Mark, a former Chicagoan, now Bostonian, posted this photo of a flyer he received in his “motor vehicle excise tax” bill (think of it like the annual city sticker, but much more costly). It describes and displays the new kinds of pavement markings that are showing up around Boston. It says, “New pavement [...]
CTA passengers wait for trains in the Loop. Photo by Jim Watkins.
Last week I excitedly announced the launch of the Chicago Transit Authority’s new system to get predicted arrival times for trains by text messaging (also known as SMS). I thought that the messaging syntax and [...]
Grab your phone right now and send the message “CTATRAIN THOR” to 41411. Or send “ctatrain logs” to the same number. Wait a moment.
Clever, right?
The Chicago Transit Authority tweeted for the first time yesterday morning at 10:59 AM. They said, “This is an official announcement from CTA: Hello”. They had 1 follower at the time of the tweet (it was me). 25 minutes later they had 49 new followers.
7 hours and 31 minutes later (I checked at random [...]
A CTA passenger waits for a train in the snow at Belmont Brown Line station. Photo by Mike Priorie.
Knowing when your bus or train is about to come can help you make better decisions. “Do I have enough time to get coffee from the shop across the street?” “Can I pack my own lunch [...]
Transit Tracks makes it very easy to find stops near you, and doesn’t place restrictions on how many appear in the map.
I reviewed only the free versions. Updated October 19, 2011, to add a third transit tracker app.
Chicago Transit Tracker Lite Transit Tracks TreKing 4 Free Pros [...]
About Grid Chicago
Grid Chicago is a blog about sustainable transportation matters, projects and culture in Chicago and Illinois, by John Greenfield and Steven Vance. We launched in June 2011. Contact us.
Recent Posts
- Can bike shop deserts be eradicated on Chicago’s South Side?
- Photos from day 2 of Elston Avenue cycle track construction
- Comment of the day: Even though city may be divided, it’s time to embrace good changes
- Recap: New bike lanes and NATO closures, plus upcoming Bloomingdale Trail and bike plan meetings
- Elston Avenue bike lane returns in upgraded form
- Ira David Levy’s “Pedal America” show pushes pedaling to a broader audience
- Grid Shots: Commercial statements
- Summary of transportation and transit changes because of NATO summit
- The Grid Network is deprecated, but the links page lives on
Most Popular Posts
- Resner and Greenfield reclaim the CTA riding crown from the British champ
- The case of the disappearing bike lane
- Grounds for celebration: Chicago’s first bike & coffee shop is almost open
- Confusing intersection of Milwaukee-Wood-Wolcott to be redesigned and reconstructed in September
- Good news in the update about the Damen-Elston-Fullerton intersection design
Upcoming Events
- Events on May 22, 2012
Draft plan, Streets for Cycling Plan 2020
From 4:00 PM
To 8:00 PM
Where Copernicus Center, 5216 W. Lawrence Ave, Chicago, IL
Info Presentation with Q&A at 1630 and 1830.
- Events on May 24, 2012
Bus Rapid Transit in 25th Ward
From 7:00 PM
To 8:00 PM
Where National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 West 19th Street, Chicago, IL
Info Bus Rapid Transit is a new transit service that would provide a fast and affordable way to get around, offering the conveniences of light rail without the rails!
Learn about potential projects coming to the 25th Ward and share your insight about public transportation needs in your community.
- Events on May 31, 2012
Bus Rapid Transit on the Western Avenue Corridor
From 5:30 PM
To 8:00 PM
Where Floyds Pub 1944 N Oakley Ave
Info Join us at Floyd’s Pub with special guests Josh Ellis and Peter Skosey from Metropolitan Planning Council and Chris Ziemann from the Chicago Transit Authority for discussion on Bus Rapid Transit. The event will include a short tour of Western Avenue where our guests will point out opportunities and challenges of retrofitting a street with BRT.
Draft plan, Streets for Cycling Plan 2020
From 6:30 PM
To 7:30 PM
Where Gary Comer Youth Center, 7200 S. Ingleside Ave, Chicago, IL
Info Presentation with Q&A at 1630 and 1830.
Projects
Get Lit: Use Lights At Night - A campaign to get bike lights onto cyclists' handlebars. Donate today
Crash Portal - Exploring bike crashes in the City of Chicago and elsewhere
Bike 2015 Plan Tracker - Monitoring the status of implementing the 153 strategies in the Bike 2015 Plan





















