Policy Analysis

The objective behind the research was to provide IDOT with clear recommendations on how best to improve its public engagement practices

The purpose of this research was to define the functional requirements to implement ITS projects, which will lead to implementation of demonstration projects. If successful, these ITS projects have the potential to improve service and information to customers as well as improve operations and reduce costs to the service boards: CTA, Metra and Pace.

Driver’s license data sets were obtained from the Illinois Secretary of State’s office. The approximately seven million records received provide three critical pieces of information, height, weight and address. The height and weight allows a computation of the BMI index.

The objective of this report is to provide IDOT with the process, tools, and substance (e.g. Framework) to consistently -- yet flexibly -- discuss and evaluate any transportation policy, investment, or project and based on an adjustable mix of performance-data and local input.

This research is presumed to create viable contributions to transportation industry leaders interested in developing new ways of creating public/private support and ways of obtaining funding for passenger rail projects that have been successful in other projects and are referenced in the insights and data provided.

The research team scanned the published literature on data integration to understand the progress made and the challenges faced in integrating data. This was followed with a needs analysis of stakeholders to get a listing of databases, the various queries/uses of databases, gaps in knowledge about existing data, all with an eye toward integrating the available data.

An analysis of state departments of transportation with a focus on the planning departments.

Technical assistance has been or is currently being provided to over twenty localities in the state of Illinois. Recommendations to improve service, funding and administration have been made to improve their welfare to work programs. Two components of the statewide database are being developed for use by IDOT; an operating funding and capital asset components. These will facilitate the coordination of funding of transportation by state transportation, social service and economic development agencies.

Study to address the impact of the pandemic on inter city bus service.

In this study focused on the Chicago area, a study of macro-level benefits of the regional economy will be conducted, using a simulation model such as REMI or other econometric methods. The study will integrate regional planning models with a model of the economy and a Geographic Information System to develop a Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS).  Impacts can be broken down benefits by sub-areas of the Chicago metropolitan area, type of vehicle (passenger car versus truck), type of driver (and trip) and aspects of the economy (expressed in terms of growth in relevant industry and occupation).

Two main objectives of this study are: 1) To determine whether transferability of travel data is feasible. 2) To identify potential approaches and develop a framework for transferability of household travel survey data.

To work closely with and provide technical services to the RTA as needed. There are three tasks under the current contract: 1) Strategic Plan Assessment and Gap Analysis. 2) Paratransit Assessment. 3) Evaluation of RTAP.

The paper summarizes the history of the evolution of public transit serving the Chicago’s Central Area from the 1850s to 1990s.

The objective of this study was to research housing foreclosures and transportation expenditures in the Chicago area and the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the United States using Census and the American Community Survey data.

The project focuses on the largest and oldest rail systems in the nation, which also have the greatest national share of the backlog of unfunded transit capital needs. These systems have been encouraged by the Federal Transit Administration to utilize value capture financing to address those needs. Through a process of preliminary interviews with staff at many old rail transit agencies the list of suitable cities with experience in coordinating value capture was narrowed down to San Francisco, Washington DC, and New York City. In addition to these three cities, Chicago was chosen to be a comparative example of where there is great potential for value capture to be used more extensively.