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Transit John Noel Public Transit Discovery Conference IX
DuPage County held its ninth annual John Noel Public Transit Discovery Conference on October 9, 2009 at the Empress Banquets, in Addison. The conference is co-sponsored by the Illinois Department of Transportation, in cooperation with the DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference. The goal of the conference is to inform participants including local, regional and state public officials, federal and state transportation agency representatives, transit agency executives (RTA, CTA, Metra and Pace), business leaders and other stakeholders, of the available options and opportunities toward improving public transit in DuPage County and the region, and to look at public transit projects successfully implemented in similar environments in other metropolitan areas. The conference has become an important forum for transit in the Northeastern Illinois region. This year's conference theme was: "Investing in Public Transportation: The Perfect Opportunity to Create Jobs, Fight Congestion and Improve the Environment". The conference had two parts: a) The first part focused on reports by the regional transit agencies on the current state of the transit system and the existing plans to improve and expand the system in the future. b) In the second part, Dr. Joseph Schwieterman discussed innovations that can reduce the region's dependence on owner-occupied vehicles. Then, Mr. Joel Szabat, Deputy Assistant Secretary in the U.S. Department of Transportation, discussed the Department's role in the implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Introductory Remarks Mr. Mark Avery, the conference moderator and Planning Division Manager of the DuPage County Department of Economic Development and Planning, opened the conference by welcoming the attendees, and by giving a brief overview of the conference agenda. Mr. Avery mentioned that in the November 2008 elections, Americans expressed their support for investing in public transportation, sending a strong message that they are concerned about stimulating the economy, reducing our reliance on foreign oil, mitigating traffic congestion, and shrinking our carbon footprint.
Welcome Remarks by Robert J. Schillerstrom, DuPage County Board Chairman Mr. Schillerstrom started by mentioning that the conference is named in honor of the late John Noel, the first Chairman of the DuPage County Public Transit Committee and a visionary who started this conference in 2001, and who worked hard toward expanding and modernizing public transit in DuPage County. Mr. Schillerstrom emphasized that he is also a public transit advocate, and he believes that we cannot mitigate traffic congestion in the suburbs without an efficient public transportation system. He mentioned that one of the transit options he has become familiar with is BRT (Bus Rapid Transit), which can provide quality public transportation in the suburbs at a lesser cost than light rail. It is hoped that soon, we will have BRT demonstration projects in our suburbs, and that BRT would be incorporated in our transit system at some point in the near future. Mr. Schillerstrom indicated that Western Access to O'Hare, in addition to providing tremendous economic development opportunities, it will also expand public transit in the suburbs by connecting a large number of western communities to the airport. The Western Access project can become a national model of a multimodal transportation hub at a major airport. Next, Mr. Schillerstrom briefly described the DuPage Transit Plan, which was the product of a collaborative effort by the County, the DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference, and the RTA. The plan, which is currently being updated, puts DuPage County among the leaders on public transportation issues in our region. Mr. Schillerstrom thanked the representatives of the RTA and the service boards for their efforts in a very difficult economic environment, and he expressed his confidence that by focusing on the overall goals and objectives we will be able to expand and modernize the region's public transit system. He also expressed his appreciation to the speakers, Dr. Schwieterman and Deputy Assistant Secretary Joel Szabat, and he thanked all of the attendees for their leadership and commitment to public transit. Mr. Schillerstrom closed his remarks by saying that he is personally committed to public transportation, and that public transportation is a key quality of life element of our communities.
Presentations
Mr. Reilly started by thanking Mr. Schillerstrom, and he stated that the 2008 RTA legislation would not have passed without Mr. Schillerstrom's support. He mentioned that the RTA is working closely with DuPage County and the communities involved in the Western Access project. Next, Mr. Reilly discussed important capital investments in 2009 and the outlook for 2010. The RTA received $400 million in stimulus money to replace aging vehicles and infrastructure. Springfield moved forward on two capital bills, which together will provide the RTA with $2.7 billion over the next five years for transit system improvements. In 2006, the RTA launched the "Moving Beyond Congestion" strategic planning process and a coalition of partners advocating for the expansion and modernization of the region's transit system. However, many of the needs to improve and expand the system still remain. Mr. Reilly emphasized that it will take a consistent, long-term vision to address these needs. It is hoped that the strong Illinois representation in Congress and in the Administration, will help the region in obtaining much needed federal transit funding. Toward that goal, it is extremely important that we coordinate our regional transportation priorities in a concrete set of proposals. The recession has resulted in a significant reduction of revenues for the RTA and the service boards. The RTA worked with the service boards to meet those challenges without any significant reduction in service in 2009. However, as the economic crisis is prolonged in 2010 and beyond, modest fare increases and service cuts could become a reality. It is very important that the RTA must establish a long-term vision about how to expand and modernize our transit system and improve the daily lives in our communities. Toward that goal there is a need of close collaboration with suburban communities and other partners.
Mr. Schlickman's presentation focused on the Strategic Plan update. Elements of the Strategic Plan include system analysis, market analysis, capital assessment and capital project prioritization. He discussed specific projects such as universal fare payment and BRT, and he outlined RTA initiatives designed to improve mobility in DuPage County. Phil Pagano, Executive Director, Metra Mr. Pagano discussed how Metra and Union Pacific are working together on a $112 million project to improve passenger and freight train flow on the busy Union Pacific West line between Elburn and downtown Chicago. He provided details of the project, including several state-of-the-art features at our stations that will boost safety for pedestrians and motorists. The goal is to create a line that runs more efficiently and effectively, with a better on-time performance for commuter trains, while still operating in the safest manner possible.
Mr. Ross' presentation focused on the continued work by Pace on service improvements during the last 12 months, in spite of the economic downturn. He reported on the continued replacement of the old transit bus fleet with new 30 ft. clean diesel buses, restructuring of services, implementation of a traffic signal priority system for buses in three corridors and planning for arterial rapid transit bus services, express bus services, and capital projects under contract as a result of ARRA funding. The economic downturn has stalled many expansion plans and will impact the 2010 budget year as well. Mr. Ross explained how Pace is approaching the critical issue of funding while continuing to deal with the problems of improving the transit system speed, lowering operating costs and improving system coverage.
In his presentation, Professor Schwieterman gave an overview of innovations that are reducing our region's dependence owner-occupied vehicles, including car-sharing services (such as I-Go and Zip-Car), new intercity-bus operators (such as Megabus), and employer-subsidized bus services. Dr. Schwieterman showed how these innovations are made possible by, and build synergy with, our network of conventional public transportation routes. He also shared research showing how the Chicago region can best capitalize on these innovations to attract new markets to commuter rail, express bus, and rapid-transit services.
Joel Szabat, Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. DOT Mr.Szabat discussed the implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, progress towards reauthorization, and the Obama Administration's vision for livable communities and a reliable, modern public transportation system. Following are some of the important points made in Mr. Szabat's speech:
The question and answer and panel discussion sessions have become an integral part of the conference. Attendees have the opportunity to ask questions, and hear the views of officials from the region's transit agencies, as well as from the speakers themselves. |
 
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