Transportation Updates from Senator Mike Simmons
Dear Friend,
In addition to a summer full of outreach, community events, and constituent casework, I want to take the opportunity to update you on what I have been working on in the area of transportation. As a member of the Senate Transportation Committee and a life-long cyclist and public transit user, I have made a point to bike to hearings in Naperville and Elgin, where I advocated for the prioritization of pedestrian/cyclist safety, multimodal transportation, and all-things CTA from improved service and safety on all buses and trains, bus rapid transit, and the elimination of ghost buses.
As your Senator, I know the future of transportation is at a generational crossroads. This Transportation focused e-blast covers the latest related to transportation issues, including the redesign of North Dusable Lake Shore Drive, ongoing discussions about potential reforms of our mass transit systems currently operating as the Regional Transit Authority (CTA, Metra, and Pace), and even a few fun highlights of biking through the State and District with my colleagues.
As reform talks continue, it is more important than ever to remember that above all else, we must strive for a transportation system that is safe, accessible, and sustainable for all.
The next Senate Transportation Hearing takes place on Wednesday, October 16th at 10:00 a.m. and will be live-streamed on ilga.gov. I encourage you to tune in!
In addition, this fall I am focused on fighting for the House passage of my bill, SB899, which passed the Senate this past spring. This bill will advance more than two dozen traffic calming and road safety infrastructure improvement projects in high-crash corridors across the state, including in our district. Specifically, this bill advances new pedestrian and cyclist safety design requirements by clarifying state and city jurisdiction over project management of these road improvements.
If you have any questions, opinions, or comments you want to share on anything related to the future of transportation, please feel free to reach out via the contact form on my website or by giving my office a call at 773-769-1717. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Senator Mike Simmons
7th Senate District
Upcoming Transportation Committee Hearing
The Senate Transportation Committee has an upcoming hearing scheduled in Springfield, scheduled for Wednesday, October 16th at 10:00 a.m. on the topic “Funding Transit is a Statewide Priority." I invite you to watch and listen, live at ilga.gov. Keep an eye out for full recaps of these committee hearings in a future newsletter!
Transportation Updates
Senator Simmons Rallies for Improved
North DuSabe Lake Shore Drive Redesign
Caption: Senator Simmons stands in solidarity with transit activists, organizations, and northside Alderpeople at the Save Our Lakefront rally on August 8th.
In August, I joined Better Streets Chicago, Active Transportation Alliance, fellow elected officials, and countless additional transit organizations and activists at the Redefine the Drive Public Open House to call for a North DuSable Lake Shore Drive (NDLSD) redesign that implements transit-supportive infrastructure. Transit advocacy groups have consistently voiced support for comprehensive improvements on NDLSD through bus rapid transit, or at minimum, a bus-only lane. None of these transit improvements were included in Redefine the Drive’s recommended design published in July.
The project has yet to respond to the community’s call for a plan that incorporates a bus-only lane onto the drive or otherwise a genuine and well thought out proposal that respects the need for rapid and efficient bus express service on NDSLD. I will continue to advocate for a safer, greener, and transit-focused North DuSable Lake Shore Drive until a redesign plan is presented that truly reflects the wishes of drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians that interact with NDLSD daily. Safety is another major concern for many in our community. We need real, forward-thinking road design proposals that reduce speeding and other unnecessary hazards on the drive that leave us all less safe.
Caption: The August rally took place outside of Truman College where a public open house was being held to gather feedback about the proposed NDLSD redesign.
Senator Simmons Bikes to Naperville Transportation Hearing
Caption: Senator Simmons attends the Naperville hearing in full cyclist gear, bringing attention to the need for multimodal transportation improvements in conversations regarding public transportation.
The day after the NDLSD rally, I started my day at 5:30 a.m. and rode my bike to Naperville for the second of five Senate Transportation Committee hearings regarding how transit supports community quality of life. This hearing is one of five that the Transportation Committee has scheduled to discuss the current state of public transportation and explore potential reforms to our existing transit entities. Throughout the four hour hearing, my Senate colleagues and I heard from county government officials, local mayors, and transit agency heads, including CTA’s President Dorval Carter and RTA Chairperson Kirk Dillard.
I asked President Carter about his plan to implement bus rapid transit, improve safety on CTA buses and trains, and eliminate ghost buses. In terms of bus rapid transit, President Carter cited the city’s new Better Streets for Buses plan, which is an aspirational planning document that has some great ideas. However, I am concerned that no solid steps have been taken towards execution. Chicago has one of the best bus grid systems in the country; so we should expand upon that system to break ground on bus rapid transit, additional bus express routes, more frequent service, traffic signal prioritization for buses, etc.
For example, the plan recommends a bus rapid transit configuration along Western Avenue from 79th to Howard Street. That would be a good start with additional routes cited as planned, such as Irving Park, and a dedicated lane for express buses on NDLSD.
In short, these transit improvements are critically needed and we need to see some action, and soon.
Regarding safety improvements for riders, President Carter stated that the CTA has partnered with several social service agencies who are now riding Blue and Red line trains to directly connect with folks struggling with substance abuse or a mental health crises on board CTA trains. I will follow-up my line of questioning in future hearings on the question of public safety improvements.
In regards to ghost buses, you can watch a clip of myself discussing the issue linked here. President Carter responded that CTA is now running scheduled bus services at a rate of 98-99% everyday, citing low workforce numbers as the reason for the prevalence of ghost buses. However, I have heard from many constituents that ghost buses are still common, and I share this experience. I followed up with President Carter on this issue at the Elgin transportation hearing detailed further below.
Senator Simmons Pushes for Bike/Transit Intermodal Transportation at Elgin Transportation Hearing
Caption: Senator Simmons, in his bike gear and helmet, addresses the Senate Transportation Committee at the Elgin hearing on August 28.
On Wednesday, August 28th, I attended the Senate Transportation Committee hearing in Elgin. This hearing focused on transit in relation to public health. During the hearing, I followed up with CTA President Dorval Carter to see what progress has been made regarding ghost buses since I first asked at the hearing in Naperville three weeks prior. After sharing my experience with ghost buses, President Carter suggested that my experience was unique and wished to follow-up about the exact locations I experienced a ghost bus.
I know I am not the only one experiencing ghost buses on a daily basis. I made it clear to President Carter that ghost buses are a systemwide issue that cannot be solved by only reviewing my experiences although I did share with his staff the ghost buses I myself encountered in between these hearings. I followed up on ghost buses further during the subsequent Libertyville hearing, which you can view linked here. I will continue to ask President Carter about his concrete plan for solving the ghost bus crisis at our upcoming hearings in the Northwest suburbs of Cook and Lake County and in Springfield because we need to know what is being done to address this systemic problem of the CTA.
I also asked transit leadership what is being done to address the impending closure of the Greyhound Harrison Street bus terminal. If you are unaware, Greyhound’s lease of Chicago’s only intercity bus station is set to end in October, and there are currently no plans for where buses and riders will go when it closes. I will continue to push for a solution from our transit leaders as we cannot allow intercity bus services to be cut in a time when we should be expanding transit accessibility. Lower-income Illinoisans from all over the state rely on Greyhound for affordable, intercity bus routing and often don’t have other options. Many are simply trying to get to jobs or family. We need better leadership than this right now. Chicago has always been a major transit hub for hundreds of years, and we have to step up here.
Similar to the hearing in Naperville, I also took this hearing as an opportunity to cycle across our region and highlight the importance of biking and pedestrian safety during discussions regarding transit reform. I took my bike onto the Metra on the way to the hearing and rode my bike back to Chicago utilizing the Illinois Prairie Trail. We need to prioritize pedestrian/cyclist safety and improving multimodal transportation in these discussions, and I am committed to making these goals a priority.
Libertyville Transportation Hearing: Transit Mitigates Climate Impact
Caption: Senator Simmons sits alongside Senate Transportation Committee members for the Libertyville Transportation hearing.
For the fourth of five Senate Transportation Committee Hearings, my Senate colleagues and I went North to Libertyville for a hearing focused on how transit mitigates climate impact. Throughout the five hour hearing (a new record!), we spoke with four panels of speakers, including Cook County government officials, local municipality leadership, transit agency leadership, and transit advocates.
In this hearing, our discussion focused on the environmental benefits of expanding transit services. Our first panel included officials with the Cook County Dept. of Transportation and Highways. As the General Assembly considers consolidating our transit agencies into one Metropolitan Mobility Authority, I asked county officials if they know of two improvements we would see to service under this new agency. You can view our full exchange linked here.
I also utilized this hearing to ask the leadership of CTA, Metra, and Pace about the possibility of implementing a permanent Transit Ambassador program. You can view a full clip of this discussion linked here. A Transit Ambassador program that puts customer service personnel directly on our trains and buses could make our public transit safer and boost confidence in our transit systems. Metra and Pace leadership shared their existing programs and interest in expanding the program further. CTA leadership said they do not have a Transit Ambassador program, but that they partner with security personnel, including K9 law enforcement to handle safety. Similar to other cities, I think our transit systems would benefit from creating forward-thinking programs that emphasize good customer service and experience on transit. This should include approachable, culturally-competent staff skilled de-escalation, who are focused on creating safer environments for riders and customers.
Senator Simmons and Senator Ellman Cycle the DuPage River Trail and Illinois Prairie Path
Caption: Senator Laura Ellman and Senator Simmons, ready to ride!
I recently shared a bike ride on the DuPage River Trail and Illinois Prairie Path with my friend and colleague Senator Laura Ellman! I love enjoying nature on my rides, and I was so pleased to get to share the trail experience with Senator Ellman.
Cycling Infrastructure Ride with Consul General of the Netherlands
Caption: Senator Simmons and Connor Bishop (Manager of Constituent Services) ready for a bike ride through the 7th District with Consul General Eric Strating, his wife Henriette Strating, and James Grizzell (Senior Economic Policy Officer).
I had the great honor of sharing a bike ride with Consul General of the Netherlands, Eric Strating. The Netherlands is home to world-class cycling infrastructure, and it was insightful to ride with Consul General Strating to see how biking infrastructure in the 7th District compares to the Netherlands. As I continue to write and pass bills to improve pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure, this ride will be one of my many points of inspiration in determining the best path forward for pedestrian and cycling safety in our community. Thank you Consul General for joining me for a ride around the district!
IDOT is Hiring!
Please visit the Illinois Jobs website linked here for the current job postings available at the Illinois Department of Transportation. Most of the current jobs listed are based outside of Chicago, but keep checking this job page for IDOT openings and expand your search by job title or zip code to see all available jobs with the State of Illinois on this website.
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