Posted on January 07, 2011 3:14 PM
January 7, 2011
Table of Contents
First Off...
CMAP meetings. The CMAP Board will meet at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, January 12, 2011. The MPO Policy Committee will meet at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 13. Board and MPO meeting materials are available on our website.
CREATE progress. The Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program (CREATE) reached a $100 million grant agreement with the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) and the Illinois DOT in July 2010 to begin work on five projects that were awarded funding through U.S. DOT's Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program. In a short five months, all of the federal funds were obligated, a great achievement and example of partner commitment to the program from IDOT, the Chicago DOT, and the freight railroads. Completing CREATE is one of GO TO 2040's major recommendations, learn more at www.cmap.illinois.gov/2040/freight-system.
CMAP in the news. This Tuesday, the Daily Herald had a cover story about the future of our suburbs in 2020, in which I'm quoted discussing transit-oriented development throughout the region and more. The paper also asked northwest suburban mayors what they predicted for the year ahead, with quotes from CMAP Board members Al Larson of Schaumburg and Elliott Hartstein of Buffalo Grove.
Setting water policy. Water quality standards for nutrients have major implications for the investments our society makes in treating sewage and cleaning up rivers. Yet Illinois, like many other states, is well behind the federal deadline to develop its own numeric nutrient standards. Staff analysis of this issue and its implications are part of the new CMAP Policy Updates.
Events
GO TO 2040 radio interview. On Sunday, Stew Cohen's interview with me will air at 6:00 a.m. on STAR 105.5 FM radio and at 10:00 a.m. on Y 103.9 FM.
Upcoming CMAP speaking engagements. Since adoption of the GO TO 2040 plan, CMAP staff members are redoubling efforts to speak at events in support of its implementation. If your event would benefit from a CMAP speaker, please email us at info@cmap.illinois.gov. On January 12, I'll speak at the Foresight Green Drinks "Annual State of Sustainable Chicago" event from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. I'll also be speaking on the final day of Midwest Energy Solutions Conference next Friday at 8:30 a.m. The conference begins on Wednesday, and registration is still open. Also, on January 11 from noon to 1:00 p.m., CMAP's Stephen Ostrander will provide a GO TO 2040 overview for the Chicago chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
Water Resources Forum. On January 27, CMAP will host its second Water Resource Forum at 9:00 a.m. Part of a series to follow up on key issues highlighted in the Water 2050 regional plan, this forum will focus on regional flooding and stormwater management. A detailed agenda is available online. The event is free. To register, please RSVP to Yesenia Ambriz (yambriz@cmap.illinois.gov or 312-386-8660). In other Water 2050 news, CMAP's Tim Loftus was quoted this week in Naperville Sun coverage of the DuPage Environmental Summit, where he discussed the plan and water conservation techniques.
Other News and Announcements
Sensible salting.This week the Chicago Tribune featured McHenry County's "sensible salting" methods that help keep winter roads safe while minimizing undesirable environmental impacts. The County continues to be a leader in developing, deploying, and disseminating innovative de-icing solutions, which is a priority in the Water 2050 regional plan. CMAP's Green Signals blog also featured a post on the article this week.
Argonne tech transfer. In other innovation news, yesterday Argonne National Laboratory announced the successful commercialization of locally developed technologies that in one case will be used by General Electric to improve the monitoring of critical equipment at hundreds of energy facilities, and in another case will be used by General Motors to improve battery performance in electric cars. Technology transfer is a vital aspect of strengthening the regional economy, as described in the Human Capital chapter of GO TO 2040.
2010 business review. World Business Chicago published a report that analyzes how local businesses fared in 2010. They examined 232 major commercial and industrial expansions that were announced, under development, or completed across the region and compiled a summary of those projects.
CTA tracker. Starting this month, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) will launch a pilot version of CTA Train Tracker, which will allow users to access estimated arrival times for trains via computer or smartphone.
Project Notifications. CMAP issues a monthly Project Notification to apprise state legislators, local government officials, and other interested parties of applications for federal and state grants that may have an impact on their communities. The most recent Project Notifications are available online. For more information, please contact Jamie Krell (jkrell@cmap.illinois.gov or 312-386-8658).
Wacker construction. When visiting CMAP, please be aware that Franklin St. traffic now moves both north and south due to the construction on Wacker Drive. Be particularly careful when crossing.
CMAP Blogs
Green Signals. This week, CMAP’s transportation operations blog informed readers about the webinar series “The Emergence of Open Electronic Payment Systems in Public Transit.” The three-part series will focus on the trend of transit agencies moving to an open payment solution.
Soles and Spokes. This week, CMAP’s bike-ped planning blog kicked off the new year with a post about an important study on the five-year-old bike sharing program in the City of Lyon, France. The study analyzes data from 11.6 million bicycle trips recorded by on-bike GPS-enabled computers. We also announced new materials available through Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Safety Office outlining ways for states, localities, and citizens to improving pedestrian and bicycle safety. Finally, we posted information and a video from U.S. DOT Secretary LaHood’s blog, Fastlane.com, about the agency's new rear view mirror visibility rule -- designed to help prevent fatalities and injuries to pedestrians, especially young children and the elderly -- in low-speed back-up accidents.
More in Policy Updates. In addition to the water standards post mentioned above, our new Policy Updates also alerted readers to an interactive New York Times map that displays American Community Survey data from 2005 to 2009, as well as a new Civic Federation report on Cook County's property tax system.
Reminders
GO TO 2040 LTA program accepting applications. is currently accepting applications to provide local technical assistance (LTA) for planning projects that help to implement GO TO 2040. Eligible projects include comprehensive plans, zoning ordinance revisions, specific studies on important local issues, and many others. Eligible applicants include municipalities, counties, interjurisdictional groups, and nongovernmental organizations. Applications can be completed with a very simple, easy-to-use form and are due by January 28, 2011. For more details and to download an application form, please visit www.cmap.illinois.gov/local-planning/call-for-projects. Please contact Pete Saunders (312-386-8654 or psaunders@cmap.illinois.gov) with any questions.
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