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Chicago BRT new brand name is ...
Posted by Gold_12TH on Wed Sep 19 15:09:50 2012 edf40wrjww2msgDetailB:detailStr fiogf49gjkf0d The Jeffery Jump Coming this fall: Rapid transit buses to ‘Jump’ ahead of traffic The CTA bus service that will get some South Side riders a straight shot downtown during rush hours now has a name: the Jeffery Jump. Beginning in November from 7 to 9 a.m. and from 4 to 6 p.m., a lane will be set aside for buses between 67th and 83rd streets for the city’s first attempt at bus rapid transit. And between 73rd and 84th streets, buses will get priority treatment at stop lights — green lights will be extended and red lights shortened. Also, a queue jump on northbound Jeffery at Anthony Avenue will provide a bypass lane to let buses go through an intersection with its own traffic signal. The Jump will stop about every half mile, but local service will still be provided by the No. 15 Jeffery local route. Both the bypass lane and the traffic priority signals aren’t ready for the launch. They’ll be introduced next year, a CTA spokesman said. The CTA says buses will get riders to Metra’s Ogilvie and Union Stations downtown an estimated five to seven minutes earlier for both morning and evening commutes. On Tuesday, the CTA unveiled the brand name, which it says will let riders “jump” ahead of traffic. It’s not just a name. Bus rapid transit buses will look a bit different. They’ll be wrapped in bright blue with a Jump logo. Other improvements include lighted bus shelters with LED displays, Jump-branded information kiosks and bike racks and benches. This is a pilot program for the city, and both the CTA and the city’s Department of Transportation have high hopes for more rapid bus transit service. The Jeffery Jump will serve as a foundation for future corridors planned for Western and Ashland avenues, as well as an east-west corridor in the Loop. The city has awarded a $3.5 million contract to Sumit Construction Co. to install 16 miles of express lanes on Jeffery. Last month, CTA President Forrest Claypool said the bus rapid transit on Jeffery will cut commute times for customers, but will also offer up some lessons on what can be applied to a future, more broader bus rapid transit plan in the city. Joanna Trotter, community development director at the Metropolitan Planning Council says there’s also an economic advantage to bus rapid transit in Chicago. “The elements of Bus Rapid Transit being tested on Jeffery will help inform Chicago’s development of BRT [bus rapid transit], which has great potential to better connect people to places they need and want to go, and be a magnet for economic investment along the routes,” Trotter said. “Chicagoans will have the opportunity to learn more about BRT and help shape plans for a potential route along Western and Ashland corridors this fall.” The project is funded by an $11 million federal grant, which was awarded to the CTA in 2010. Transportation experts say bus rapid transit helps decrease traffic congestion and gets riders where they’re going faster. ---http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/15230330-418/coming-this-fall-rapid-transit-buses-to-jump-ahead-of-traffic.html
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Re: Chicago BRT new brand name is ...
Posted by Blue Train* on Wed Sep 19 15:56:55 2012, in response to Chicago BRT new brand name is ..., posted by Gold_12TH on Wed Sep 19 15:09:50 2012.* edf40wrjww2msgDetailB:detailStr fiogf49gjkf0d Here's a slightly larger photo: http://www.wbez.org/news/cta-announces-new-rapid-transit-jeffery-jump-bus-102494
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Re: Chicago BRT new brand name is ...
Posted by Dr. Casca* on Wed Sep 19 17:31:07 2012, in response to Re: Chicago BRT new brand name is ..., posted by Blue Train on Wed Sep 19 15:56:55 2012.* edf40wrjww2msgDetailB:detailStr fiogf49gjkf0d Hmm, three things: First, what a name for their BRT service, I guess it can't be as corny as "Select Bus Service" if it tried... Second, I did hear about a bus being painted up in this new scheme, but I was also told by my Chicago contacts that there was an order placed for BRT-styled vehicles, couldn't verify whether it was LFRs or Xcelsiors although I think it's the latter, to make the BRT buses look distinctively different from the regular buses so that operators don't take out the wrong bus for Jeffrey Local or Jeffrey Express... And last but not least, I find it ironic that they took this shot seemingly at the South Shops, with a New Flyer hybrid articulated in front of a row of the buses they were bought to replaced, the ill-dated NABI 60-LFWs...which they JUST got the authorization to prepare for scrap... --Dr. C
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Re: Chicago BRT new brand name is ...
Posted by Flxible4life* on Wed Sep 19 23:05:07 2012, in response to Re: Chicago BRT new brand name is ..., posted by Dr. Casca on Wed Sep 19 17:31:07 2012.* edf40wrjww2msgDetailB:detailStr fiogf49gjkf0d I agree with the last statement. Why are those Nabi 60LFWs still there on Chicago grounds? Them damn buses have been sitting on that lot untouched for three or so years. Also, I have to mentioned that light blue wrap scheme with the grey skirt looks corny to me. CTA gotta do better with their scheme when their new BRT vehicles come in late this year to next year.
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Re: Chicago BRT new brand name is ...
Posted by Dr. Casca* on Thu Sep 20 04:31:47 2012, in response to Re: Chicago BRT new brand name is ..., posted by Flxible4life on Wed Sep 19 23:05:07 2012.* edf40wrjww2msgDetailB:detailStr fiogf49gjkf0d The CTA took NABI to court over those buses to make the claim that the buses had so many problems and NABI did close to nothing to rectify the problems, let alone the fact that those buses were the first of its kind ever built. NABI's defense was that the CTA garages they were assigned to had such shoddy maintenance, contributing to issues like transmission, midsection and frame failures, and premature underbody corrosion. The CTA argued that all 4 garages that had the artics (103rd, 77th, North Park, and Kedzie) all had the same issue despite each garage having different maintenance histories, and claimed that NABI did not provide the warranty support for a bus that they only had a prototype for AFTER they placed a bid on and was the sole bid for the buses, all 230 of them part of a "guinea pig fleet" of buses... Back in 2009, the CTA ordered 150 buses from unused provisions of the Seattle contract and 58 more buses of their own to replace the NABIs, sidelining them pending litigation. The CTA needed permission from the Feds to retire them and scrap them early since they had not reached the 12-year mark for federally funded buses. Being that the CTA won their case in court, after a lengthy heated court battle, the NABIs should be on their way out fairly soon, once the Feds review the suit and give them the go-ahead. That is the story as I received it. --Dr. C
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Re: Chicago BRT new brand name is ...
Posted by Flxible4life* on Thu Sep 20 22:09:06 2012, in response to Re: Chicago BRT new brand name is ..., posted by Dr. Casca on Thu Sep 20 04:31:47 2012.* edf40wrjww2msgDetailB:detailStr fiogf49gjkf0d Yeah, I know the story, but thanks for re-educating me on this fiasco. It's funny.... that they're still there on the lot. Have you notice that Nabi hasn't made a regular 60LFW since that fiasco. Only the BRT articulated is in their catalog.
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Re: Chicago BRT new brand name is ...
Posted by Dr. Casca* on Fri Sep 21 05:58:35 2012, in response to Re: Chicago BRT new brand name is ..., posted by Flxible4life on Thu Sep 20 22:09:06 2012.* edf40wrjww2msgDetailB:detailStr fiogf49gjkf0d Well, that's partly because of the CTA situation, and besides, the 60-LFW's issues were mainly resolved once they started building the 60-BRT. All of the frame and body issues with the 60-LFW were being hammered out throughout the production process of the 60-BRT.
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Re: Chicago BRT new brand name is ...
Posted by RailBus63* on Fri Sep 21 08:56:16 2012, in response to Re: Chicago BRT new brand name is ..., posted by Dr. Casca on Thu Sep 20 04:31:47 2012.* edf40wrjww2msgDetailB:detailStr fiogf49gjkf0d Being that the CTA won their case in court, after a lengthy heated court battle, the NABIs should be on their way out fairly soon, once the Feds review the suit and give them the go-ahead. Unless I've missed a recent update, CTA did not win in court - in fact, the initial ruling for a summary judgment went against them. The case is still headed for trial but this spring NABI agreed to allow the authority to begin scrapping 10 buses per week.
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Re: Chicago BRT new brand name is ...
Posted by Olog-hai* on Fri Sep 21 14:28:08 2012, in response to Chicago BRT new brand name is ..., posted by Gold_12TH on Wed Sep 19 15:09:50 2012.* edf40wrjww2msgDetailB:detailStr fiogf49gjkf0d
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