The Near West Side could be at the center of the newest plan to speed up transit in Chicago, with a potential speedy new bus line.

The CTA has accepted $1.6 million in federal money to study a rapid-transit bus system in Chicago’s western corridor, between Western and Ashland avenues running nearly the length of the city from Howard Street to 95th Street.

The idea behind bus rapid transit is to create a faster mode of transportation than regular buses, while costing less then building a full-fledged new rail line. This is accomplished by blocking off the bus lanes from the rest of traffic somehow, allowing them to move more quickly from point A to point B with fewer stops.

Some rapid-transit bus lines around the world just paint new bus-only markings on a lane of the street, while others block off the buses from the rest of traffic with barriers and more. Often, rapid-transit bus lines will have platform stops like trains.

If the project goes through in Chicago, it could potentially add the first major north-to-south rapid transit line in the city that doesn’t go through the Loop.

The CTA said the study will look at how feasible a rapid-transit bus system would be in the western corridor, looking at details spanning like parking, traffic patterns and the impact of adding a dedicated bus lane.

“The study area is highly populated with residents who depend upon public transportation in their daily lives,” CTA President Richard Rodriguez said in an emailed statement. “With better travel and transfer points between Metra, Pace and CTA, this project is a good way to examine the most efficient method to make connections … for customers traveling outside of the central business district.”

Smack dab in the middle of the fast new buses’ possible route is the Near West Side, where the local chamber of commerce has pinned its hopes on a new streetscape along Western Avenue.

The neighborhood, which has been in transition as gentrification from the West Loop trickles out bit by bit, is trying to spruce up its image. The streetscape, with its planters, flowers and cul-de-sacs, will change that when it’s finished this summer, they hope.

The Near West Side Chamber of Commerce’s executive director, Mike Quinlan, said he thinks the streetscape would have more effect on businesses in his neighborhood than a new bus line — even if that bus line was bringing more people through his part of town.

“It’s more of a regional thing, the bus line,” Quinlan said. “The stuff that affects little businesses is the small stuff — we’ve got a street banner program going up that we’re really excited about.”

Quinlan said he can see how a new transit line with lots of traffic could bring more people into the neighborhood, though. With a new Pete’s Fresh Market grocery store slated to be built on Western at Madison, a stop along the Near West Side could prove popular.

“If the net sum is gaining more riders that come through, then that’s always a good thing,” Quinlan said. “Once Pete’s gets built out, maybe it gives people more of an incentive to stop.”

But P.S. Sriraj, an assistant professor at the University of Illinois-Chicago’s Urban Transportation Center, said that often the new bus lanes can come at local business’ expense.

When you’re carving out a new, dedicated lane on an existing road like one that would be necessary for a rapid-transit bus line, that space has to come from somewhere, and the most likely candidate is parking lanes.

“With an existing arterial like western, in order to implement it, you are going to look at parking,” Sriraj said. “Most people using that parking now are going to local retailers.”

Taking away parking spots used by their customers isn’t usually popular with local merchants, Sriraj said.

“Most of the opposition will come from retail merchants when you’re removing parking to add lanes,” he said.

CTA did not follow up on a request for more information about the project as of press time Wednesday.

The head of UIC’s transportation department, former Regional Transit Authority Executive Director Steve Schlickman, said the study should allow the CTA to figure out good options to enhance its service on the cheap. That’s something that’s necessary in this era of tight budgets, said Schlickman, who oversaw CTA as well as Metra and Pace.

“What the CTA’s probably going to do is not get the high end,” Schlickman said. “None of the rail projects in this city have a financial plan that would allow them to move forward. If CTA’s going to move forward, it’ll have to look at less costly stuff. Bus rapid transit is still more than a regular bus route, but much less than train.”

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By Darryl Edmonds from Tri Taylor
Posted: 04/21/2011 12:25 PM

Has the CTA forgotten that, until last year, they used to run express buses on Western Avenue? The #X49 made stops only every quarter-mile or so, making it much faster than the standard #49. The X49 required no streetscape modifications, no lost parking spaces, no construction...only a few new signs at the bus stops. Why can't the city just reinstate that, instead of embarking on a project that will take years to implement and cost taxpayers a fortune?

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By Spyro from Northcenter
Posted: 04/21/2011 11:54 AM

Build a subway instead! Near West Side, Bucktown Blue Line, Logan Square, Roscoe Village, Lane Tech, North Center, Lincoln Square, Devon, West Rogers Park, Downtwon Evanston.... All great destinations that can be served if a Subway line ran under Western Avenue. What happened to this country building things better! Western Avenue needs less cars and more public transport... it is also the only major street in chicago with such little streetscape. If they need parking spots, use the empty lots.

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By tomd.arch
Posted: 04/21/2011 11:33 AM

Jay's point is good (if 20% improvement is exaggerated for dense/urban vs. suburban), and if some form of BRT is implemented, signal upgrades will be part of that. But.. 1.6mil isn't enough for raised boarding platforms or any lane designation beyond paint on the asphalt. This sounds like "super express bus, " and nothing like Curitiba or other true BRT.

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By Jay from Lakeview
Posted: 04/21/2011 11:00 AM

Just a thought, but perhaps if Chicago would invest the money it is wasting on stuff like this to instead modernizing its traffic signal system from its current antique signals which are all pre-timed over to what are known as "Fully Actuated Signals" which adjust their timing on their own to accomodate different traffic patterns and sense dedicated green arrow times needed vs. holding green left turn arrows on for a certain time whether its needed or not, traffic flow would improve 20%.