Chicago's Millennials Don't Like To Drive, Want More Public Transit

DNAinfo: "Millennials are drawn more toward living in urban communities than other generations. That means places where cars are less necessary and walking, biking and public transit are more of an option."

Pipeline project: 30-inch oil pipeline would be largest originating in N.D.

New oil pipeline will cost billions and create spills. Why not make buses fare-free? Then we would not even need the oil.

Jamestown Sun: "Energy Transfer Partners LP of Dallas says it expects to have the $3.7 billion, 1,100-mile Bakken Pipeline completed and in service by the end of 2016.

It would be the largest crude oil pipeline originating in North Dakota, said Justin Kringstad, director of the state Pipeline Authority."

Missouri to invest big money in obsolete #autosprawl system

Five Things You Need To Know About Transportation Tax | St. Louis Public Radio: "The St. Louis region – which in MoDOT’s case means St. Louis, St. Louis County, St. Charles County, Jefferson County and Franklin County – would receive about $1.49 billion over the 10 years. Most of the projects on a draft list are aimed at shoring up roads and highways, including major work on Interstates 270, 70 and 170."

Why not make public transit free?

Star Tribune: "So why not free public transit? Imagine the increase in ridership. Think of the decrease in automobile traffic and pollution. How much would local business benefit from the increase in foot traffic that free public transit would likely bring? Would you pay an extra $50 a year for such a system? Would you pay $100? How much would it actually cost the average taxpayer? And what about downtown businesses? We ask them to add a tax to their services to help pay for football and baseball stadiums. Perhaps a tax to pay for something people actually need is in order.

Free public transit is an idea whose time has come. It’s affordable, it’s logical and it would make Minnesota the talk of the nation — perhaps even the world."

In Chicago, some find public transit fares linked to school attendance. #youthpass

wbez : "Barbara Radner is director of DePaul University’s Center for Urban Education. She believes the reduced fare system comes with its own set of challenges. She – and a lot of school staff, parents and kids WBEZ talked to – said what kids have to go through just to get a reduced pass is way too convoluted."

Compare with Taiwan, where kids and elderly have reduced fares, but everyone uses the same card and the fares are sorted electronically. Kids go to school on public transit in great numbers.

Greenest thing a household can do -- #publictransit

huffington post : "Switching to public transportation offers an immediate alternative for individuals seeking to reduce their energy use and carbon footprints. This action far exceeds the benefits of other household energy saving activities."

Chicago Best Restaurants withing 10 min walk of CTA L Stop

Chicago Best Restaurants - CTA L Stop: "we're making that a whole hell of a lot easier by mapping out one restaurant for every single stop -- so you can eat right after getting off the L -- that's both 1) awesome, and 2) less than a 10min walk away."

BP spills oil into Lake Michigan

Occupy Chicago: "Monday afternoon, an estimated 1,638 gallons of oil from the tar sands in Alberta, Canada, leaked into Lake Michigan, poisoning the source of drinking water for 7 million people in and around Chicago.

The BP Refinery on the lake’s shore has admitted responsibility, but has yet to take action to ensure the safety of our drinking water and ecosystem."

Cities competing for who has the best #publictransit

A Rider's Take on Expanding Indy's Public-Transit System | IM Feature Articles: "Indy’s public-transit system currently falls well short of those in the cities it competes with for jobs and visitors. With 346 buses, Cincinnati has nearly double the public transportation we do. And Minneapolis and Charlotte have already invested heavily in light rail. Indy budgets approximately $65 million annually for a fleet of just 155 buses, which isn’t nearly enough for a city our size. Sure, implementing Indy Connect’s plan would be expensive up front: The group estimates it would take $1.3 billion to build the first phase in Marion and Hamilton counties over a decade, requiring a .3 percent increase in those counties’ income tax. But the yearly operating cost of $136 million would be comparable to the amount our competition already spends."

Chicago study exposes impact of 'transit racism"

Amalgamated Transit Union: "According to the working paper, African-Americans spend more time than any other group getting to and from low-wage jobs in Chicago. The increased time adds up to 70 minutes per week for men, and 80 minutes per week for women. That’s 80 minutes that can’t be spent on overtime, running errands, or supervising homework according to the report’s author Virginia Parks. “And you’ve got to pay for 80 minutes of extra daycare,” she says, on top of higher transit and automobile costs."