did severely limit the new agency’s effectiveness over the next few years.’’ It’s time to consider a different approach, possibly one that merges the Chicago area’s mass-transit systems into a single agency that could also potentially include the Illinois Tollway, which exerts a major impact on the flow of vehicle traffic entering and exiting O’Hare International Airport, and land-use planning groups like the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP). In the past, the Illinois General Assembly did pass legislation requiring a state task force to consider consolidating the RTA system, the Illinois Tollway and what was then the Chicago Area Transportation Study and the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission (now CMAP) into one agency. The main idea behind the consolidation campaign in the early 2000s was to focus efforts on easing traffic congestion and coordinating expensive, complex long-range transportation projects in order to get the biggest bang for the buck. But the goal was also to end in-fighting among transit agencies pushing their own pet projects in a virtual vacuum. In the end, suburban mayors led the charge to kill the concept of a “super agency’’ possibly led by a transportation czar for Chicago and the region. Revisiting that idea in 2019 might not produce a different outcome, but the silos that promote competition rather than cooperation between transportation agencies must come down, starting with the elimination of the RTA. HERE Chicago, 425 West Randolph Street, Chicago, Illinois T 312 894 7000, F 312 894 7050 To: Chicago Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot From: Angel Mendez, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, HERE Technologies Objective: Increasing mobility options to connect people to the places they need to be. Proposed Initiative: Advance the City of Chicago’s data policies to achieve the Mayor-elect’s transportation and infrastructure policy goals. The City has the opportunity to modernize its technology and data strategy to better understand, measure and optimize the performance of its transportation system today, while planning for and building the data ecosystems required for the future of mobility. The administration can infuse the values of equity, transparency, accountability, diversity and inclusion, and transformation in this initiative by including: a diverse set of voices and perspectives into the policy discussion of how to improve our data policies; opening a public process for sharing citizen views and publicly posting milestones in this initiative; creating benchmarks for responding to citizen views; bringing this process to the communities of Chicago through earnest and consistent partnership with community stakeholders; and implementing a cutting-edge data strategy to advance transportation policy goals. What is happening today that we need to keep: 1. The City’s efforts to build the Chicago Open Data Portal into a platform for government transparency, services delivery and a tool for civic engagement and urban planning. What we need to implement in the next 100 days: 1. Elevate the City’s Chief Data Officer to First Deputy within the Office of the Chief Information Officer. 2. Conduct a 100-day review of data assets, infrastructure and policies, including optimization of the Chicago Open Data Portal. Review existing maps and location data assets to improve accessibility and usability for constituents, driving openness, responsiveness and accountability in City services. 3. Institute a Chicago Data Partners program. No single entity can achieve data scale on its own. In addition to different datasets, the City needs different voices and perspectives on what types of data are relevant for an equitable system. 4. Fully embrace Chicago’s nexus as a transportation and business-to-business technology hub, including leveraging the HERE Chicago team of data scientists, software engineers and mobility experts as a resource for data management and transportation planning. What we can plan for longer-term implementation: 1. Determining a governance framework for uniform data-sharing. The transportation system is already a living, digitized ecosystem of data points and flows. Private and public sector entities are already aggregating data from vehicles, roadways, assets on the infrastructure, etc. The City should work with stakeholders to establish more uniform and transparent data sharing between public and private entities in order to enable scale. The City of Chicago should be applauded for recently publishing TNP trip data on the Chicago Open Data Portal. 1 2. Leverage platforms and data to address inequities in accessibility. Integrate disparate data sets, run analytics and take a fresh look at where jobs are and existing commuting patterns. With these insights, drive transit ridership and new alternative commuting options and working flexibly policies. 3. Prepare Chicago for connected and automated vehicles. From clear road striping and signage, to standardized data sources, high-definition mapping and dynamic data streams, there is much for the City to do together with the private sector to prepare for AVs and optimize their safe and equitable integration into the transportation system. 4. Democratize Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS). MaaS is the shift in transportation from ownership of personal vehicles, to an on-demand transportation service which often can integrate multiple modes of transport into one interface and one payment form. The City can drive more equitable outcomes with respect to MaaS by seeking insights from stakeholders engaged in this ecosystem, including digital platform providers with data streams, management and analysis experience. HERE Mobility supports a wider integration of mobility solutions and creates personalized solutions for families and communities. 5. Embrace innovation through piloting and testing. Every aspect of mobility, from MaaS to transit to micro-mobility to automated vehicles, can benefit from a commitment to a formalized partnership between the City and private sector. This will enable technology and data approaches to be tested, piloted, nurtured and developed utilizing the City as an innovation testbed. Government and business collaboration, including aspects of business model design, can leverage combined investment, ideation, data resources, Intellectual Property and commercialization to achieve policy goals. The City Tech Collaborative is an example of how to demonstrate the value of an end-to-end approach to implementation. The Mayor-elect should commit to “collaborative innovation,” helping to drive the processes of ideation, piloting and implementation at scale. HERE recommends the City takes a formal stance to embrace innovation through this sort of public-private model. This is a unique approach, but it can work with patience and commitment by the City and its departments. What challenges we might encounter in executing on this initiative: 1. Resource limitations with respect to technology investments. 2. Siloed data sets and data providers. 3. Creating a sufficiently agile data-sharing standards creation process. 2 To: Mayor-Elect Lightfoot, Transportation and Infrastructure Transition Team From: Amber Smock, Director of Advocacy, Access Living Re: Transportation and Infrastructure Priorities, Disability Lens Date: April 15, 2019 Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the Lightfoot transition team’s work to gather the best input possible from stakeholders across Chicago. Investing in accessibility and disability-inclusive customer service is vital for Chicago’s transportation network; as is envisioning a barrier-free transportation future made possible by emerging technologies. I was pleased to see during Access Living’s Mayoral Candidates Forum on Disability Issues on December 13, 2018 that you highlighted, regarding transportation: ● ● ● ● ● Good transportation is linked with good quality of life for disabled people The need to secure money to make all CTA stations accessible Mayoral involvement with the Pace service board to improve paratransit Accessible hailin​g for rideshare, in addition to accessibility of actual vehicles used To ensure that ​the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) has a larger budget and is more empowered within the city government to make sure that they are at the table when cross issues are being discussed A warning flag regarding emerging technologies: it is essential that disability experts must be engaged at every step in development and in policymaking, because if we are not, those same technologies pose a threat to roll back the significant gains in access to publicly available transportation that the disability community won when the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed and signed into law nearly 30 years ago. Objective Focus : Increase mobility options to connect people to the places they need to be What is Happening Today That We Need to Keep: ● Retain CTA President Dorval Carter and CTA Chairman Terry Peterson, both of whom are long-time disability allies who have been vocal about the importance of building accessibility into improvements to the CTA. ● Retain MOPD as a city department and its staff working on transportation policy/training. ● CTA Governing Board has a slot for a disability advocate; when current member leaves, needs to be refilled in 2020 by another reputable disability advocate. ● City is coordinating a community discussion about access at the airports, co-facilitated by MOPD and the Department of Aviation; this committee should continue its vital work, especially as O’Hare modernization/expansion moves forward. ● City is also coordinating an Accessible Taxicab Advisory Committee, co-facilitated by MOPD and the Dept of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) to ensure that the use of Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles (WAV) in the taxi fleet continues to expand and be responsive to demand; this committee should have greater input on the use of WAV in rideshare and other new mobility platforms, in order to ensure equity of service. What We Need to Implement Immediately, or in the Next Year ● ● ● Training for CTA staff regarding disability policies so that customer service is 1) disability-friendly, and 2) uniform. 30% of CTA rail stations still inaccessible for people with mobility impairments. Most are concentrated on the Red and Blue lines, which are the highest-use lines on the system. The City should seek additional funding for CTA’s ASAP project that makes accessibility completion in less than 20 years possible. Prioritize ASAP on the same level as the Red Purple Modernization (RPM), New Blue, and Red Line South extension projects. Proliferation of new mobility options like micro-mobility (dockless scooters and bikes), rideshare, and privatized transit (services like Via and employer-provided busses/shuttles), along with the increase of on-demand delivery services, means that curb access for transit, paratransit, and accessible parking options is harder and harder to come by. Essential steps: Regulate and strongly enforce micro-mobility device usage in bike lanes only and require parking of dockless devices to only be allowed in designated areas out of public sidewalk right of way and away from building entrances, including ramps. Pilot innovative curbside management options such as restricting deliveries to off-peak hours in certain areas like downtown and/or curbside access pricing. Protect accessible parking spots in all areas of the city. Longer Term Implementation ● ● ● Require rideshare in Chicago to have enough wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAV) that equity in service between wheelchair users and ambulatory rideshare users becomes possible. CTA ridership is declining, Pace paratransit ridership is increasing, putting financial squeeze on both and threatening both’s viability. Any potential loss of CTA fixed routes could also lead to decreased paratransit coverage, as per ADA regs. Essential steps: improve bus service frequency and efficiency and implement bus rapid transit (BRT), beginning w proposed pilots on Ashland, 79​th​, and Chicago Ave. Ensure that boarding processes and infrastructure for BRT (i.e. fare collection and new bus stops/platforms) retain or enhance existing levels of accessibility. Pilot new paratransit solutions making the service more on-demand, BUT demand that any partnerships with private providers/new mobility companies require access for all users to vehicles in an equitable fashion, i.e. wheelchair accessible options incorporated from the beginning, to ensure that a segregated system does not develop that provides one level of service/experience to wheelchair users and another to ambulatory paratransit riders. Autonomous vehicle (AV) technology could completely reshape mobility and transportation, and the disability community must be included in any and all planning. April 15, 2019 To: Mayor-Elect Lori Lightfoot From: Carol Ross Barney, Ross Barney Architects Prompt: For the new administration to infuse the values of equity, transparency, accountability, diversity and inclusion, and transformation in transportation and infrastructure, it must establish design excellence a primary goal for city infrastructure and develop methods for effective and meaningful community participation in the design of transportation and infrastructure projects. Good design makes our human-created world better. It makes it better in a social and an environmental sense. It can create spaces that are open, accessible, and sustainable. Good community participation is transparent enough to empower users–to help them make informed decisions about their privacy, their habits, and more–without overwhelming them. Community participation helps to insure that every public space feels and acts inclusive. What is happening today that we need to keep. Chicago has a history of design innovation, but excellence and innovation should become project requirements with measurable goals. Currently, goals are often poorly defined or without meaningful sponsorship. In general, community participation is limited to projects which require public outreach for grant or funding compliance or projects that are of aldermanic interest. Information gathered is not used constructively which handicaps project success. We need to keep and reinforce our tradition of excellence and strengthen platforms for public input. Everyone, designers and citizens, should feel comfortable challenging the status quo. What we need to implement immediately. Establish design excellence as a right of all Chicagoans. What we can plan for longer term implementation. Create a process for the design of transportation, infrastructure and social infrastructure projects to foster excellence by improving the everyday experience of people in our city. Undertake the strategies that enhance the social and environmental impact of urban systems that better wellness and conservation. Aesthetic or sensory experience is arguably the most potentially valuable aspect of city building and urban life quality. Institute a cross city-department and discipline Design Excellence program to make sure we are Providing best value to Chicago taxpayers. Developing safe, productive and attractive public spaces and systems. Operating efficiently and effectively—keeping projects on time and on budget. Ensuring that projects respond positively to national urban and environmental policies. Selecting America’s best designers and artists to create public works that ultimately become respected landmarks. Thanks so much for the opportunity to comment on public infrastructure and space. This is a great city with great people. I believe that design can make it more inclusive and just. Carol LIGHTFOOT TRANSPORTATION POLICY COMMITTEE—POLICY OBJECTIVES MEMO OBJECTIVE: IMPROVED INTEGRATION OF METRA INTO CITY TRANSPORTATION NETWORK AUTHOR: Committee Member Objective: Metra is an essential provider of transit service in the City’s – and the Chicago region’s transportation network. The Mayor and the new administration should develop and implement strategies to enhance Metra service to Chicago customers, with a focus on transit-underserved neighborhoods, and to strengthen collaboration with Metra on Chicago and regional economic development strategies. Background: Although often thought of a suburban commuter rail system, Metra also plays important role as a mass transit service provider in the City of Chicago and to Chicago residents and businesses. There are approximately 80 Metra stations in the City, including the four downtown terminal stations. In addition, major Metra switching yards and rolling stock repair and rehabilitation facilities are located in the City. Metra, along with CTA and Pace, is one of the three service boards providing transit service in the Chicago region and subject to financial planning oversight by the Regional Transportation Authority and receiving a share of regional sales taxes distributed by the RTA. Metra is governed by an 11 member board of directors, with only one of those members appointed by the Mayor. What is Happening Today: Residential and employment patterns are evolving with many younger workers expressing a preference for in-city as opposed to suburban living. Metra has responded to this evolution with revised schedules, including “early bird” or “sunrise” City to suburban service for City residents working at suburban employment centers. City and CTA has collaborated on significant transit capital improvements (Red Purple Modernization; new Green Line stations at Morgan and Cermak, new 95th terminus on the Red Line; rehabilitation of South Branch of the Red Line). Tax increment financing has been an important element in the plan of financing for several of these projects. Significantly less attention has been paid and significantly less dollars have been spent on capital improvements and upgrades to Metra stations in Chicago. With the implementation of the Ventra transit app, important steps have finally been taken in the direction of “transit fare inter-operability.” Implementation Suggestions—Short Term: • Working through the Mayoral appointee to Metra Board and other communication channels, ensure Metra’s service and capital planning gives appropriate priority to Chicago passengers and stations; • • • • Ensure that City’s transit capital planning includes the needs and requirements for Metra’s inCity station and other capital improvements and is not limited to CTA and CDOT; Continue/expand upon current process for enhanced use of Metra service, specifically more frequent scheduling of trains and possibly combined with CTA bus, transportation network and bike share companies and possibly new neighborhood jitney services, to deliver improved and enhanced transit service to the City’s transit-underserved communities; Request City Council Transportation Committee “subject matter” hearing(s) focused on Metra in-City service, with participation by Metra’s executive leadership team; Ensure that TIF review/reform initiatives include consideration for enhanced use of TIF funding for improvements to Metra’s in-City stations; Implementation Strategies—Longer Term: • City-Metra collaboration on access to low cost and long term federal financing for in-City transit capital improvements as well as Metra rolling stock under the USDOT Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) program. CTA has successfully received similar low-cost and long term financing under the USDOT’s companion TIFIA program for the 95th Station Project, Red Purple Modernization Project and the acquisition of new rail cars. The City separately has accessed TIFIA program for innovative financing for Downtown Riverwalk and O’Hare Intermodal Center. No RRIF loans have been applied for to date by Metra under the RRIF program which is specifically targeted to support commuter and freight rail. • Explore expanded use of TIF financing, including “Transit TIF” authorization, to support Metra capital improvements. The CTA’s Red Purple Modernization Project is significantly supported by ‘Transit TIF” financing authorized by 2016 state legislation. This legislation (which provides continued “hold harmless” funding to CPS under an innovative and first of its kind statutory provision) also authorized the use of “transit TIF” within a one-half mile radius to support necessary infrastructure improvements to Chicago Union Station, a major commuter rail hub (as well as the City’s Amtrak station). These improvements are long overdue and the subject of prior master planning efforts by CDOT, Metra, Amtrak and other public and private sector stakeholders. • Collaborate with Metra on expansion of its in-City repair and rehabilitation shops (located primarily at 59th and the Dan Ryan and in the vicinity of Grand and Western rail junction) to service rolling stock and locomotives of commuter and passenger rail systems throughout the US and not just limited to Metra. Private sector funding, development and/or operation and maintenance should also be considered as part of any collaboration. A project of this type has the significant potential to generate meaningful non-transit revenues for Metra as well as to provide generate increased employment opportunities for Chicago residents, particularly those in economically challenged communities. There may also be opportunities for collaboration with City Colleges in its targeted Colleges to Careers initiatives. TO: Mayor-Elect Lori Lightfoot FROM: Committee member OBJECTIVE: Increase mobility options to connect people to the places they need to be • A potential initiative (one sentence) Extend the red line so that the far south side communities that have little access to rapid transit are provided with equitable access to the downtown job center. • How the new administration can infuse the values of equity, transparency, accountability, diversity and inclusion, and transformation in this initiative • And as it pertains to this initiative: o What is happening today that we need to keep à We need to keep the various methods of moving people throughout our Chicagoland area in place (ie. CTA, Metra, Pace, biking, etc.), and well-maintained and improved. These transit options, though unfortunately functioning in silos, provide for a variety of options for many residents, stakeholders, and visitors. o What we need to implement immediately or within the next year -> Access to rapid transportation for the thousands of Chicagoans that live on the far southside that have no access to rail transportation on the Chicago Transit Authority system. The longstanding issue that the CTA’s rapid transit system does not extend south of 95th Street represents decades of mistreatment of African American who have been the primary residents in this region since the 1960s. Though the original plan of the Dan Ryan L called for this extension, even when thousands of manufacturing jobs still existed on the far south side, the work was never completed even as more and more African Americans moved into the far south side, and south suburbs like Harvey, Markham, Dixmoor and others. o What we can plan for longer-term implementation à The ability for the various modes of transportation to allow for interchanging from one to another is a critical aspect of growing the city of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs to become world class. Currently, the lack of equity has resulted in large areas on the far southside to be without rail transportation options. What is most disturbing in a city the size of Chicago is that these various transportation methods do not have a universal fare card that would allow for interconnection and transferring from one line to another. Related to equity and diversity, it is well known that Investing in transit is critical to leveling the playing field for people of various income levels. Transit can be the great equalizer in improved mobility and access to jobs, education, etc.. o What challenges we might encounter in executing on this initiative -> The fact that there exists multiple transportation systems that serve Chicagoland residents each with different fare structures, leaders, budgets, plans, goals, etc. has remained problematic over the years. April  15,  2019     To:  Mayor-­‐Elect  Lightfoot     From:  Vig  Krishnamurthy,  Transportation  &  Infrastructure  Committee  Member       RE:  Increasing  mobility  options  to  connect  people  to  the  places  they  need  to  be   Chicago  would  benefit  from  the  policy-­‐based  selection  of  citywide  mobility  strategies,  the  development  of   agency  work  plans  for  sustained  programmatic  approaches  to  address  mobility  needs,  and  public  facing   reporting  on  indicators  of  mobility  outcomes.     To  help  meaningfully  infuse  the  values  of  equity,  transparency,  accountability,  diversity  and  inclusion,  and   transformation  into  what  Chicago  does  on  transportation,  we  require  the  language  that  will  enable  our  city  to   openly  discuss  how  and  why  certain  policies,  programs  and  projects  will  be  chosen  from  the  long  list  of   competing  needs  and  compelling  ideas  and  ultimately  determine  whether  we  are  going  in  the  right  direction.     It  is  respectfully  recommended  that  the  Mayor’s  Office  and  the  City’s  transportation  agencies  articulate  an   aligned  policy  position  on  the  key  strategies  that  the  City  will  emphasize  and  use  in  a  sustained  way  to   improve  mobility  and  access.  In  recent  years  Chicago  has  been  successful  in  delivering  signature   transportation  projects  that  are  undoubtedly  transformative.  However,  renewed  attention  is  required  on   creating  programmatic  initiatives  to  comprehensively  address  structural  issues  underling  mobility  and  access   challenges  in  Chicago  in  a  sustained  and  systematic  way.  These  structural  issues  are  broad  and  include,   among  others,  communities  without  access  to  frequent  rapid  transit;  incomplete  sidewalk  connectivity;   spatial  mismatch  of  jobs  and  housing  for  lower-­‐income  households;  temporal  mismatch  of  shift-­‐worker  hours   and  transit  service  patterns;  income  insufficiency;  public  safety  and  traffic  safety  risks  that  impact  walking,   biking,  and  bussing;  and,  Loop-­‐level  density  spilling  over  to  neighborhoods  that  are  transit-­‐adjacent  rather   than  transit-­‐oriented.  Four  to  six  strategies  should  be  selected  and  prioritized  as  the  key  transformative   pathways  that  will  focus  the  work  of  the  administration  and  City  agencies.  These  strategies  should  be  selected   based  on  the  ones  that  align  best  with  the  Mayor’s  core  policy  values  and  ones  that  our  City  agencies  are   positioned  to  make  transformative  change  and  deliver  results.  Examples  of  these  strategies  may  include,   among  others,  increasing  frequency  and  span  of  transit  service;  introducing  new  transit  service  patterns;   expanding  coverage  areas  of  modes;  introducing  new  modes;  prioritizing  certain  modes  in  the  right-­‐of-­‐way;   changing  social  norms;  reducing  financial  barriers  and  transportation  cost;  modernizing  taxes,  fees  and  fares;   market-­‐shaping  for  private  mobility  services;  and,  incubating,  accelerating,  and  piloting  new  technology.       It  is  respectfully  recommended  that  the  City  of  Chicago  establish  a  set  of  meaningful  metrics  to  communicate   how  our  city’s  existing  transportation  assets  result  in  differential  outcomes  for  Chicago’s  diverse  people  and   places  and  to  track  progress  on  advancing  the  Mayor’s  core  values.  Our  city’s  has  a  robust  capability  to  deliver   the  physical  infrastructure  of  the  transportation  system  that  move  peoples  such  as  buses,  bridges,  and  bike   lanes.  However,  these  transportation  assets  are  the  means  to  an  end  for  enabling  the  outcome  of  access  to  the   places  and  things  that  people  need  to  thrive:  food,  education,  employment,  healthcare,  friends,  entertainment   etc.  Current  city  metrics  focus  on  the  infrastructure  itself,  the  speed  with  which  potholes  are  filled  or  the   number  of  miles  of  bike  lanes  painted,  but  not  necessarily  the  outcomes  created  by  these  actions  and  how  they   impact  people.  Chicago’s  mobility  metrics  should  capture  and  convey  how  people  experience  the  mobility   system,  with  a  focus  on  experiences  that  impact  core  policy  goals  such  as  the  ability  to  access  to  key   destinations,  the  reliability  of  travel  times,  and  affordability.  Metrics  should  be  used  over  the  course  of  the   administration  for  reporting  via  an  online  dashboard.  Chicago’s  mobility  metrics  should  also  be  used  to   catalyze  the  City’s  overall  mobility  agenda  and  as  a  feedback  on  the  work  of  the  City’s  transportation  agencies.     Connecting  to  the  Core  Values     The  initiatives  proposed  above  will  work  in  a  virtuous  cycle  to  advance  the  Mayor’s  platform.  Mobility   strategies  will  be  aligned  to  the  administration’s  core  values,  transportation  agencies  will  develop   programmatic  approaches  and  work  plans  to  solve  challenges  based  on  the  prioritized  strategies,  and   Chicago’s  set  of  mobility  metrics  will  provide  a  way  for  all  to  have  a  common  language  that  enables  a  more   meaningful  big-­‐picture  discussion  regarding  whether  the  thousands  of  decisions  that  will  have  to  be  made   over  the  course  of  the  administration  are  aligned  with  where  the  Chicago  is  trying  to  go.       Prioritizing  the  strategies  that  the  administration  will  focus  on  is  crucial  to  this  working.  In  recent  years  the   city’s  limited  transportation  planning  function  has  been  in  the  position  of  reacting  to  many  externally   conceived  proposals  such  as  signature  attractions,  private  infrastructure  and  service  proposals,  and  major   redevelopments.  Without  a  clear  charge  and  strategy  on  what  the  City  is  setting  out  to  accomplish  and  how,  it   may  remain  a  challenge  to  initiate  and  sustain  efforts  on  core  issues  that  are  important  but  may  not  appear   urgent.  The  need  for  clearly  articulated  priorities  is  particularly  relevant  to  addressing  equity,  since  market   forces  are  less  likely  to  initiate  development,  infrastructure,  and  service  proposals  for  Economically   Disadvantaged  Areas.       It  is  also  critical  that  Chicago’s  mobility  metrics  are  used  to  actively  incorporate  diversity  and  inclusion  and   explicitly  compare  how  mobility  and  access  vary  by  people  and  place.  Existing  metrics  often  report  citywide   averages,  a  practice  necessitated  in  past  by  limitations  in  data  or  analytical  methods,  but  one  that  risks   “averaging-­‐out”  poorly  performing  experiences  with  positive  ones  and  painting  a  composite  view  that   appears  O-­‐K  overall.  However,  Chicago’s  leadership  on  big-­‐data  now  enables  us  to  develop  dynamic   dashboards  that  can  demonstrate  the  multiplicity  of  experiences  that  our  transportation  system  results  in  as   the  when,  where,  and  who  change.     Having  a  clear,  coherent,  and  comprehensive  approach  to  transportation  actions  can  also  be  transformative  in   itself,  catalyzing  greater  resources  over  time.  The  City  has  worked  hard  over  many  years  to  do  “more  with   less,”  but  due  to  Chicago’s  challenging  financial  circumstances  in  some  regards  we  are  simply  able  only  to  do   less  due  to  a  structural  lack  of  resources.  Other  cities,  such  as  Los  Angeles  and  Seattle  have  been  successful  in   producing  transportation  strategies  that  enable  their  city  agencies  to  make  focused  commitments  against   which  results  have  been  rapidly  delivered,  building  excitement  and  confidence  that  transformation  is   happening.  Organizing  Chicago’s  transportation  agencies  to  make  small  but  sustained  improvements  that  are   connected  to  a  larger  coherent  narrative  will  better  position  our  city  for  grant  funding  and  help  catalyze  a   groundswell  for  new  funding  mechanisms  that  enable  us  to  do  “more  with  more.”     What  we  need  to  keep   • Retain  existing  work  on  Vision  Zero,  Complete  Streets,  and  Sustainable  Infrastructure  as  examples  of   existing  policy-­‐based  efforts  to  coordinate  transportation  actions  and  find  aw  ay  to  fold-­‐in  these   mandates  to  the  new  administration’s  strategy.     What  we  need  to  implement  within  the  next  100  days     • Develop  a  work  stream  to  act  on  the  recommendations  in  this  memo,  with  a  policy  and  strategy  lead   team  from  CDOT,  CTA,  BACP,  and  the  Mayor’s  Office  established.   • Articulate  a  path  toward  creating  and  resourcing  a  single-­‐point  of  accountability  for  the  City’s   mobility  strategy  that  will  drive  coordination  between  transit  service  planning  and  capital  projects,   CDOT  capital  projects  and  programs,  BACP  licensing  of  mobility  providers,  and  overall  policy   development  for  mobility,  and  ensure  that  actions  reflect  key  strategies  and  core  policy  values.     What  we  can  plan  for  longer-­‐term     • Develop  Chicago’s  set  of  mobility  and  access  performance  metrics  (by  end  of  2019)   • Select  the  four  to  six  key  mobility  strategies  that  the  administration  will  focus  on  (by  end  of  2019)   • Release  a  Chicago  Mobility  Action  Agenda  that  reflects  the  administration’s  four-­‐to  six  prioritized   strategies  and  lays  out  key  programs  that  mobility  agencies  will  take  to  deliver  outcomes.  (1st  year)   • Create  an  un-­‐solicited  bid  process  and  target  number  for  pilots  to  speed  up  transformation  (1st    year)   • Launch  an  interactive  online  dashboard  that  allows  the  public  to  explore  mobility  performance  gaps   from  diverse  perspectives  and  observe  progress  (1st  year)     I  respectfully  submit  this  recommended  initiative  and  the  supporting  actions  and  thank  you  for  the   opportunity  to  provide  this  input.         Sincerely,     Vig  Krishnamurthy   Name: Transition Committee: Objective: Proposed Initiative: Duana A. Love, P.E. Co-Chair Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Increase mobility options to connect people to the places they need to be. Establish a Smart Mobility Program to implement mobility enhancements, increasing access to transit and advocating for a smarter and safer transportation infrastructure. Enhancing mobility options has the potential to reduce congestion and foster transit oriented development, boosting investments in local communities and promoting environmental health and sustainability improving overall livability for Chicago residents. Below is a summary of how the values of equity, transparency, accountability, diversity and inclusion can be infused in a Smart Mobility Program initiative, consistent with A Plan for Equitable and Efficient Transit. The proposed initiative focuses on improving transportation efficiency by promoting agile, responsive, accessible and seamless multimodal services inclusive of transit and utilizing enabling technologies and innovative partnerships. • Equity is demonstrated by the quality of being fair and impartial. The actual outcomes resulting from stakeholder involvement, strategic partnerships, and overall work completed under the Smart Mobility program will be evidenced by the fair distribution of resources and options afforded to Chicago residents, impartially. Equitable implementation requires fair prioritization of needs, options and investments. • Transparency is demonstrated by how easily something can be perceived or detected. Identification of disadvantaged neighborhoods and compilation of transportation network data including condition of sidewalks, crosswalks, curb protected bike lanes, bus stop bump-outs, and traffic signal control capabilities will enable development of a Mobility Report card. Built on a foundation of stakeholder engagement with the many diverse organizations and interest groups, the Smart Mobility program can offer transparency through routine Community Mobility Report Card updates published via the City’s website. • Accountability is demonstrated when the justification for actions or decisions is clear and assignable. The Smart Mobility Program proposes to use responsible decision support tools based on established needs and performance measures with clearly defined criteria to recommend investment priorities. The Smart Mobility Program should be monitored by a Diversity Advisory Group. • Diversity involves the full range of the human condition and differences, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, social class, physical ability or attributes, religious or ethical values system, national origin, and political beliefs. Community outreach and participation are key elements to ensuring diverse representation in defining mobility needs and solutions. The Diversity Advisory Group should include representation that reflects the diversity of communities and neighborhoods affected. • Inclusion encourages involvement and empowerment, where the inherent worth and dignity of all people are recognized. This Smart Mobility Program proposal aligns with the Chicago Mobility Task Force principles for a transportation system that is safe for all users, with mobility choices that are accessible, equitable, affordable and non-discriminatory. The program will utilize a diverse group of advisors and promote a sustained sense of belonging, showing respect for the talents, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of living of its others. The Smart Mobility program will emphasize stakeholder engagement and knowledge transfer, to ensure that complementary work being done by the public sector, the private sector, and academia is effectively communicated and leveraged. I. How would we make this truly transformative? Adopting an integrated approach to solving transportation problems that seeks to understand the dynamics of commuting needs in order to improve the performance of the existing transportation infrastructure, and promote environmental health, sustainability and overall livability of the city. 1 II. How different from today? Smart Mobility Program would serve to breakdown silos of decisions, activities and investments. The program could result in mobility solutions, from bike- and car-sharing systems to demand-responsive bus services, reduced missed connections and stranded transit riders. The current system does not provide travelers with flexible and convenient transportation options. III. What would be the outcome if successful? Chicago will have an accessible, affordable, and convenient multi-modal transportation system and be well prepared Connected and Automated Vehicles. Success will include the provision of integrated regional traveler information that is timely, complete, accurate, and readily available. Promoting improved service reliability and enhanced safety and security while offering equal access, frequency and quality in every neighborhood. A city that is efficient, smart and reliable; IV. How to advance this initiative: • What is happening today that we need to keep? Existing programs such as the CDOT Complete Streets Program, the RTA Access to Transit Program and the CMAP Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Strategies planning activities are exemplary of the types of coordination that needs to continue and become more robust to address multimodal needs. Continue increased coordination among operators at multimodal facilities to provide real time traveler information. Bus on Shoulder operations should be expanded to more Pace and CTA routes. • What we need to implement in the next 100 days? Gather data to develop a dashboard of mobility needs, related funding programs and current projects to serve as decision support in prioritizing short term, near term and long term investments. Performance Metrics that are equitable cross all city neighborhoods can be used as decision support for improvements. Other actions to consider for the next 100 days include: o Define and identify employment hubs and disadvantages areas, o Establish Relationships with large employers that subsidize work trips, o Define Performance Measures and Criteria for prioritizing investments, and o Encourage continued progression towards Universal fare Card and Fare Structure to allow discounts and transfers between travel modes. • What can we plan for longer-term implementation? Identify Smart Mobility Program sustainable funding source and access to peer cities with successful strategies to address seniors needs, livability, ADA, and workforce development issues, to name a few. The USDOT-FTA Mobility on Demand (MOD) Sandbox Program envisions a multimodal, integrated, automated, accessible, and connected transportation system in which personalized mobility is a key feature. FTA seeks to fund project teams to innovate, explore partnerships, develop new business models, integrate transit and MOD solutions, and investigate new, enabling technical capabilities such as integrated payment systems, decision support, and incentives for traveler choices. Chicago’s participation in such programs will help to establish a foundation of resources for a Smart Mobility Program. • What challenges we might encounter in executing on this initiative o Identification of sustainable funding o Consensus among decision makers o Implementable models for Public Private Partnerships o Resistance to changes in decision making 2 Memorandum April 17, 2019 To: Mayor-Elect Lori Lightfoot From: Ivan Solis, HACIA Board President Transition Committee: Transportation & Infrastructure Objective: Enhancing Chicago’s Role as a Transportation Hub Proposed Initiative: Leverage our robust regional diverse workforce, contracting and professional service firms in all aspects of infrastructure planning, upgrading and maintenance with a focus on strengthening our strategic position and competitiveness. The Chicago region’s strong M/WBE community is an asset that needs to be leveraged as we further develop our key infrastructure. Whether it is the modernization of our airports, maintaining and upgrading our roads and bridges, our freight and passenger rail systems, our port or major development and TOD, our regional economy is better served when we make diverse businesses an integral part of the equation. Our diverse architects, engineers, construction professionals and experienced contractors are ready to lead. From multi-generational businesses to start ups, women and minority-owned firms are a resource that has yet to be fully tapped particularly in transportation, utilities and private development. Current demographic trends and the rate of attrition in the industry, clearly demonstrate that our workforce will soon become majority minority. Our job will remain incomplete if we fail to fully incorporate our youth into the pipeline that is required to meet the transportation and logistics needs of a super transportation hub. A refocus in our education system is needed to incentivize and expose young minds to the outstanding opportunities found in the fields of architecture, engineering, construction management, the trades, logistics and the technologies that go alongside them. In a city where people of color make up well over half the population, this must become a top priority. What is happening today that we need to keep: Mayor’s executive order requiring private developers to commit to using diverse vendors. Collaboration between city agencies such as CDOT, Water Management and Utilities. Refocus on technical training in manufacturing, logistics and trades at City Colleges. Chicago Infrastructure Trust and any tools for innovative capital financing. What we need to implement in the next 100 days: We urge the Mayor-Elect to take the lead on setting expectations and send a clear message that gains in public works inclusion and diverse participation over the last 4 decades must be not only mirrored but surpassed in the private sector. Strengthen Mayor’s executive order on private developers to require participation of diverse vendors as primes, uniform reporting and implement corrective measures for non-compliance. Develop a plan to incentivize technical training in manufacturing, logistics and the trades in High Schools. HACIA MEMO 1 What we can plan for longer-term implementation: Must continue to build capacity in diverse vendor community to meet the needs of an expanding transportation hub. The spirit of the M/WBE program must be clarified and adhered to. It’s not enough to allow contracting opportunities. Once a diverse firms holds a contract, care must be exercised to ensure that no artificial burdens are placed on it, that ample time and support is given to address learning curve and adoption of internal processes and most importantly, all necessary actions are taken to ensure proper cash flow for the duration. In an effort to foster transparency, a dashboard to monitor city departments and sister agency adherence to diverse inclusion goals must be created. Unbundling of construction projects and a thorough review of project phasing is needed in order to maximize diverse vendor participation. The city and its residents are not well served when contracts are designed to be of a certain size and have very particular requirements that only one or two large majority-owned firms can bid on it. What challenges we might encounter in executing this initiative: Old and persistent myths about diversity and inclusion significantly adding costs to projects. Opposition by non-diverse trade associations. Lack of funding to implement intra and inter-agency changes. HACIA MEMO 2 TO: Mayor-Elect Lori Lightfoot FROM: James P. Connolly On behalf of the Laborers’ District Council of Chicago & Vicinity (“LiUNA Chicago”) and the diverse group of over 20,000 hard working men and women in the construction, municipal, and industrial sectors it represents, I am grateful for the opportunity to serve on your Transportation & Infrastructure Transition Committee. I am also proud, as our members – joined by our sisters and brothers in the other building trades – build and maintain Chicago’s water and sewer systems, roads, bridges, transit lines, and airports. It is no secret that Chicago’s and transportation and infrastructure needs are great, and are far outpacing current investment. These systems, once the envy of the world, are now on the verge of falling into disrepair.  Roads and bridges are crumbling, while the sustainable flow of needed revenue falls billions of dollars short each year. Billions of dollars have recently been invested or allocated in renovating schools, parks, facilities, aviation, as well as roads, transit, and water mains. Chicago must continue with these investments. However, in many cases, these funds are merely a (expensive, and ultimately short-sited) band aid. As a result, Chicago must reaffirm its commitment to make robust investment in transportation and infrastructure upgrades a top priority. Failing to do so now will not only be a drag on Chicago’s economy, it will increase the likelihood of a catastrophic failure. Most certainly, delay will add to the time and money Chicago will need to expend in the future. While the task is daunting, Chicago is not alone in addressing these issues. Rather, it should reaffirm, and strengthen, its long-standing commitment to seek input, and assistance, from all stakeholders, including residents, workers, and contractors, to work collaboratively on this issue. Such stakeholders, working at Chicago’s direction, could help secure federal and state funding to compliment Chicago’s investment dollars and also ensure that revenues from taxes explicitly intended to fund transportation and infrastructure (e.g., Illinois’ Gas Tax) flow to Chicago. Chicago must also continue its utilization of family-supporting Project Labor Agreements (also known as Community Workforce Agreements or PLAs), when making critical improvements to Chicago’s roads, bridges, water & sewer systems, transit, parks and schools. PLAs benefit working men and women, contractors, communities and taxpayers by ensuring projects are completed on time and on budget, requiring employee training, and encouraging that public investment benefits local communities and its residents. In the long term, and outside of the funding arena, it is essential that the City partners these stakeholders with the municipal departments and state agencies charged with overseeing transportation or infrastructure systems (e.g., Chicago’s Department of Transportation, Aviation, Planning and Development, Streets & Sanitation, and Water Management, as well as the Chicago Transit Authority, Regional Transit Authority, METRA, Illinois Tollway, and Illinois Department of Transportation) to create and implement a long-term plan for Chicago’s transportation and infrastructure systems. Creating such a plan, and having the will to implement it, is the best and most efficient way to crate the transportation and infrastructure system the city deserves. The benefits such a plan will provide to Chicago – in commerce dollars, economic growth and resident satisfaction – are hard to underestimate. The members of LiUNA Chicago, and our signatory contractors, are grateful for visionary leaders like you who have the foresight, courage, and conviction to make the tough decisions to improve public infrastructure and the lives of countless individuals. I look forward to discussing these issues further and assisting your administration as it tackles this challenge. Name: Jacky Grimshaw, CNT Transition Committee: Transportation and Infrastructure Objective: Increase mobility options to connect people to the places they need to be. The Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) has advocated for a data-driven approach to transportation equity and affordability for over 40 years. Emblematic of CNT’s approach is the Housing + Transportation (H+T®) Affordability Index, which provides a comprehensive view of affordability that includes the two highest expenses for households, housing and transportation, at the neighborhood level. The Index shows that people who live in location-efficient neighborhoods— places that are compact, close to jobs and services, and with a variety of transportation choices— spend less time, energy, and money on transportation. Currently, 34% of Chicago’s neighborhoods are location-efficient. Mayor Lightfoot has an enormous opportunity to advance equity by increasing housing affordability in these neighborhoods and expanding transportation access, particularly in low income neighborhoods and communities of color. As a member of both the Elevated Chicago Steering Committee and the Transportation and Mobility Task Force, CNT supports the initiatives submitted by Elevated Chicago and the recommendations of the Task Force report. In addition, CNT recommends that the Mayor’s office take the following actions to achieve transportation equity: ● Equitable investment: Identify and invest in transportation system enhancements that advance equity ● eTOD: Expand tools for equitable Transit Oriented Development (eTOD) ● Affordability: Expand reduced-fare options for transit and the broader suite of emerging transportation services What is happening today that we need to keep • Equitable investment: The city of Chicago, the metropolitan region, and the state of Illinois face an urgent need to raise revenue to fund the maintenance and expansion of the transportation system. It is critical to fund transit service enhancements which not only reduce transportation costs for low- and moderate-income households, but also enhance the regional economy, reduce air pollution, and alleviate congestion for drivers. The city has already been engaged, with partners in the private, government, and nonprofit sectors, in discussions about the state capital bill. The Mayor’s office should continue to engage in these conversations and support a long-term transportation funding solution for the state that is sustainable, accountable, fair, equitable, and flexible. Additionally, the City should also continue to develop plans to expand transit to Roseland and Altgeld Gardens by improving Metra service while pursuing funding for the CTA Red Line extension. • eTOD: The Elevated Chicago consortium is designed to support eTOD. Chicago’s recently expanded TOD ordinance provides opportunities to further these goals. The Working Group of city and sister agencies and stakeholders are currently developing the Equitable Transit Oriented Development (eTOD) Policy Plan required by the ordinance and are on schedule to complete it by August 2020. The Mayor’s office should support this process and encourage rigorous analysis of how the ordinance can more effectively avoid displacement, reduce auto dependence, increase investments in disinvested communities, and improve coordination between city departments. More broadly, the Mayor’s office should support Elevated Chicago’s Workplan and capital projects pipeline, which is targeted to disinvested communities around seven CTA stations, and should prioritize implementing bus rapid transit on the bus TOD routes. What we need to implement in the next 100 days • Equitable investment: To use existing funding wisely and build public support for increased transportation revenues, the City should commit to transparent, performance-based project selection criteria. Performance-based infrastructure investment can simultaneously reduce poverty, improve sustainability, and increase urban efficiency. Not only should the benefits and burdens of transportation investment be equally distributed, but transportation investments should proactively correct for past disparities. Measuring the equity impacts of transportation projects is increasingly important for cities and states around the country, but many places are struggling to effectively evaluate the impacts of their investments on equity. Chicago has an opportunity to be a national leader in developing equity measures and using equity criteria to inform project selection. Two programs that present immediate opportunities for prioritizing equity in project selection and evaluation are the Divvy expansion and the STP-L selection methodology revision. • Other institutional recommendations: Establish a Chief Mobility Officer within the Mayor’s Office as recommended by the Transportation and Mobility Task Force to coordinate transportation policy with identified mobility leads across city departments and sister agencies; lead engagement with private mobility providers; and stay abreast of domestic and global initiatives to determine applicability to Chicago. What we can plan for longer-term implementation • Equitable investment: Inclusive procurement for infrastructure investment can maximize the ability of public and private-sector participants to deliver the greatest economic, equitable, and environmental benefits to our disinvested communities. The Mayor’s office should support CTA in their inclusive procurement of transit equipment. • eTOD: The biggest structural barrier to additional transit-oriented projects is a failure of zoning and entitlement standards to allow projects to be built “as of right” in locations with good transit and available land. The City should streamline the process developers have to go through in order to construct new developments, implement zoning incentives like density bonuses and reduced parking requirements to attract production of affordable units near transit, and incentivize developers to invest in traditionally disinvested communities. Additionally, eTOD is a cross-sectoral strategy, and to be fully effective requires action on housing finance (filling financing gaps with Low Income Housing Tax Credits and land trust and land assembly funds), fair housing (affirmative marketing, multilingual management policies, and universal design), other infrastructure investments (targeting state and regional investment to high-quality, mixed-income TODs), racial equity (using Elevated Chicago’s DEI curriculum to build community awareness and engagement), and public safety. • Affordability: CNT supports development of a variation on the University Pass with an Annual CTA pass that would be purchased by residential developers and bundled with rent. Ongoing efforts to integrate CTA, Metra, Pace, Divvy and other mobility services through Ventra should continue, and the city should push for fare packages that provide affordable mobility options for low income residents. The Seattle region’s ORCA system could provide a model for equitable fare media integration. April 15, 2019 To: Mayor-Elect Lori Lightfoot From: John C. Robak – President, Greeley and Hansen Transition Committee: Transportation and Infrastructure Objective: Increase mobility options to connect people to the places they need to be. Initiative: Establish a Chief Infrastructure Officer within the Mayor’s office to: 1. Realign the City’s policies for sustainable urban infrastructure to better identify synergies that create more efficiencies, cost savings, better use of technology, greater accountability, and a multitude of benefits that extend to other critical infrastructure beyond transportation alone. 2. Investigate alternative (and/or extending the use of existing) transportation modes. 3. Coordinate transportation policy with identified mobility leads across various City departments. 4. Propel the greater use of new and innovative technologies and Smart City concepts and applications. 5. Create accountability metrics that measure progress for better coordination of City resources. Engage the community for input in prioritization of local transportation (and other critical infrastructure) needs, particularly in neighborhood development projects. 6. Give priority to participation of Chicago-based companies in City infrastructure projects, particularly those organizations that help (over the long-term) the advancement and scaling of minority and women-owned business enterprises in Chicago infrastructure projects (thus, driving expanded diversity and inclusion of MBE/WBE firms and helping to position them for greater independent success). 7. Explore new avenues and identify innovative opportunities for generating revenue to fund infrastructure projects through regionalization of resources/services, such as either providing services (via public/public partnerships) or outsourcing internal services for optimal efficiencies. At Greeley and Hansen, we collaborate with municipal utilities and agencies to help develop sustainable water resources programs. Therefore, our responses to this objective have a greater slant toward water-related infrastructure concerns that will better address inequities, environmental injustice, mobility, community pride, and safety. What is happening today that we need to keep:    A framework already exists for a more holistic approach for integrating all aspects of our infrastructure including water, energy, materials and waste, economics, commissioning, urban ecology, and climate and air quality. Continue to capture, analyze, and share data, and work toward identifying different ways to use advanced data strategies for greater collaboration between all infrastructure departments. Expand incorporation of green infrastructure practices in all City infrastructure projects. Transportation and Infrastructure -2- April 15, 2019 What we need to implement in the next 100 days:    Conduct an audit and inventory of capital projects to identify upcoming infrastructure synergies that can provide for a multiplier effect. For example, one specific challenge to be considered at this time is extreme weather-related events that result in the repeated flooding of viaducts and underpasses along various CTA bus routes. These events cause the continual rerouting of buses, interruption of service, and additional expense to both riders and the CTA. In this particular case, earmarking funds toward this initiative could increase CTA bus options and reduce disruptions to riders, while also helping to solve a water problem related to reoccurring flooding incidents. Coordinate all upcoming infrastructure projects as necessary to eliminate redundancy and maximize efficiencies and cost savings. Identify synergies with immediate road re-pavement projects and other planned infrastructure improvements to incorporate the removal and replacement of lead water service lines simultaneously – thus, minimizing disruptions to area residents and businesses while also maximizing the City’s capital investment. What can we plan for longer-term implementation:      Investigate the feasibility of using residual resources recovered in the operation of Chicago’s wastewater treatment plants to help produce compressed natural gas as a potential fuel source to power CTA buses. With the successful ongoing development of the Riverwalk, consider opportunities to extend the use of the City’s waterways with expanded (high-speed) water taxis/ferries to improve mobility options to locations beyond the central business district (the Loop). Incorporate neighborhood beautification initiatives within existing green infrastructure projects. These efforts can be implemented in ongoing transportation projects to help mitigate flood risk by slowing and reducing storm water discharges, while also enhancing the appearance of a neighborhood. These initiatives are proven to provide a multitude of positive environmental, economic, psychological, and sociological benefits, particularly for underserved areas of the city. Accelerate green infrastructure investments that use natural features and parkland that can hold and manage stormwater, resulting in the reduction of both basement and street and viaduct flooding, particularly for underserved areas of the city. Take a more holistic approach toward infrastructure investment which allows greater accountability as stakeholders all work together to create a culture of transparency in an effort to provide the most added value for each dollar spent on transportation. Challenges:    Overcoming territorial perspectives of authority, what and how projects should be done, and the likely initial lack of willingness to compromise are obvious challenges to establishing open collaboration and project prioritization. Creating alignment with the vision and a cultural mindset to be transformative and inclusive in order to look at infrastructure improvements differently to find the value-added synergies. Addressing ever-present funding issues for major capital investment projects. To: Mayor-Elect Lori Lightfoot From: Kirk Dillard, Chairman RTA Date: April 15, 2019 Re: Improve transportation safety and reliability by modernizing funding formulas 175 W. Jackson Blvd, Suite 1650 Chicago, IL 60604 312-913-3200 rtachicago.org Mayor-Elect Lightfoot, I congratulate you on your historic election, and the RTA stands ready to assist. This memo is in response to your transition team’s request for guidance on transportation priorities. A city with the size and density of Chicago can only succeed in offering accessibility and opportunity to its millions of residents by maintaining an efficient public transit system. For generations, transit has been the backbone of Chicago’s transportation network. Public investment in transit that began 70 years ago has allowed this city and region to become one of the nation’s premier freight, banking and commerce hubs. However, transit funding has been insufficient for years. According to the RTA’s latest Capital Asset Condition Report, the region has a capital backlog of projects that exceeds $19 billion, of which CTA’s backlog is $12.4 billion. Capital investment needs to increase by over $1 billion annually to prevent the existing backlog from growing even larger. To begin adequately addressing the backlog, over $2.5 billion of additional annual revenue would be needed per year. The administration should work with regional and state partners to stabilize existing revenue sources and to pursue new funding options, as well as continue working to explore innovative local funding strategies and policies to increase ridership, improve accessibility and leverage the economic impact of transit investments. Funding the regional mass transit system is an investment in the city’s future and an opportunity to transform neighborhoods, connecting people with jobs and economic opportunity. What is working today? Transit investment creating jobs: Since 2013, Chicago has ranked first in the nation in the number of corporations relocating to the city limits, and transit gives residents from across the city and region access to the growing job pool. • • • Between 2005 and 2015, the Chicago metro area added 334,000 jobs, half of which were within a half-mile of a CTA or Metra station. Over the past decade, the Chicagoland area saw its highest job growth rate (20 percent) in areas within a quarter-mile of CTA and Metra stations. During the 2008-09 Great Recession, Chicagoland lost 150,000 jobs, yet areas within a quartermile of a CTA or Metra station added almost 11,000 jobs during the same time period. Transit investment producing economic returns: Transit increases property values. In Chicago, property within two blocks of transit is twice as valuable as property located elsewhere. Additionally, following the Great Recession, properties near transit in Chicagoland emerged 41.6-percent more valuable than the average property in the region. • From 2015-17, the new CTA stations at Morgan Street and Cermak-McCormick Place yielded over $2.5 billion in private land investment. In 2017, 85 percent of all commercial construction in the region occurred within a half-mile of a CTA or Metra station. In August 2018, 76 percent of all multi-family properties under construction in Chicagoland were within a 10-minute walk of rail transit. • • Transit investment opening doors of opportunity: Every weekday, the region’s transit system provides 2 million rides, the overwhelming majority of which occur within the City of Chicago. In the Loop, nearly two-thirds of all workers arrive via a bus or train. • • • 13 percent of all households in Chicagoland do not own a car. Nearly 20 percent of Chicagoland transit riders have incomes below $25,000 per year. An average Chicagoland resident has access to more than 435,000 jobs within a 60-minute transit commute. Immediate Implementation Work to stabilize existing revenue sources and pursue new revenue options: The first few days of Mayor-Elect Lightfoot’s term will coincide with the last few days of the Illinois General Assembly’s spring legislative session. If a state capital infrastructure bill is moving toward passage then as many believe it will be, the first few days of the new administration may be more critical regarding infrastructure investment than any other period in the next four years. The administration should work with regional partners to ensure that transit investment is a high priority in any state capital bill and that several key provisions are included: • • • At least 35 percent of any statewide infrastructure program should be dedicated to public transit. In the past, state capital programs have included an 18- to 20-percent share for public transportation, which is too low given the economic importance of transit to the state, as well as the capital needs of the CTA, Metra and Pace. Any revenue supporting a capital program should be “pay as you go,” with dedicated and sustainable revenue sources. Because previous state capital revenues have relied mostly on bond financing, the result has been inconsistent funding that makes it difficult for transit agencies to plan and program projects. The bill should include a provision to allow regional taxing authority for transit purposes. The state faces a host of financial and political pressures for the foreseeable future that will make it difficult to fully fund the city’s and region’s infrastructure needs. Other options must be made available to raise additional revenue to invest in the regional transit network. Page 2 of 4 • A portion of such additional revenues should be available flexibly to pay for operations. This is important because recent state budget cuts have put a strain on the annual operating budgets of the region’s transit providers (especially the CTA). Securing long-term capital funding will be challenging, but the need is real and the benefits would be substantial. The RTA’s five-year strategic plan, Invest in Transit, includes Priority Projects that, if properly funded, could have a transformative impact on communities across the city. Projects on the list include (but are not limited to): • • • Red Line South Expansion: The project would extend the Red Line from 95th Street to 130th Street. The 5.3 mile extension would include four new stations that could be catalysts for neighborhood revitalization. The project would cut commute times from the far South Side to downtown by 20 minutes. Green Line Improvements: The project would make upgrades on a transit line serving both the South and West Sides of Chicago. It would include both track updates to speed up slow zones and station improvements. Future BRT/Bus Slow Zone Removal/Bus Dedicated Lane Funding: This project would be a set aside of funding for CTA’s highest ridership bus routes distributed on an equitable geographic basis. Bus service represents more than half of CTA’s total ridership, is critical for linking to the rail system and is in some neighborhoods the only affordable transportation option. Bus ridership has been declining, a trend exacerbated by new competition in the market and additional congestion on roadways. Providing dedicated transit signal priority or queue jumps at traffic lights can help speed up CTA buses, making them a more attractive option and encouraging ridership growth. Long Term Implementation Explore innovative local funding strategies and policies: In addition to finding consistent, stable revenue to support the city’s transit network, the new administration should explore local funding strategies and policies that increase ridership, improve accessibility and leverage the economic impact of transit investments. • • The city should continue to explore TIF transit funding to leverage the increase in property value that such investment brings. In Spring 2016, the Illinois General Assembly authorized four TIF districts to be created within a half-mile of the facilities and transit lines in Chicago surrounding the CTA’s Red/Purple Modernization Program, the Blue Line Modernization and Extension Program and the Red Line Extension Program, as well as the Chicago Union Station Master Plan. The revenue generated from these TIF districts can only be used for transit investment purposes. To date, only the Red/Purple TIF has been authorized, generating $15 million for transit in 2017. The city should continue to work with the CTA to identify and secure dedicated bus lanes to increase bus speeds and attract ridership growth. The city should also support enforcement of bus-only lanes in new projects and existing routes (Loop Link). Page 3 of 4 • • • • • • The city should continue to pursue regulation of private mobility services where high volume transit is successful and practical to level the playing field, protect public access interests, collect revenue and ensure that private services do not impede transit’s movement. The city should explore expanding its current Transit Oriented Development (TOD) policy that allows for less parking and higher density construction near transit. The city should partner with the CTA, Metra, Pace and Cook County to explore Metra Electric District fare integration and service enhancements. The city should explore the appointment of a Chief Mobility Officer, as was recommended in Chicago’s New Transportation and Mobility Task Force report published in March. A mobility officer could help coordinate transportation policy across all city departments and sister agencies such as the CTA and Metra. The City should pursue the use of existing Metra infrastructure to create an O’Hare Express service that has the potential to deliver 30-minute service between O’Hare and downtown. The city should examine options to expand the versatility of fare payment on transit. Currently, CTA, Metra and Pace all use the Ventra system and the system is compatible with any smart chip credit card or debit card, but the city should explore further fare integration policies and technological enhancements. Page 4 of 4 Freitlheim Consulting Aviation Planning Transportation Real Estate Land Use April 15, 2019 To: Mayor-Elect Lori Lightfoot From: Kitty Freidheim, Member, Transportation and Infrastructure Transition Committee Objective: Enhance Chicago?s Role as a Transportation Hub Project: Supplements Essential to the Terminal Area Plan on the East Side of O?Hare International Airport O?Hare international Airport along with Midway International Airport -- is the largest economic generator in the State of The new terminal area plan will clearly enhance O'Hare's position. However, a number of critical components should be addressed which are either missing, lack clarity, or require refinement. The first of these is the area on the airport's east side which must be addressed not only to serve anticipated additional demand related to the new terminal but also for the nine new gates at Terminal 5. Three items should be addressed: 1) A determination of the utility of the previously considered ?Airport Express" concepts. This would be a transformative project which would decrease roadway demand and provide more efficient and economic access to O?Hare. It would enhance the City?s reputation as a world class city and provide jobs in design, construction and ultimate system operation. Further, it would free up capacity on the existing Blue Line for current and future airport employees, thereby increasing equity in transit. A great deal of analysis already has occurred and is available to the decision makers. There are several options to be considered: The Boring Company was selected for the project but the status of the negotiations is not publicly known. A G0 on that plan should occur immediately. (90 days). If the final analysis deems the concept not viable for reasons such as lack of proven technology or funding challenges other courses of action are available in the short term. If the decision is a GO, design should begin immediately. According to media reports, the submittal committed to full funding of the project by the private sector. 1722 N.Cri ly Court I Chicago, 1L 60614 I tel (312)943-2589 I .2) 3) Page 2 if The Boring Company plan is not viable, the other concept originally submitted in the RFP process should be reviewed for its potential. In addition, there are alternatives which reconfigure the CTA Blue Line to shorten trip time and take advantage of existing infrastructure. These options have been studied extensively and a review could occur quickly. (90 days}. Potential funding options for the backup alternatives include private? sector investment, 3 loan, and traditional federal transit grants. Capacity exists under the new overpass bridges of l-190 to add two lanes, and funding is available to begin design work on the relocation of a major water main that is a critical enabling project to the l-190 collector/distributor roads. This capacity is required to serve not only the new terminal in the core but the 9 additional gates at Terminal 5 under construction. The project requires the collaboration of CDA, CDOT IDOT, ITHA, JAWA and Rosemont. (90 days) While design moves forward, discussions on funding for the entire project should occur among the various agencies. it would create opportunities for WMBE firms as well as individual design and construction employment, enhancing diversity and inclusion. (longer term) Lastly, consideration should be given to immediate commencement of the next phase of the cargo development program at O?Hare, also on the East Side. (90 days) The devel0per is in place and most importantly cargo demand grew at a record 12% in 2018. Another new facility is required to accommodate this trend as well as to house wide body aircraft more efficiently. This project will create design and construction jobs, more full- time employment and would have overall positive secondary and tertiary impacts for the City and the Region. Capacity is needed to capture markets such as Amazon and to serve the demand created by the new air service at O?Hare. In 2018 alone, 17 new international carriers announced service to O?Hare. Private~sector funding would finance the project and an FAA grant would finance a new taxi lane on the airside. Name: Dr. Kate Lowe, the University of Illinois at Chicago Transition Committee: Transportation & Infrastructure Submitted: April 15, 2019 Initiative: Equitable mobility options to connect people to the places they need to be Chicago’s robust transportation systems are critical for its economic vitality and residents’ quality of life, but these systems have dramatic inequities in how well people can connect to the places they need to be. Transportation challenges fall disproportionately on people of color, those with disabilities, and low-income groups, excluding them from full participation in economic, civic, and social life. These exclusions hamper the City of Chicago from reaching its full potential. By addressing historic and current inequities, the incoming administration will make transportation decision-making inclusive, transparent, and accountable, while building trust in planning for new and emerging transportation trends. Current activities to keep Vision Zero goals The Vision Zero goals of eliminating traffic fatalities and addressing safety, especially for pedestrians and bicyclists, are critical for enhanced public health and will allow people to make first and last mile connections. Transportation network company (TNC) fee for a transit state of good repair TNCs (e.g., Uber, Lyft) increase congestion and detract from public transit, while causing wear and tear on streets. Funding a transit state of good repair, using this TNC fee, supports equitable mobility, economic vitality, and sustainability goals. Actions for the first 100 days Support and shape Chicago Bus Priority Network planning Buses still account for most Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) trips and disproportionately serve people of color. Numerous improvements—from dedicated lanes to express service and traffic light signalization—could transform bus service and address inequalities in transit quality and speed. However, prioritization based only on ridership figures could reinforce service disparities and unequal access to destinations, because ridership figures reflect differential service quality, as well as racialized development patterns. The administration should collaborate with the CTA and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning to ensure this project considers relative accessibility needs and includes a racial impact assessment, while fostering meaningful community engagement that is diverse, inclusive, and transparent. Suspend police ticketing of sidewalk bicycling Documented racial disparities persist in bicycle ticketing. This undermines transportation options and builds distrust. Furthermore, bicycling on the sidewalk can be a response to the inequitable distribution of bicycling infrastructure and exposure to traffic risk. Launch a study of downtown congestion pricing and a Loop TNC surcharge New revenue is needed to address transportation inequities and ensure a state of good repair. A downtown congestion pricing zone and a Loop TNC surcharge would incentivize efficient transportation modes, while supporting city livability and environmental quality. The study would identify implementation strategies, benefits, and costs, as well as mechanisms to mitigate burdens for low-income populations. Formally terminate negotiations with the Boring Company There is little evidence that redundant transit service (the O’Hare Express) would bring economic benefit, the process has not been transparent, the technology is unproven, the funding model is suspect, and the proposal distracts from pressing transportation needs. This project deepens a perceived divide between city institutions and residents in economically disconnected areas. Longer-term transformations Change transportation planning to be based on accessibility needs, not projects Transportation planning can focus on evaluating flashy projects that agencies or officials propose, rather than starting from identified community needs. The City of Chicago should start transportation interventions by identifying people and places with limited accessibility to key destinations (see the Metropolitan Chicago Accessibility Explorer: urbanaccessibility.com), rather than favored projects. Launch a comprehensive community-driven transportation planning program This program would work with stakeholders where transportation challenges are most acute and generate community-driven solutions. Even with admirable intentions and transparency procedures, communities often learn of agency projects at advanced stages. Focusing on needs in partnership with underserved communities will address disparities in ways that best suit neighborhood context. A new model would bring in engagement experts from outside transportation. It would start planning with communities for early and sustained engagement, recognize local, lived experience as critical expertise, and thereby make transportation planning more inclusive, equitable, and transparent. Use project and program evaluation measures that prioritize those with the most transportation need, as well as racial impact assessment Cost-effectiveness measures often value benefits uniformly without recognizing that many people already have robust travel options and accessibility. Measures should instead systematically prioritize investments that address racial disparities and improve transportation options for those with the greatest transportation challenges. Fully fund equity-oriented transportation improvements with new and existing revenue The congestion and TNC fees above could support critical programs and projects that will improve equitable mobility, allow full inclusion, and thereby enhance the City of Chicago as a whole. The administration should also seek regional, state, and federal funding for equity-oriented improvements including community transportation planning, pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, the Bus Priority Network, accelerated transit access for those with disabilities, low-income transit subsidies, and the Red Line extension. HNTB Corporation The HNTB Companies Infrastructure Solutions 1 South Wacker Drive Suite 900 Chicago, IL 60606 Telephone (312) 798-0385 hntb.com April 17, 2019 From: Kimberly Slaughter Rail/Transit Market Sector Leader HNTB Corporation Transition Committee: Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Objective Focus: Increase mobility to connect people to the places they need to be Together, the CTA, Metra and Pace provide more than 2 million trips each weekday at a cost per rider that is among the lowest in the country. In establishing Mayor Lightfoot’s transportation policy and legacy, we must acknowledge Chicago’s growing demand for transit and the benefits of providing this vital mobility service by implementing the following initiative: Ensuring Chicago’s transportation system provides equitable access to jobs, education, recreation, and other public amenities, where equitable access includes measures of safety and affordability. Extending the CTA Red Line service to Chicago’s southside, the most economically blighted area of the city, would address the following obstacles to transit use and, subsequently, promote economic and social growth: • Capacity. Some have suggested enhancing Metra’s heavy rail commuter service in the southside because its lines already run through that area. But Metra stations aren’t close to southside residents. Walking distance can be more than half a mile. Further, Chicago’s southside is a densely populated area that needs high-capacity transit. Heavy commuter rail is not high-capacity rail. Rapid transit rail, like the Red Line, is highcapacity. • Price. Metra fares, between $7 and $10, could be a hardship to economically disadvantaged areas. The $2 Red Line Extension fare would be far more affordable. • A reliable workforce. The simple act of providing reliable travel times can transform lives. It creates reliable employees for our region’s employers and increases productivity. • Citywide access. The Red Line Extension would give southside residents reliable and predictable connections to the entire city of Chicago — opening up new job opportunities and providing access to higher education and entertainment options. About 42 percent of people who ride the Red Line from the 95th Street Station get off in the downtown loop; 15 percent continue north on the Red Line; and 14 percent transfer to other lines going to north and northwest parts of the city. Metra’s coverage stops downtown at Millennium Park. By then, southside riders already have paid a premium for Metra service, and many still must transfer to another system to reach destinations beyond downtown. • Shorter commute times. Currently, commute times are 24 percent longer for southside residents than any other commuter in the Chicago area. The Red Line Extension could reduce commute times significantly — potentially by half. • Transportation equality. Right now, the far southside is a transit desert or provides transit with long travel times. High capacity transit and crosstown service would improve the quality of life and create opportunities for many residents. Chicago should offer CTA transit service in a more equitably distributed manner. • Workforce development. We envision a workforce development plan for the Red Line Extension that would offer jobs in phases 1 and 2 of the project. These jobs would introduce vocational graduates, people with GEDs or community college students to careers in professional services with entry-level secretary, accountant, planner and professional engineer positions. The program would open doors to a career for those with only baseline educational requirements. Further, the Red Line Extension has the potential of exposing high school students to career options that they are not aware exist today. You can be what you can’t see. CTA staff and consultants could provide career development events to schools along the corridor to help community residents become aware of how to explore their talents and passions. • Economic revitalization. One of Mayor-elect Lightfoot’s key initiatives is equitable transitoriented development — precisely what the Red Line Extension would attract, if done right. Questions we must answer to advance this initiative: • What is happening today that we need to keep: Dorval Carter, Jr., CTA president, is the right leader to deliver a convenient, safe, reliable and affordable transit system. He has the industry’s respect and critical relationships to continue the CTA’s success, but he needs mayoral support and a dedicated funding source. • What we need to implement the next 100 days: In the interim, the CTA could consider reviewing its bus system to determine if there are opportunities to create more crosstown connections, thereby creating greater regional mobility and possibly eliminating some of the existing transit deserts. • What we can plan for longer-term implementation: We must deliver the Red Line Extension and activate the TIF district proposed to help fund its capital costs. • Anticipated challenges: The CTA needs reliable funding sources. A dedicated revenue source, such as a sales tax, would enable the CTA to maintain a state of good repair on its infrastructure and rolling stock and enhance customer service. Plus, a dedicated revenue source would enable the CTA to plan for Chicago’s long-term mobility needs Better together The Red Line Extension project is about more than simply moving people from point A to point B. It is about moving people from one station in life to a better, higher station. When we help one area of our city, we help all areas of our city. We are better together. 2 MEMORANDUM Name: Marc Poulos Transition Committee: Transportation and Infrastructure Prompt: Adequate transportation investment is the first step An efficient and safe transportation system is vital to every person, employee, and business in Chicago. It serves as the lifeblood of not only the City, but the region and nation as well. And while policies and strategies to increase mobility, enhance Chicago’s role in the national transportation network, and improve safety and reliability are important to consider and plan, providing adequate funding for the transportation system should be the first step. It is the most important policy that serves as the avenue for all other objectives to be achieved. Like all of Illinois, Chicago’s transportation infrastructure is suffering from a prolonged deficit of funding. In 2017, the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) estimated the current backlog capital needs of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and Metra totaled over $12.45 billion and $6.14 billion, respectively (RTA, 2017). This wasn’t helped by state budget issues, which resulted in the CTA losing almost $50 million annually (Chicago Mobility Task Force, 2019). Looking closer at roadway needs, Lake Shore Drive was forced to be closed for 24-hours due to a cracked beam and subsequent emergency repairs (CBS, 2019) and Chicago drivers pay an additional $627 per year on average in operating costs due to driving on poorly maintained roads (TRIP, 2018). Finally, Chicago is the third most congested city in the United States (INRIX, 2018). Many policies and strategies can be implemented to help improve these transportation issues, but they will continue to be undercut by a lack of sustainable transportation funding. And simply put, increased investment allows for more solutions to not only be implemented but executed correctly and completely. Today’s strategies to keep Despite the lack of transportation funding in recent years, several promising and innovative funding strategies have been used that should be continued in the future. The Ride-Hailing Fee imposed on ridehailing services like Uber and Lyft provides additional funding for CTA improvements as they’re facing decreased ridership and fare revenues due to the popularity of these companies (CTA, 2019). Moreover, less efficient trips by personal vehicles are now becoming the norm in areas that are served by a robust public transit network, creating added traffic and cumbersome pick-ups and drop-offs throughout Chicago. The Ride-Hailing Fee partially makes-up for these shortcomings and provides the opportunity for the CTA to create a more efficient, attractive system (Chicago Mobility Task Force, 2019). The CTA and City have also utilized the federal Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 1998 (TIFIA) funds to support important capital projects and should continue to do so. The loans provide cost savings, making projects more affordable overall, while maximizing borrowing capacity. The CTA has been awarded TIFIA loans for three major capital projects, including the recent purchase of 400 new 7000-Series rail cars in 2016. The City has also used TIFIA loans for the Riverwalk Expansion, which included reconstruction of Upper and Lower Wacker Drive and the construction of a pedestrian walkway along the River (US DOT, 2019). Supporting Chicago’s role as a national transportation hub, the CREATE program will provide over $4 billion in rail investment in the Chicago region at its time of completion. Initiated in 2003, the 70-project program is a public-partnership between the City of Chicago, State of Illinois, U.S. DOT, and the freight, passenger, and commuter railroads serving Chicago. It strives to create rail efficiencies, resulting in fewer delays, increased safety, and economic growth (CREATE Program, 2019). Both freight and Metra operations are directly benefitting with the elimination of conflict points between different rail lines and roadways. And with 25% of all freight trains and 50% of all intermodal trains passing through metropolitan Chicago, with the dense core being in the City of Chicago, it is vital that freight networks are prioritized (CMAP, 2018). Moreover, Metra serves 270,000 trips each weekday, providing a vital alternative mode of transportation for commuters entering and existing the City. As of January 2019, 29 projects were completed, 22 are under construction or review, and 19 remain pending funding. Chicago should continue supporting this program through matching funds and public support. Looking to the next year The most important initiative to pursue in the next year is the passage of a capital bill at the state level. While this policy does not fall directly within the purview of the City, it will be vital for City leaders to support. One option is SB 0103 Amendment 1, which was proposed on March 15, 2019, and will provide direct money to the City of Chicago, Cook County, and the RTA. The bill proposes doubling the motor fuel tax (MFT) in Illinois, which will result in more MFT revenues being distributed to municipalities, counties, and townships throughout the state, just as they are now (SB0103). The City of Chicago can expect to receive over $76 million in additional funds each year and Cook County would receive an additional $107 million per year. Not to mention that the additional state funds will also support IDOT projects within the City. The bill also provides needed capital support for the RTA. The vehicle registration rate is proposed to increase by $50. However, $34 of the proceeds from each registration fee increase will be deposited into the newly created Transit Capital Projects Fund, totaling over $306 million per year. Of those funds, 70% will be directed to the RTA, totaling over $214 million per year for capital funding for the CTA, Metra, and Pace. In addition to this funding, the bill also removes language in the Regional Transportation Authority Act that prohibits the RTA Board from enacting both a general sales tax and a motor fuel sales tax or motor vehicle parking tax. As such, the RTA will have new funding options to pursue (SB0103). Long-term implementation While a capital bill is an important first step towards adequate transportation funding in Illinois, more will need to be done in the long-term to ensure sustainable funding sources for both the state and Chicago. With the motor fuel tax currently serving as the primary source of transportation funding, revenues from the per-gallon tax will continue to diminish as vehicles become more fuel efficient or as the share of electric vehicles increases. Alternative fees should be considered on both the state and local levels. A road-usage charge (RUC) – or vehicle miles traveled (VMT) fee – pilot program should be considered. In the simplest terms, a RUC equitably charges the users of the transportation system based on the actual distance they travel. Intended as an eventual replacement to the motor fuel tax, a RUC charges a fee at a per-mile basis for every mile traveled on a public roadway. A pilot will allow the processes and technology behind the program to be tested. As it is most easily adopted at the state-level, City leaders should support and champion the adoption of such a program. Additionally, the City should support the implementation of a regional transportation funding source. Similar to the RTA sales tax that supports transit, an additional fee – either a vehicle registration, motor fuel tax, or RUC – could be charged within the seven-county Chicago metropolitan area. Fees would be distributed throughout the region for all types of transportation projects, allowing Chicago the opportunity to fund its own, unique transportation needs. Name: Ron Burke, Active Transportation Alliance Transition Committee: Transportation and Infrastructure Objective: Increase mobility options to connect people to the places they need to be Initiative: Dedicate a $20 million Safe Streets Fund in the city budget for better lit crosswalks, curb protected bike lanes, bus stop bump-outs, and other safety infrastructure on high-crash corridors, as Mayor-elect Lightfoot proposed in her Plan for Equitable and Efficient Transit. How the new administration can infuse the values of equity, transparency, accountability, diversity and inclusion, and transformation Chicagoans living in communities of high economic hardship die in traffic crashes more often and at a higher rate than other Chicagoans. Chicagoans of color are more at risk of dying in a traffic crash than white Chicagoans. A $20 million Safe Streets Fund would help Chicago better address these injustices by giving the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) the ability to plan and invest long-term in safety infrastructure on the city’s highest crash corridors. Currently, Chicago spends very little local money on biking and walking projects despite the proven safety benefits for all users and the long-term health, sustainability, and equity benefits for Chicago neighborhoods. Street safety projects are funded with little transparency through a patchwork of sources (e.g. corporate fund, TIF, federal and state grant revenue, menu money) – none of which are consistently available nor adequate to address the overwhelming need. Furthermore, we recommend the establishment of a Transportation & Infrastructure Equity Task Force to develop an equity framework for projects and spending. What is happening today that we need to keep In its 2017 Vision Zero Action Plan, CDOT committed to prioritizing resources for the city’s highest crash corridors, which are disproportionately located in historically disinvested communities of color on the South and West Sides. The agency followed up with a High Crash Corridors Framework Plan in 2018 that proposes a series of projects to make these streets safer, but only a fraction of them are funded. This prioritization of resources for the highest-need areas is the right approach and should be paired with a consistent, reliable revenue stream for implementation. Chicago’s 2013 Complete Streets Design Guidelines directs CDOT to favor pedestrians first, then transit riders, bicyclists, and cars. While this rarely happens in practice, the policy remains good. The policy calls for attention to the mobility needs of children, older adults, and people with disabilities. This approach should be maintained while implementing a Safe Streets Fund. CDOT should also continue to implement the Streets for Cycling 2020 Plan, which was developed with extensive community input and identified more than 600 miles of on-street bike routes of various types. What we need to implement in the next 100 days (Note: we use CY 2019 for capital projects) Dedicate a $20 million Safe Streets Fund in the FY2020 budget for better lit crosswalks, curb protected bike lanes, bus stop bump-outs, and other safety infrastructure. These projects have low costs and high ROIs. Prioritize projects for high-crash corridors in historically disinvested communities on the South and West Sides. 1 Complete safety projects on eight high-crash corridors in 2019. Over the last five years, Chicago has completed safety projects on 24 of the city’s 45 high crash corridors (53%) from the Vision Zero Action Plan. In 2019 complete 20 miles of new or upgraded protected bike lanes, five miles of Neighborhood Greenways, and finish ongoing trail projects. The growth of Chicago’s bike network has slowed considerably in recent years. Zero miles of protected bike lanes were installed in 2018, down from a high of 9.4 miles in 2012. Pilot test “Slow Lanes” that are dedicated to light low, speed vehicles, and “Smart Lanes” dedicated to a mix of multi-passenger vehicles (buses, micro-transit, carpools, etc.) These ideas are referenced in the New Mobility Task Force report. Establish a Transportation and Infrastructure Equity Task Force comprised of community leaders, advocates, and elected officials. The group will develop an equity framework for Chicago projects and help agencies prioritize spending, including examining how Racial Equity Impact Assessments (REIAs) can help define community benefits and mitigate negative impacts. What we can plan for longer-term implementation Build at least 100 miles of new high-quality bikeways by 2023, including 65 miles of new or upgraded protected bike lanes, 25 miles of neighborhood greenways, and 10 miles of off-street trails. 65 Miles of Protected Bike Lanes: The Streets for Cycling 2020 Plan identifies 60 miles of Spoke Routes, streets prioritized for biking that provide connections from the city limits to the downtown. However, since 2011, only 12 miles (18%) of Spoke Routes have been completed with bikeways for all ages and abilities, such as protected bike lanes. 25 Miles of Neighborhood Greenways: The Streets for Cycling 2020 Plan identified 310 miles of neighborhood streets for bike routes called Neighborhood Greenways. However, since 2011, fewer than five miles of Neighborhood Greenways have been installed citywide. Neighborhood Greenways are a low-cost way to create all ages and abilities bikeways to connect within and between Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods. 10 Miles of Off-street Trails: This includes at least seven new miles of a multimodal Chicago River Trail, such as El Paseo on the South Branch and a new connection from Lake Street to Ping Tom Park. By 2023, Chicago could be less than three miles away from a continuous Chicago River Trail. Other trail projects include the Englewood Line Trail (2 miles), the Chicago portion of the Weber Spur Trail on the Northwest Side (1.75 miles) and extending the 606 to the Chicago River Trail segment in Lincoln Yards (0.25 miles). Establish neighborhood slow zones with reduced speed limits (20 mph) and other traffic calming features in at least 10 community areas by 2023, starting with each of the eight Vision Zero High Crash Areas. Where CDOT has reduced the speed limit to 20 mph, such as Milwaukee Avenue through Wicker Park in 2018, initial data shows fewer crashes and increased safety for all users. What challenges we might encounter in executing on this initiative Successful implementation of a Safe Streets Fund requires a public engagement process that is inclusive, equitable, and transparent. Residents best understand the needs in their neighborhood and object to projects that are perceived as “top-down” and not supported by the community. 2 Robert Ginsburg, Ph.D. Senior Policy Advisor Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04) Email(w): robert.ginsburg@mail.house.gov Cell(work): 202-424-0317 Email (personal): rginsburg@igc.org Cell (personal): 773-505-1004 April 15, 2019 TO: FROM: RE: Mayor-Elect Lori Lightfoot Robert Ginsburg, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Member Proposal to achieve key objective Key Objective: Increase mobility options to connect people to the places they need to be Among the key problems facing Chicago is how to increase investment in disadvantaged, immigrant and/or community of color neighborhoods and stabilize these neighborhoods to stem the flight out of the City. We can begin with a clear commitment to provide better transportation and mobility in those communities especially when tied to affordable housing and preserving regional (e.g. multiward) commercial centers. There are other needs, but we can start by creating policies and programs that make such investments clear. The new administration can infuse the values of equity, transparency, accountability, diversity and inclusion, and transformation in this initiative by: 1. Requiring CTA, the Chicago Department of Planning and Development, and the Chicago and Cook County Community Land Trusts to work jointly to develop eTOD and affordable housing around el stops around Orange, Pink, Green and Blue line stations in disadvantaged, immigrant, and community of color neighborhoods outside of CBD; 2. Providing initial funding for sufficiently detailed community plans to be developed or adopted around el stops around Orange, Pink, Green and Blue line stations and future red line extension stations in disadvantaged, immigrant, and community of color neighborhoods outside of CBD so they can be implemented as funding becomes available; 3. Modify the proposals for express bus service through the SW side to create several area “Express Bus Stations” (perhaps similar to Loop Link stations) to make them identifiable transportation hubs with expanded service so that they can be focal points for eTOD and affordable housing projects and promotion of regional commercial centers such as Little Village/26th Street; If successful, this could be used as a model to expand transportation and mobility options in many communities; 4. Given that nearly two-thirds of the jobs in the metro region are located outside of the City of Chicago, the City needs to Integrate Transportation Planning and Coordination with Cook County to increase connections to jobs outside of CBD (NB. That is why the merger of City and County Workforce Boards made in 2011 made sense and had some successes.) This would be critically important in using red line extension stations as a gateway to and from the south suburbs. As it pertains to these initiatives: o What is happening today that we need to keep: 1. Keep the current Transit Oriented Development Ordinance o What we need to implement in the next 100 days 1. Issue executive order mandating City Departments to work and plan together and to get CTA and DPD to allocate enough resources (possibly through TIF funds or by applying for CMAP/RTA funding) to start the eTOD planning described above. 2. Work with County to announce structure for coordinated regional planning o What we can plan for longer-term implementation 1. Work with Congressional offices to include language and funding for expanded TOD planning. 2. Identify concrete regional plans with Cook County and other counties to increase transit options from south and west sides to get to jobs in the north and northwest areas of the City and Cook County. o What challenges we might encounter in executing on this initiative 1. Funding Robert Ginsburg, Ph.D. Senior Policy Advisor Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04) 530 Cannon House Office Building Email(w): robert.ginsburg@mail.house.gov Cell(work): 202-424-0317 Email (personal): rginsburg@igc.org Cell (personal): 773-505-1004 April 15, 2019 TO: FROM: RE: Mayor-Elect Lori Lightfoot Robert Ginsburg, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Member Proposal to achieve key objective Key Objective: Enhance Chicago’s role as nation’s transportation hub The Chicago region is a major inter-modal hub for truck-rail, truck/rail to air cargo freight. The City needs to become much more vocal in promoting its water resources and expanding its air cargo capacity, so it can remain a world class leader in intermodal shipments. The new administration can infuse the values of equity, transparency, accountability, diversity and inclusion, and transformation in this initiative by: 1. The City must actively participate with the State of Illinois and community and industry groups to increase funding to maintain the Illinois inland waterway system and make sure those efforts include resources to expand the Chicago International port. Increased freight passing through the Port will enhance jobs and development on the south side and in southern Cook County. 2. The City needs to work with the State to increase air cargo capacity in the region either through expansions at Ohare or with new regional air cargo capacity. As it pertains to these initiatives: o What is happening today that we need to keep: 1. Keep the Ohare expansion on track 2. Continue support for State Capital bill and federal transportation funding o What we need to implement in the next 100 days 1. Announce active participation in discussions around State Capital Bill and work with Congressional representatives to provide federal funding for Create; 2. Work with State to announce structure for expanding air cargo and intermodal freight capacity for water/ports and ways to reduce truck emissions around rail yards and warehouses. o What we can plan for longer-term implementation 1. Work with Congressional offices to try to include language and funding for expanded inland waterways and ports and expansion of air cargo. 2. Develop a regional agreement to promote the 6-County region as an international intermodal freight hub o What challenges we might encounter in executing on this initiative 1. Funding TO: Mayor-Elect Lori Lightfoot FROM: Roberto Requejo, Program Director, Elevated Chicago; Co-Chair, Transportation & Infrastructure Transition Committee 1 SUBJECT: Increasing mobility options through Equitable Transit-Oriented Development (eTOD) Elevated Chicago is proposing the promotion of equitable transit-oriented development (eTOD) as a tool to increase opportunities for communities of color and low-income residents. With 145 train stations and 129 bus routes serving every neighborhood, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) provides an unmatched opportunity to build a different city by concentrating investments within the half-mile radius of its stops and hubs. The model can be applied also to Metra stations and other transit hubs. eTOD will build a global, inclusive city where all residents thrive independently of their race or zip code. Infusing the values of equity, transparency, accountability, diversity and inclusion, and transformation in this initiative Many of the inequities of Chicago, from the racial wealth gap to the dramatically lower life expectancy in communities of color, can be tracked back to significant deficits in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in the fields of planning and development, and more acutely, in transportation and infrastructure. Lack of DEI hurts people of color, strains the budgets of the public and nonprofit sectors, and damages the bottom line of corporations. Chicago’s built environment is both cause and effect of these DEI gaps, many of which have been in place for over a century. Yet the main decision-makers in this space (incl. government leaders, planning and engineering firms, developers, funders, and investors) lack a common understanding of DEI; a joint vision, framework and commitment to it; and spaces and resources to collaborate on it. Elevated Chicago is proposing the creation of a DEI framework, curriculum and plan with “hard goals” that are adopted jointly by all City departments impacting the built environment. This framework should guide the actions of planning and engineering firms, developers, architectural and design firms, anchor institutions, and financial entities undertaking infrastructure and built environment projects in Chicago. The goal is increasing (1) diversity and inclusion internally, within organizations (in staff, leadership and culture) and (2) equity externally, in communities, by applying criteria and tools centered in equity when making policy, investing, distributing resources, contracting services and establishing partnerships. What is happening today that we need to keep? Chicago must harness the local and national momentum around eTOD and become its global leader. The recent eTOD ordinance passed by City Council in January 2019 includes a mandate to develop an Equitable Policy Plan for TOD by August 2020. The Mayor’s Office and Elevated Chicago have created a working group (WG) that is collaborating to produce the plan. The work of this cross-departmental WG should be properly resourced and supported by the Mayor’s Office to produce an Equitable Policy Plan that will guide development around transit hubs for decades to come, by ensuring full engagement of community-based and civic groups, coordinating resources among City departments, and keeping retention of community residents and businesses near transit as a key goal --with a focus on communities of color and low-income residents. It is also necessary to sustain and incentivize more cross-departmental collaboration and coordination across all the agencies engaged in impacting infrastructure, transportation and the built environment, especially the City’s departments of Planning and Development, Transportation, Public Health, and Housing, along with the Treasurer’s Office and CTA. Such coordination is being cultivated in Elevated Chicago’s Leadership Council, whose members represent these very departments. Coordination is essential to link different types of infrastructure investments (housing, transit, green infrastructure, commercial development) and programs (CDBG, TIF, Low Income Housing Tax Credits, Neighborhood Opportunity Fund, Thrive Zones, Opportunity Zones), all of which are now currently operating in silos and, sometimes, against each other. 1 The cross-disciplinary, multi-lens character of eTOD makes the recommendations in this memo applicable also to the following Transition Committees: Housing; Business, Economic and Neighborhood Development; Environment; Public Health; and Public Safety 1 What do we need to implement immediately (first 100 days)? A number of equitable TOD demonstration projects led by community-based organizations are in need of immediate investment and well-resourced community engagement. The Elevated Chicago capital pipeline, for example, includes $150 million in impactful eTOD near CTA hubs: affordable housing, green infrastructure, business incubators and community facilities. These projects include Emmet Street homes (Logan Square station); C40, Eco-Orchard and Oaks of North Lawndale (Kedzie Corridor); Latinos Progresando Community Center (California Pink Line station); and the Overton business incubator, historic Garfield CTA station, and KLEO Center (along the Green Line South stations). These projects are centered on racial equity and community engagement, and align resources on the ½ mile around CTA stations for multiplied impact. To ensure the success of these projects we are urging the City to prioritize walkability, public safety and placemaking initiatives around transit hubs to increase ridership and active transportation options, building on the work that Chicago Dept. of Public Health is doing around several CTA stations. The City should also consider adopting new tools and criteria for investments. Elevated Chicago members Enterprise Community Partners, IFF and The Chicago Community Trust are piloting a Capital Screen for equitable investment that can be used to direct further capital infusion. Other members are testing Racial Equity Impact Assessments to gauge the effect of capital projects for low-income residents and people of color. Additionally, the City should consider creating a well-resourced TOD Director position to simplify and streamline the implementation of equitable TOD; coordinate between City departments, private sector, and other public and civic institutions; and identify “stackable” incentives and programs to be deployed in pilot areas and projects within the ½ mile of transit. What can we plan for longer term implementation? A longer-term priority is the integration of eTOD as a key pillar within a much-needed comprehensive plan for the City of Chicago, aligned with CMAP’s 2050 Plan. In spite of the investments in transit and active transportation infrastructure, our city is still an auto-oriented one and lacks a firm, clear commitment to TOD at the core of all its planning and development efforts. While other global cities like London, Hong Kong and Singapore have made TOD a core planning principle, Chicago lags behind. As part of this effort, we must undertake the radical transformation and enhancement of community engagement and ownership principles, tools and processes that guide the planning and development process in neighborhoods. Building on the findings of the City’s recent Baseline of Public Engagement Efforts and on Elevated Chicago’s Community Engagement Principles & Recommendations, the City should (1) further engage stakeholders in the consolidation and redesign its community engagement efforts, (2) create a culture of community engagement across City departments, and (3) continue testing and piloting innovative methods to engage community residents in planning, development and infrastructure, such as the Corridor Development Initiative by the Metropolitan Planning Council. What challenges might we encounter in executing on this initiative? Challenges for implementation of these priorities include inertia and silos in City departments, many of which lack a collaborative culture or DEI framework; significant and rapidly growing inequities, displacement and depopulation trends in neighborhoods, which make eTOD interventions more and more urgent; limited trust in the public sector, corporations and anchor institutions in communities, especially in the most disinvested areas; decline in public transit ridership and perceptions of some stations and hubs as inconvenient, unsafe or unpleasant by community residents; and negative and inaccurate narratives in media and social media about disinvested communities, transit and TOD. Without a strong equitable TOD approach, our current infrastructure and transportation plans and the mega-developments planned across Chicago will continue displacing people in gentrifying communities and bypassing disinvested neighborhoods, making us less diverse and equitable, and damaging the city’s social cohesion, competitiveness and reputation. eTOD is the tool that can revert these trends and position Chicago as a global leader in equitable development. 2 TO: FROM: Mayor-Elect Lori Lightfoot Sharon Feigon, Executive Director, Shared-Use Mobility Center Background for Proposed Initiatives. Transportation takes 20% of the average household budget, and a higher percentage for low-income households. Transportation causes 30% of the greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, more than any other sector. We know we must do better. We envision a multi-modal transportation that works for all, accessible and affordable, with great transit at the center. Chicago has one of the best transit systems in the country but we can continue to improve. Areas that are not well served by the current transportation system—particularly on the south and west sides— need immediate attention. The four initiatives described below are scalable projects that can begin in pilot form and grow and become codified as they are refined for success. They will make the CTA perform better and point the way to transforming transportation in the City of Chicago within the first year, with measurable steps that can be taken in the first 100 days. 1. Pilot transit-only lanes on crosstown and north/south corridors 2. Initiate a scooter-sharing pilot to provide first/last mile connections throughout the city 3. Implement transportation demand management (TDM) concepts with willing employers while developing a TDM ordinance tied to land use and development review policies 4. Develop an automated shuttle pilot on a dedicated right-of-way that can enhance convention access to downtown while providing important learning for the City of Chicago Pilot transit-only lanes on crosstown and north/south corridors. To attract new riders and retain existing users, public transit must be faster and easier than taking a car—and it can be with appropriate street priorities. Buses offer the most potential for decreasing congestion and improving access for communities across the city. Dedicated transit lanes, along with traffic signal prioritization, can increase the speed of bus transit substantially. In places where more people are using buses on a corridor than are traveling in drive-alone vehicles, the most equitable approach is to give buses priority to let more Chicagoans move more quickly. Within 100 days, two or three corridors should be identified for sixmonth pilots for transit-only lanes. Among high-ridership streets to be considered are north-south routes on Halsted, Western, Ashland and Pulaski Avenues, and crosstown routes on 95th, 79th, and 63rd Streets or Chicago and North Avenues, some of which have been studied by the city or the CTA. Pilots may be limited to peak hours or even exclude controversial segments, and still impact the speed and convenience of the routes, increasing usage and job access. Ridership and travel time reductions would be the measure of success. In the longer term, speed and reliability improvements demonstrated by the pilot could spread to an increasing number of key corridors throughout the city. While this effort could have enormous impact, challenges in executing on the initiative include neighborhood businesses who are concerned about the impact on parking and truck traffic, taxis and ridehailing vehicles that would be tempted to use bus-only lanes, and residents who are concerned that ticketing may increase. Each of these concerns would need to be given attention, but by making the initiative a pilot and building flexibility with hours and specific blocks covered, it could provide the testing ground to make the success that have been proven with these types of projects in large cities throughout the US and increase equitable transportation options for those who most need them. Launch a scooter sharing pilot this summer. The City Council has already passed an ordinance to manage the types of electric scooters that can operate and use bike lanes in the city. Companies are eager to bring this fast-growing mode to Chicago. Scooter sharing, whose short and inexpensive rides have proved very popular in diverse communities, can help residents more easily reach destinations just out of reach of transit. The City should set criteria for scooter quality and maintenance, building on work already been done at CDOT, require operation in neighborhoods in all parts of the City, and require permit fees to fund improved infrastructure and low speed lanes for the growing use of these modes. Create a strong transportation demand management ordinance tied to the City’s land use code and planning and development review processes. Chicago is long overdue for a transportation demand management (TDM) ordinance to help tie together the City’s many disparate approaches to encouraging travel in ways other than solo car trips or single-passenger taxi or ridehailing. While Chicago is already taking many steps to provide non-automobile choices (such as continued investment in robust public transit and supporting safe biking and walking), it lacks a coherent policy approach that coordinates these strategies and ties into the city’s development process. Chicago should look to policies like Seattle’s Transportation Management Program rule, which requires large employers and major new developments (i.e. those over 100,000 square feet floor area or otherwise triggering planneddevelopment) to mitigate solo car trips and to encourage non-auto travel. Among the requirements are transit pass subsidies and access to services like carsharing and bikesharing. Due partly this policy, Seattle reduced the number of people commuting downtown by car at the same time it added over 260,000 new downtown jobs. In the same period, transit gained more than 40,000 new riders. Companies dedicated to minimizing solo driving by their workers can lead the way by implementing components of an eventual policy, like providing free transit passes rather than free parking, rewarding employees who give up driving for more sustainable commutes, and committing to supporting walking and biking to their facilities. In its move from the suburbs to a new River West headquarters, McDonalds Corporation provided a prime example of how companies can make the most of downtown Chicago's transportation assets to cut travel costs, greenhouse gas emissions, and congestion while supporting employees' mobility choices. However, for the broadest improvement in equitable and sustainable transportation across all of Chicago, this voluntary approach will need to be matched by a policy approach that requires large employers to make these choices available to all their workers, not just the ones in flagship downtown locations. Because the Seattle approach is tied to the development process, its success depends on ongoing growth and construction, which in Chicago is both cyclical and concentrated in limited areas of the city. A Chicago version of the policy might phase in incentives for employers throughout the city to provide more transportation choices for workers. Prepare for automated vehicles with an AV shuttle pilot. Since Google brought self-driving cars to California roads in 2009, dozens of cities and dozens of manufacturers are piloting these machines. Many of the pilots are for driverless shuttles that will be able to serve as on-demand vehicles in the future, enhancing opportunities to live well without a car in dense urban areas. Because an unmanaged implementation of automated vehicles could increase traffic congestion and harmful emissions, the city has a keen interest in understanding and shaping their use to avoid negative impacts. One way to do this is to plan for use of shuttles (particularly for transit access) rather than low-occupancy vehicles. Chicago has several locations that could serve as pathways for shuttle pilots, with dedicated right of ways, including the McCormick busway and Carroll Avenue in River North. Many shuttle manufacturers have vehicles that are already being deployed in US cities, and several civic organizations that are already exploring AV pilots. Challenges to their operation include educating the public and overcoming any regulatory hurdles to pilot operation. Memo - April 15, 2019 To: Lori Lightfoot, Chicago Mayor Elect From: Steven Vance, Deputy Editor, Streetsblog Chicago Re: Transportation & Infrastructure Transition Committee, Increase mobility options to connect people to the places they need to be Chicago should add several miles of bus lanes so that the over 900,000 people who ride Chicago Transit Authority buses each weekday can have consistent commute times, and get to work and school as quickly as more expensive transportation modes. Bus lanes would also reduce travel time, decrease point-source pollution, and stem the loss of ridership. New bus lanes in Chicago instill all five of the Lightfoot administration's values. Buses are the most equitable transportation mode in Chicago and accessible to people in all neighborhoods, yet are slowed down because they must share lanes with everyone who's driving alone. In order to mitigate some of the challenges implementing a major bus lane project in the past, the administration can work even harder to be transparent. Engage bus riders – who would benefit the most from bus lanes – who are not represented or well-resourced like some of the ad hoc and established organizations that have opposed bus lanes in the past. Chicago has committed to ambitious sustainability goals including, Paris Climate Agreement, Chicago Climate Action Plan, and Sustainability 2015. The city has a duty to reduce pollution and carbon emissions from the transportation sector. Every day, people choose their own cars and ride hailing over the bus because its limited reliability sometimes means a rider has to leave much earlier than their driving colleagues. Chicago needs to be accountable to its commitments and can get people out of their cars and onto fast-moving buses. Buses are one of the best ways to transport everyone. The CTA has already met its federal requirements for the number of 'L' stations that need to be accessible. And while they have a plan on how to make more stations accessible, it hasn't necessarily been prioritized or funded. Buses, on the other hand, make up for what the trains' lack. Bus lanes would be an inclusive change in Chicago's transportation systems because they have minimal construction costs and barriers to implementation. Chicago has only four miles of bus lanes – Loop Link; and Jeffery Boulevard and Clark Street, which are part-time – which should remain but enhanced by keeping drivers out of them, and by extending how long the bus lanes are active during the day. Additionally, Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), which operates the buses, and Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) which manages streets, are planning enhancements for certain bus routes, including #79, the city's busiest bus route. In the first 100 days, the Lightfoot administration should pilot bus lanes on streets that have already been identified in multiple past planning efforts by CTA, CDOT, and Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC). The pilot bus lanes could go on some of the ten streets identified in MPC's report, and it could go on additional streets. Envision Columbus Drive with bus lanes, for example. There are five CTA express bus routes that ply Columbus Drive through Grant Park. All head to the South Side via Lake Shore Drive and riders spend more time on this short section than on the section south of Roosevelt Road because the packed buses have to fight for space amongst hundreds of people driving alone. Through Grant Park, Columbus has six-lanes and less vehicle traffic than four-lane Western Avenue. CDOT could quickly separate the bus lanes from other travel lanes with paint and plastic posts, and tweak the traffic signals to prioritize buses during rush hour. An advantage of installing bus lanes on a street like Columbus is that none of the typical constituencies exist: No one lives here or owns a business here, and thus there would be fewer people coming out of the woodwork to oppose it. Additionally, the administration should resume planning for Bus Rapid Transit on Ashland Avenue and other streets. Bus Rapid Transit is a set of policies, design choices, and system operations that prioritize high-capacity buses in areas that could support even higher-capacity rail transit but which isn't feasible because of the higher cost of rail transit. MPC's report, ​Bus Rapid Transit: Chicago's New Route to Opportunity ​(2011), developed a set of criteria for streets that can support BRT that connect neighborhoods and job centers that would benefit from BRT. The report's criteria and recommendations are still valid. Finally, also in the first 100 days, the Lightfoot administration needs to engage Governor Pritzker, Illinois representatives, and the Illinois Department of Transportation to ensure that IDOT's North Lake Shore Drive reconstruction project will not be widened and one of the existing lanes will be converted to a bus lane. Challenges for the bus lanes initiative include the difficulties of coordinating amongst multiple agencies, including the CTA, CDOT, as well as IDOT. While IDOT has jurisdiction over many streets in Chicago, the City of Chicago is still responsible for managing and maintaining them. People who oppose bus lanes are also a force to be reckoned with. While some people have been unreasonably opposed to the Ashland BRT in the past, the City's mounting problems of declining bus ridership – which should be understood as a negative outcome for air quality and that some people may be forced into more expensive transportation modes – must take precedence. Perhaps previous outreach efforts were insufficient, but the question mustn't be whether a street that carries people whose lives will be improved with a simple bus lane gets a bus lane. Questions that can still be answered via community engagement include what a bus lane looks like, who benefits and how, and who is impacted and how that can be mitigated. Many Chicagoans are not privileged enough to live near one of the city's fast and frequent 'L' lines, but they should not be punished for our inability to provide them high-quality transit service because decisions have historically been made to favor car owners. The CTA can provide 'L'-like service – fast travel unaffected by drivers – in dozens of new neighborhoods with bus lanes and Bus Rapid Transit. April  15,  2019     To:  Mayor-­‐Elect  Lightfoot     From:  Vig  Krishnamurthy,  Transportation  &  Infrastructure  Committee  Member       RE:  Increasing  mobility  options  to  connect  people  to  the  places  they  need  to  be   Chicago  would  benefit  from  the  policy-­‐based  selection  of  citywide  mobility  strategies,  the  development  of   agency  work  plans  for  sustained  programmatic  approaches  to  address  mobility  needs,  and  public  facing   reporting  on  indicators  of  mobility  outcomes.     To  help  meaningfully  infuse  the  values  of  equity,  transparency,  accountability,  diversity  and  inclusion,  and   transformation  into  what  Chicago  does  on  transportation,  we  require  the  language  that  will  enable  our  city  to   openly  discuss  how  and  why  certain  policies,  programs  and  projects  will  be  chosen  from  the  long  list  of   competing  needs  and  compelling  ideas  and  ultimately  determine  whether  we  are  going  in  the  right  direction.     It  is  respectfully  recommended  that  the  Mayor’s  Office  and  the  City’s  transportation  agencies  articulate  an   aligned  policy  position  on  the  key  strategies  that  the  City  will  emphasize  and  use  in  a  sustained  way  to   improve  mobility  and  access.  In  recent  years  Chicago  has  been  successful  in  delivering  signature   transportation  projects  that  are  undoubtedly  transformative.  However,  renewed  attention  is  required  on   creating  programmatic  initiatives  to  comprehensively  address  structural  issues  underling  mobility  and  access   challenges  in  Chicago  in  a  sustained  and  systematic  way.  These  structural  issues  are  broad  and  include,   among  others,  communities  without  access  to  frequent  rapid  transit;  incomplete  sidewalk  connectivity;   spatial  mismatch  of  jobs  and  housing  for  lower-­‐income  households;  temporal  mismatch  of  shift-­‐worker  hours   and  transit  service  patterns;  income  insufficiency;  public  safety  and  traffic  safety  risks  that  impact  walking,   biking,  and  bussing;  and,  Loop-­‐level  density  spilling  over  to  neighborhoods  that  are  transit-­‐adjacent  rather   than  transit-­‐oriented.  Four  to  six  strategies  should  be  selected  and  prioritized  as  the  key  transformative   pathways  that  will  focus  the  work  of  the  administration  and  City  agencies.  These  strategies  should  be  selected   based  on  the  ones  that  align  best  with  the  Mayor’s  core  policy  values  and  ones  that  our  City  agencies  are   positioned  to  make  transformative  change  and  deliver  results.  Examples  of  these  strategies  may  include,   among  others,  increasing  frequency  and  span  of  transit  service;  introducing  new  transit  service  patterns;   expanding  coverage  areas  of  modes;  introducing  new  modes;  prioritizing  certain  modes  in  the  right-­‐of-­‐way;   changing  social  norms;  reducing  financial  barriers  and  transportation  cost;  modernizing  taxes,  fees  and  fares;   market-­‐shaping  for  private  mobility  services;  and,  incubating,  accelerating,  and  piloting  new  technology.       It  is  respectfully  recommended  that  the  City  of  Chicago  establish  a  set  of  meaningful  metrics  to  communicate   how  our  city’s  existing  transportation  assets  result  in  differential  outcomes  for  Chicago’s  diverse  people  and   places  and  to  track  progress  on  advancing  the  Mayor’s  core  values.  Our  city  has  a  robust  capability  to  deliver   the  physical  infrastructure  of  the  transportation  system  that  move  peoples  such  as  buses,  bridges,  and  bike   lanes.  However,  these  transportation  assets  are  the  means  to  an  end  for  enabling  the  outcome  of  access  to  the   places  and  things  that  people  need  to  thrive:  food,  education,  employment,  healthcare,  friends,  entertainment   etc.  Current  city  metrics  focus  on  the  infrastructure  itself,  the  speed  with  which  potholes  are  filled  or  the   number  of  miles  of  bike  lanes  painted,  but  not  necessarily  the  outcomes  created  by  these  actions  and  how  they   impact  people.  Chicago’s  mobility  metrics  should  capture  and  convey  how  people  experience  the  mobility   system,  with  a  focus  on  experiences  that  impact  core  policy  goals  such  as  the  ability  to  access  to  key   destinations,  the  reliability  of  travel  times,  and  affordability.  Metrics  should  be  used  over  the  course  of  the   administration  for  reporting  via  an  online  dashboard.  Chicago’s  mobility  metrics  should  also  be  used  to   catalyze  the  City’s  overall  mobility  agenda  and  as  a  feedback  on  the  work  of  the  City’s  transportation  agencies.     Connecting  to  the  Core  Values     The  initiatives  proposed  above  will  work  in  a  virtuous  cycle  to  advance  the  Mayor’s  platform.  Mobility   strategies  will  be  aligned  to  the  administration’s  core  values,  transportation  agencies  will  develop   programmatic  approaches  and  work  plans  to  solve  challenges  based  on  the  prioritized  strategies,  and   Chicago’s  set  of  mobility  metrics  will  provide  a  way  for  all  to  have  a  common  language  that  enables  a  more   meaningful  big-­‐picture  discussion  regarding  whether  the  thousands  of  decisions  that  will  have  to  be  made   over  the  course  of  the  administration  are  aligned  with  where  the  Chicago  is  trying  to  go.       Prioritizing  the  strategies  that  the  administration  will  focus  on  is  crucial  to  this  working.  In  recent  years  the   city’s  limited  transportation  planning  function  has  been  in  the  position  of  reacting  to  many  externally   conceived  proposals  such  as  signature  attractions,  private  infrastructure  and  service  proposals,  and  major   redevelopments.  Without  a  clear  charge  and  strategy  on  what  the  City  is  setting  out  to  accomplish  and  how,  it   may  remain  a  challenge  to  initiate  and  sustain  efforts  on  core  issues  that  are  important  but  may  not  appear   urgent.  The  need  for  clearly  articulated  priorities  is  particularly  relevant  to  addressing  equity,  since  market   forces  are  less  likely  to  initiate  development,  infrastructure,  and  service  proposals  for  Economically   Disadvantaged  Areas.       It  is  also  critical  that  Chicago’s  mobility  metrics  are  used  to  actively  incorporate  diversity  and  inclusion  and   explicitly  compare  how  mobility  and  access  vary  by  people  and  place.  Existing  metrics  often  report  citywide   averages,  a  practice  necessitated  in  past  by  limitations  in  data  or  analytical  methods,  but  one  that  risks   “averaging-­‐out”  poorly  performing  experiences  with  positive  ones  and  painting  a  composite  view  that   appears  O-­‐K  overall.  However,  Chicago’s  leadership  on  big-­‐data  now  enables  us  to  develop  dynamic   dashboards  that  can  demonstrate  the  multiplicity  of  experiences  that  our  transportation  system  results  in  as   the  when,  where,  and  who  change.     Having  a  clear,  coherent,  and  comprehensive  approach  to  transportation  actions  can  also  be  transformative  in   itself,  catalyzing  greater  resources  over  time.  The  City  has  worked  hard  over  many  years  to  do  “more  with   less,”  but  due  to  Chicago’s  challenging  financial  circumstances  in  some  regards  we  are  simply  able  only  to  do   less  due  to  a  structural  lack  of  resources.  Other  cities,  such  as  Los  Angeles  and  Seattle  have  been  successful  in   producing  transportation  strategies  that  enable  their  city  agencies  to  make  focused  commitments  against   which  results  have  been  rapidly  delivered,  building  excitement  and  confidence  that  transformation  is   happening.  Organizing  Chicago’s  transportation  agencies  to  make  small  but  sustained  improvements  that  are   connected  to  a  larger  coherent  narrative  will  better  position  our  city  for  grant  funding  and  help  catalyze  a   groundswell  for  new  funding  mechanisms  that  enable  us  to  do  “more  with  more.”     What  we  need  to  keep   • Retain  existing  work  on  Vision  Zero,  Complete  Streets,  and  Sustainable  Infrastructure  as  examples  of   existing  policy-­‐based  efforts  to  coordinate  transportation  actions  and  find  aw  ay  to  fold-­‐in  these   mandates  to  the  new  administration’s  strategy.     What  we  need  to  implement  within  the  next  100  days     • Develop  a  work  stream  to  act  on  the  recommendations  in  this  memo,  with  a  policy  and  strategy  lead   team  from  CDOT,  CTA,  BACP,  and  the  Mayor’s  Office  established.   • Articulate  a  path  toward  creating  and  resourcing  a  single-­‐point  of  accountability  for  the  City’s   mobility  strategy  that  will  drive  coordination  between  transit  service  planning  and  capital  projects,   CDOT  capital  projects  and  programs,  BACP  licensing  of  mobility  providers,  and  overall  policy   development  for  mobility,  and  ensure  that  actions  reflect  key  strategies  and  core  policy  values.     What  we  can  plan  for  longer-­‐term     • Develop  Chicago’s  set  of  mobility  and  access  performance  metrics  (by  end  of  2019)   • Select  the  four  to  six  key  mobility  strategies  that  the  administration  will  focus  on  (by  end  of  2019)   • Release  a  Chicago  Mobility  Action  Agenda  that  reflects  the  administration’s  four-­‐to  six  prioritized   strategies  and  lays  out  key  programs  that  mobility  agencies  will  take  to  deliver  outcomes.  (1st  year)   • Create  an  unsolicited  bid  process  and  a  target  number  of  pilots  to  speed  up  transformation  (1st    year)   • Launch  an  interactive  online  dashboard  that  allows  the  public  to  explore  mobility  performance  gaps   from  diverse  perspectives  and  observe  progress  (1st  year)     I  respectfully  submit  this  recommended  initiative  and  the  supporting  actions  and  thank  you  for  the   opportunity  to  provide  this  input.         Sincerely,     Vig  Krishnamurthy   Name: Wilbur C. Milhouse III, P.E. Transition Committee: Transportation and Infrastructure Dear Mayor-Elect Lightfoot, The three objectives you have identified for transportation and infrastructure are intrinsically linked. As a member of your transition team, I would like to focus on enhancing Chicago’s role as the nation’s transportation hub. Key elements of this objective include preparedness for the transition from gas to electric vehicles, safety enhancements for public transportation, and the use of technology to improve traffic flow. Preparedness for Electric Vehicles A 2017 report by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that the U.S. will have 15 million electric vehicles on the road by 2050. According to a recent study by Illinois PIRG Education Fund and the Frontier Group, the city is expected to exceed 81,000 electric vehicles and need about 2,700 publicly available charging stations by 2030. We need an executable plan for integrating electric charging stations into our current infrastructure. Chicago should be the leader for this initiative and other transportation related technologies. Safety Enhancements The success of the ongoing Smart Lighting program in Chicago, which Milhouse is currently managing, provides a proven road map for new programs that can address safety through lighting improvements. Such enhancements can include improved lighting for public transportation stations, viaducts, poorly lit streets, public parks, and tunnels. Many riders avoid using public transportation due to safety concerns they have been informed of or experienced themselves. Providing better quality lighting, security screening devices, and video cameras in prominent locations will reduce crime in these areas and provide a better sense of security for the public. Improved Traffic Flow New technologies are nurturing the growth of car sharing, ride sharing, and bike sharing within the city. Chicago will need to expand the use of these and new technologies to improve the capacity of existing traffic infrastructure. Innovations such as road signs that adjust speed limits in real-time along with traffic signal modernization can significantly reduce congestion, and smooth traffic flow. Vision for Transformation Chicago is well positioned to expand its role as the nation’s transportation hub. There are new projects planned that will have a major positive impact on local as well as national travel. In order for transportation in Chicago to be truly transformational for all citizens, the current structures of planning and procurement must evolve. There must be significant improvements in equity, transparency, accountability, and diversity when developing new projects and awarding contracts. Ideas on how to address each are as follows. a. Equity - Develop a master plan to connect all parts of the city and rebuild traffic infrastructure based on greatest need. Beginning initially in underserved neighborhoods across the city, the master plan should integrate all transportation systems and provide options that significantly improve access, reliability, and security. b. Transparency – Publish the master plan on the web in an easy to follow format with options for public comment. Hold periodic public forum meetings to deliver the plan and report on progress. c. Accountability – Agencies implementing the plan should report to a diverse, independent oversight committee that is reflective of the demographics of Chicago. Labor unions should be required to sign on to the plan and be subject to independent oversight as well. d. Diversity and Inclusion – Set participation goals for all projects that are consistent with the demographics of the city and establish a preference for local businesses. Create target market opportunities for diverse firms. Develop a City of Chicago program for diverse firms that deliver transportation and infrastructure services. The program needs to provide mentors and coaches to guide diverse firms on building capacity, growing talent, and sustaining long-term success. To advance this initiative, the city should immediately expedite current plans for traffic infrastructure improvements involving airports, rapid transit terminals, and light-rail extensions. Regarding contracting, existing DUR (depending upon requirements) agreements should be cancelled and the procurement should re-bid to allow locally-based minority firms better access to prime contracts. In the next 100 days, it is recommended that there be a 10-yr capital program developed for transportation and infrastructure that includes critical repairs and replacements, safety enhancements, and preparation for future technologies. The procurement process should be evaluated to ensure fees for services are fair and diversity goals are in line with city demographics. Steps should be taken to expedite payments to city vendors. A local-preference program should be established to help support the local business community and ensure that tax dollars stay in the city. Design-Build delivery method should be explored, especially for rehab projects. Longer-term objectives should include improvements that better connect underserved areas of the city, reduce the carbon footprint of our transportation system, and lower the cost of travel. Challenges to this or any initiative put forth will include funding, land acquisition, opposition from stakeholders and the establishment, legal challenges, and federal legislation to name a few. It’s an exciting time for the city and I look forward to serving your administration and the citizens of Chicago.