Petition Created to Keep BRT off Ashland, Western

A group opposing Chicago’s plans for a Bus Rapid Transit system down Ashland and Western avenues has created a petition in hopes of swaying Chicago Department of Transportation officials.

The Western-Ashland Coalition wants residents to say “No to Bus Rapid Transit on Ashland Avenue,” and “Yes to modernizing and expanding the Ashland Bus for the first time in Chicago History.”

While Ashland is already in the works, CDOT has no plans for Western Avenue yet.

The group met most recently Aug. 7 to discuss the project, saying they’ve yet to see information like traffic studies for CDOT justifying the drastic transportation project. Roger Romanelli, a member of the coalition, says he’d rather see improvements to Ashland’s No. 9 bus than BRT.

"We're not 'anti-BRT,'" Romanelli said. "We simply want CTA to provide critical missing information, such as traffic impact studies. But they have not supplied us with this data."

That’s why they’ve now sending out an online petition for residents to sign to show CDOT neighbors are not interested in the project. Representatives with the Ashland-Western Coalition did not immediately respond to Patch’s request regarding how many signatures they’ve garnered thus far.

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Transportation officials, on the other hand, say Ashland Avenue is has the highest bus ridership of all CTA routes in the city, carrying more than 31,000 people every weekday. They also say BRT stations could be a development magnet, similar to when construction “L” stations.

Even Lake View businesses moving to Ashland say they believe BRT will benefit their business. Bulerias Tapas Bar just moved from Southport Avenue to Ashland citing the upcoming BRT line, as did the Napa Valley-themed restaurant Zia’s Trattoria and Tango Sur’s new bar slated for 3938 N. Ashland.

Other business owners, like the owner of Wicker Park’s Mike's Furniture Store at 1259 N. Ashland Ave., say it will hurt business. The owner, Mike, says his delivery trucks stop on Ashland’s curb, and BRT will no longer make room for that.

The configuration of the Ashland BRT involves center bus lanes in each direction to keep the buses out of general traffic, especially while boarding passengers. 

The bus will stop every half-mile, and the buses will have transit signal priority at intersections to keep the transit moving. The buses will feature wide doors on the side of the bus, similar to train doors.

CTA officials said BRT would increase speeds by more than 80 percent during rush hour and save 8 minutes every 2.5 miles.

Designs will continue for the rest of 2013, with the initial phase of the project running on Ashland from Cortland Avenue to 31st Street. Officials estimate completion by 2016.