This report represents a snapshot of the impact of the intended coordinated Human Services Transportation planning throughout Illinois to date, and discusses promising practices, enduring issues and challenges, and provides recommendations for potential enhancements.
IDOT/METSI and Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR)
This study focuses on creating a hypothetical public transportation option to reaching a leisure destination in a large metro area to highlight the adequacy of the existing transit network in catering to the needs of disadvantaged population groups.
Using traffic simulation software, FREQ12 and VISSIM, the study will address the potential of ramp metering and the combination of ramp metering with parallel HOV by-pass lanes and associated support strategies. The study will be conducted for both inbound and outbound traffic flows for both the AM and PM peak periods.
Metropolitan Transportation Support Initiative (METSI)
The objectives of this study were to better understand the commuting patterns of the workforce in healthcare institutions, explore the factors that impact commuting behavior and environmental impacts, identify opportunities for reducing transportation-related environmental impacts, and suggest policy interventions that aim to reduce transportation-related emissions inherent in health care provision
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.
Metropolitan Transportation Support Initiative (METSI)
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.
Federal Transit Administration, Illinois Department of Human Services
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.
This report presents the findings of phase two of a research project that examines statewide mobility management programs and the individuals who lead them.
To respond to the recommendations of the Northeastern Illinois Regional Transportation Task Force with respect to organizational changes in the regional transit system. To review mass transit funding issues following a Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) plan to seek $134.5 million in state revenue for Pace, Metra and the Chicago Transit Authority.
Metropolitan Transportation Support Initiative (METSI)
The output of the project is a paper entitled “The Burnham Transportation Plan of Chicago: 100 Years Later.” Presentations of the paper were given at the ITE Midwest Annual Conference in Chicago, the Transportation Research Forum Annual Meeting in Portland, OR, the UIC College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs Friday Forum and the Chicago Chapter of the TRF Luncheon.
The goal of the site is to provide Illinois veterans, their families and the general public with an online resource offering a wide range of transportation options that can be accessed through “one-click” navigation and drop-down menu options
Chicago has been the railroad hub of the nation since the middle of the 19th Century. It continues to maintain that distinction today as almost one-third of the nation’s rail freight originates, terminates or travels through Chicago. It is the fourth largest container handler in the world after Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai. It is also the crossroads of the nation’s Interstate Highway system.
Metropolitan Transportation Support Initiative (METSI)
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 expected results are an improvement in the organization and appearance of the website, improved functionality in accessing and maintaining the statewide provider inventory, improved functionality in the GIS application, and an update to all of the existing databases.
Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR), National University Rail Center (NURail), CN Railway
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.
The focus here is to examine the population growth in the Chicago area during the beginning of the millennium (2000-2005) to ascertain the size of the exurban growth in contrast to growth in traditional suburban counties.
At the same time, Cook County has been identified as the county with the largest population decline in the nation. We find this to be misleading largely because Cook County is the second largest county and even a small percentage swing in population, whether it be up or down, is likely to be sizable.
