Chicago has flirted with the idea of bolstering its ramshackle transit system with bus rapid transit for years, but the Metropolitan Planning Council is ready to get serious about it, and they have a plan. Today, the group released a report that calls for implementing BRT lines on 10 major thoroughfares (95th, Ashland, Cicero, Fullerton/Grand, Garfield, Halsted, Irving Park, King Drive, Pulaski, Western) in Chicago. Under the proposal, buses would have dedicated lanes, traffic signal prioritization technology, and pre-paid boarding at platforms that would eliminate the need for buses to kneel for special needs passengers. According to MPC, bus rapid transit costs $13 million a mile compared to the $100 million per mile it costs to build a typical rapid transit train line. Still, the 10-route system outlined in the report would cost an estimated $1.2 billion.
· Bus Rapid Transit: Chicago's New Route To Opportunity [MPC]
· Plan urges city to install ‘Bus Rapid Transit’ routes [Sun-Times]
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