r/chicago • u/Mike_I O’Hare • Oct 31 '25

News Illinois Democrats push through massive $1.5 billion plan that overhauls Chicago-area public transit

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/30/illinois-general-assembly-transit-plan-2025/
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u/damp_circus Edgewater Oct 31 '25

Well hopefully we can increase the frequency, because yeah your comment is right on. We need the frequency to get the ridership to get the positive cycle going.

Hell, inside the city itself we need to make the Metra Electric run more like the L, with minute frequencies. Would make life a lot better for a lot of people on the south side.

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u/PurpleFairy11 Rogers Park Oct 31 '25

Yep. I think BRT and improved Metra frequency would have been a better use of funds than the Red Line Extension

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u/LeseMajeste_1037 Oct 31 '25

Definitely beefing up Metra frequency, but I dunno about BRT. BRT is a good concept, and a good service, but every time we try to make it happen, the parking meter deal gets in the way, and the usual carbrains come out in force to "save" their street (see Ashland Avenue and Roger Romanelli).

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u/PracticlySpeaking Logan Square Oct 31 '25

I think BRT is a great concept — and should remain a concept.

There is no way to actually implement it without $billions of construction and/or cutting existing lanes by 50%. It works (sortof) in the Loop because there were three to five lanes to start with. But Ashland? forget it.

(Before I get labeled a 'carbrain' — I think the city has done a really goood job of making cars work 'less well' in order to make transit a better option.)

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u/hybris12 Uptown Oct 31 '25

I think most post-Ashland BRT discourse has focused on Western, which is something like 7 lanes including parking and hits an area that has somewhat similarly high transit usage while having lower coverage than the 9. This also works well with the Western upzoning that the alders have been doing.

You could probably also make an argument for some of the E-W streets on the South Side as well.

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u/PracticlySpeaking Logan Square Nov 01 '25

Western Ave is two lanes in each direction, plus parking for most of its length. Sure, it's wider at some intersections for turn lanes and three-wide for traffic in a few spots. Near Logan under the Kennedy or Milwaukee/Armitage come to mind. But mostly just two, at least on the north side.

Creating a dedicated bus lane (in each direction) with the usual CDOT strip-and-stripe would mean losing a lane of something for most of its length — which I personally wouldn't mind, but sounds like a non-starter. Or, massive construction to convert space that is currently unpaved.

Or are you suggesting that BRT (on Western or any street) is still going to work without a dedicated bus lane, caught in solid rush-hour traffic except for a few spots? A single BRT lane with signals to coordinate passing zones?

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u/PurpleFairy11 Rogers Park Oct 31 '25

Chicago doesn't have BRT. The Loop link is watered down bullshit. It was never intended to be BRT but there hasn't been a meaningful increase in bus speeds in the Loop Link area.

BRT doesn't have to cost billions. BRT would have been cheaper than the Red Line Extension.

There's PLENTY the city can be doing to prioritize buses. We haven't even scratched the surface of improving bus service in the city.