BRT or bus rapid transit plans have been on the table for Chicago for several years. The plan was presented at the Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) last year. As the plans are turned into work orders, there are challenges, and it looks like the project will be pushed into 2015, according to Fran Spelman in the Sun-Times.
In order to set up the BRT raised lanes, water mains will have to be moved, but the result should be worth the wait, according to Ron Burke, executive director of the Active Transportation Alliance,. Burke told Spelman:
“On the whole, this reconfiguration is an improvement, compared to what was anticipated a while back. We’re especially excited by the fact we’re now gonna have protected bike lanes on Washington and Randolph similar to the ones on Dearborn. You’ve seen how popular they are on Dearborn and Kinzie. We expect these to be popular as well. A lot of people come into the Loop traveling in an east-west direction, but there is only one east-west bike lane across the Loop right now and it’s a traditional striped bike lane in one direction. Now, we’ll have two east-west connections and they’ll be protected.”
Bus Rapid Transit and Bike Lanes in Chicago
Bus Rapid Transit and Bike Lanes in Chicago