First Off...

CMAP meetings. The CMAP Board will meet on Wednesday, November 14, 2012, at 9:30 a.m. The Coordinating Committees will not meet this month and this will be the last Board meeting of this calendar year.

Congestion pricing outreach. We are looking for partners to support our agency's congestion pricing campaign by writing to Governor Quinn, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), and the Illinois Tollway to emphasize the need to implement congestion pricing for five GO TO 2040 expressway projects. To be part of that effort, please contact CMAP principal planner Erin Aleman (312-386-8816 or ealeman@cmap.illinois.gov). Web2Carz covered our congestion pricing campaign last week.

Tollway-based transit. The federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) administered by CMAP is contributing $38 million to help Pace and the Tollway implement bus service on the additional new lane planned for the I-90 Addams expressway. Read about it in our Policy Updates blog and the Chicago Tribune.

Policy Updates. With current federal and state sources of transportation revenue proving inadequate to meet investment needs, many local and regional governments have sought to find their own sources of revenue to maintain and expand their transportation systems. We described the successes and failures of 19 different local transportation funding ballot measures from across the country. The entry was reposted on the Sustainable Cities Collective blog.

Comments due TODAY: Public Participation Plan. Public comments are due today for CMAP's 2012 Public Participation Plan, which was drafted in collaboration with the agency's Citizens' Advisory Committee and the Regional Transportation Authority. This is an update to CMAP's 2007 plan. Send comments to Erin Aleman (ealeman@cmap.illinois.gov).

Other News and Announcements

LTA updates. Patch previewed the second public meeting for development of the Village of Plainfield's comprehensive transportation plan, which will be held on November 14 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Plainfield Public Works Building (1440 Coil Plus Drive, Plainfield). The City of Elgin is holding the first public meeting for development of its sidewalk gap and transit stop study on November 15 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at The Centre's Heritage Ballroom (100 Symphony Way, Elgin). Read more in the Courier-News. Both projects are funded with Community Planning Program grants through CMAP's Local Techincal Assistance (LTA) program. The recently adopted comprehensive plans for the Villages of Norridge and Campton Hills are now available on their LTA project pages. Through the LTA Program, CMAP is also funding the development of a comprehensive plan for the Village of Lansing, which was described in an opinion piece by the Village's director of planning and development in the Times of Northwest Indiana. Lastly, the Daily Herald wrote about CMAP's work to help the Village of Lakemoor updates its comprehensive plan through our LTA program. Lakemoor and CMAP are hosting an open house for the public to review draft recommendations on November 13 from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Lakemoor Police Station (27901 Concrete Drive, Community Room, Lakemoor).

IDOT survey. IDOT is conducting a public survey regarding the potential for a managed lane in each direction on the I-55 Stevenson between I-355 and I-90/I-94. CMAP is encouraging IDOT to make congestion pricing an integral part of its design and engineering for additional lanes on I-55 and on the I-290 Eisenhower.

UIC Urban Forum. The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) will host its annual Urban Forum, "Metropolitan Resilience in a Time of Economic Turmoil," on December 6. I serve on the Forum's Board of Advisors and will moderate an afternoon panel on interjurisdictional competition. More information, including the agenda and registration, is now available.

CMAQ in the news. Suburban Life wrote about the opening of the Red Gate Bridge for vehicular traffic in St. Charles. A suspended bicycle bridge running underneath the vehicular bridge, which is set to open in the spring, is partially funded through the CMAQ program.

Metra strategic plan. For the development of its new strategic plan, Metra will host its final open house on November 12 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Chicago State University's Library Auditorium (9501 South King Drive, Chicago). Individuals can also provide input on-line through November 12.

CMAP Blogs

Green Signals. CMAP’s transportation operations blog informed readers about the upcoming MAP-21 transportation performance management webinar.

Soles and Spokes. CMAP’s bike-ped planning blog featured a summit on regional park zones and how they are implemented. We described upcoming webinars on non-motorized transportation planning, design, and construction. We also highlighted the release of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s planning tool, the Walkability Workbook, developed by Dan Burden and the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute.

Reminders

Economic development summit. Moraine Valley Community College will host a Southwest Suburban Summit on Economic Development: Partnering for Economic Strength on November 15 from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. for members of the Southwest Council of Mayors. Both CMAP Board Chairman Mayor Gerald Bennett of Palos Hills and I will speak at the event. Call 708-974-5412 for more information.

EI2 rebates. Energy Impact Illinois (EI2) is offering rebates up to $1750 (an estimated 70-percent cost savings) for upgrades you can make to improve the comfort of your home. For more information, contact Emily Plagman at eplagman@cmap.illinois.gov. To see if you qualify for the rebate, please call 1-855-9-IMPACT. Read more in the Trib.

ArcView workshops. CMAP periodically offers a Two-Day Basic ArcView 10 Workshop, and dates are set for November 28 to 29 and January 9 to 10. Attendance at each workshop is limited to five people, so register early. The cost is $350. To register, please contact Jan Drennan (jdrennan@cmap.illinois.gov).

Green infrastructure call for proposals. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency announced a third round of Illinois Green Infrastructure Grants (IGIG) for stormwater management. Applications are due December 14, 2012.