11/5/03
Interested in enhancing the operational effectiveness and customer friendliness of CTA's express bus service, the Chicago Transit Authority will study how design concepts can affect such factors as customer flow, pedestrian safety and bus movement. Through a competitively bid contract approved today by the Chicago Transit Board, TranSystems Corporation of Chicago will develop:
Design and engineering elements that help speed customer boarding
Streetscape improvements, including enhanced sidewalk and crosswalk design
Designs that support and facilitate effective traffic flow
The transit and pedestrian improvements could become a prototype for express bus routes throughout the CTA bus system.
?There are many factors involved in delivering bus service that is on time, clean, safe and friendly," said CTA President Frank Kruesi. ?In order to deliver an even higher level of service to our customers, CTA staff routinely seek out the latest concepts for improving efficiency."
?Our primary goal is to meet the needs of the neighborhoods we serve by providing quality, affordable transit services that link people, jobs and communities? said Chicago Transit Board Chairman Carole L. Brown. ?CTA is open to exploring how innovative design can bring physical improvements to bus stop locations which, in turn, help us meet that goal."
Under the nine month, $198,488 contract, TranSystems Corporation will analyze five intersections along the #X49 Western Express bus route. The five intersections are Irving Park, Lawrence, the Blue Line O'Hare branch at Milwaukee, 69th Street and 63rd Street. The successful #X49 is an ideal route for the study, as it boasts ridership numbers of 8,430 rides on an average weekday. Also, the Western Avenue corridor is similar to those of other CTA express routes with wide-open spaces that provide lots of opportunity to explore innovative design treatments.
Following the study and development of design recommendations, the CTA will work closely with the Chicago Department of Transportation on final design selection and implementation.
TranSystems Corporation is a national transportation consulting firm that focuses on designing cost-effective transportation infrastructure and facilities. The company's transportation specialists work with both public and private sector clients to develop cutting edge design concepts.
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