United States Department of Transportation
About
i
Increasing mobility through enhanced transit connectivity.
-
2016-08-15
[PDF-1.49 MB]
Details:
-
Creators:
-
Corporate Creators:
-
Corporate Contributors:
-
Subject/TRT Terms:
-
Resource Type:
-
Geographical Coverage:
-
Corporate Publisher:
-
Abstract:The Chicago metropolitan area has one of the most extensive public transit systems in the United
States, yet there are many places in the region where people do not have convenient access to transit
service. To address that deficiency, this paper identifies practical ways to give more travel options to
people in areas that are underserved by transit, including people who are unable to own or rent a car
or have physical limitations that prevent them from driving.
People who live without a car in underserved areas may have to rely on others for rides or find ways to
patch together inconvenient and time-consuming transit trips. The fortunate ones may find jobs and
shops within walking distance. Lacking that, they can’t access jobs and other opportunities and help
grow the economy. If the Chicago region is to be a place where everyone has the opportunity to
succeed, it must enable everyone to fully access those opportunities.
The research for this paper has been guided by this goal: everyone in the Chicago area should have
integrated, ubiquitous and affordable mobility options, while public and private resources are used
efficiently and effectively toward that end.
It is understood that current transit funding is not even adequate to maintain the existing system,
much less expand transit to all of the areas that are underserved. Lacking an extraordinary new public
commitment, funding will not be sufficient to add all of the new transit lines or bus service expansions
listed in the region’s comprehensive plan.
While limited funding is a major challenge, it can also stimulate creative approaches to enhance
mobility without major capital investments. With that in mind, this paper identifies innovative uses of
technology, partnerships, tailored services, policies and organizational steps that might be practically
applied to enable more people to move about easily and efficiently without needing to own a car. It
considers methods of connecting and improving transit that have been successful in other places, and
ways to make the most of new and emerging technology-enabled services.
This paper builds upon previous Urban Transportation Center research that analyzed transit service
availability and accessibility to employment. It is also supported by work on accessibility by the Center
for Neighborhood Technology (CNT), which in 2014 identified “transit deserts” where inadequate
transit service limits access to jobs, with particularly hard impacts on lower income residents.
The sections that follow include, first, an overview of transit challenges in the Chicago area. That is
followed by a review of the changing world of transit in the region, including some public transit
innovations, emerging technology, rideshare services and the possible impact of autonomous vehicles.
Then there is a discussion of good ideas from other places that might be beneficial if implemented in
the Chicago area. Finally, several policies and actions are presented that could help achieve mobility for
all. Among them is a proposal to turn our transit organizations into mobility agencies to more fully
address the region’s mobility needs.
-
Format:
-
Funding:
-
Collection(s):
-
Main Document Checksum:
-
File Type:
Supporting Files
-
No Additional Files
More +
You May Also Like
[PDF - 324.18 KB]
[PDF - 1.15 MB]