The COVID-19 pandemic created enormous challenges for northeastern Illinois’ transportation system and intensified many longstanding disparities. But we can use this moment to reimagine how our transportation network can better serve all residents.  

To prepare the region for a post-pandemic recovery, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) worked with our partners to develop a visionary mobility strategy that can support an equitable recovery, sustain the transit network, and ease a rebound in congestion.

The two-year effort — supported through extensive research, analysis, and outreach — tracked trends to better understand how our region’s transportation needs evolved during the pandemic and identified numerous strategies to address these challenges.

The comprehensive Mobility Recovery report covers key transportation trends that emerged from the pandemic, highlights regional best practices, and details solutions and actions our region’s implementers can take to improve mobility post-pandemic.

The three solutions are categorized below:

• Invest in a stronger and more financially secure transit system

• Balance the benefits and impacts of e-commerce and other freight activity 

• Develop a better transportation system that improves quality of life for all

Read the full Mobility Recovery report and its recommendations by visiting cmap.is/mobility-recovery.

Under the guidance of a steering committee, CMAP worked with consultants to study and research how transportation changed in northeastern Illinois during the pandemic. This work included: 

• Identifying and studying innovative mobility policies from around the world. 

• Assessing COVID-related changes to jobs, housing, and transportation patterns. 

• Modeling different transportation scenarios that could happen post-pandemic and the effect these changes could have on northeastern Illinois. 

• Identifying strategies that can address transportation challenges and embracing opportunities for improved regional mobility. 

Throughout the two-year project, CMAP periodically shared materials summarizing the different phases of work and research, including:

• Policy benchmarking. The project team benchmarked innovative policies from peer regions in the United States and around the world.
• Understanding COVID-induced changes. The project team assessed how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected topics like telework, housing, employment, and e-commerce within northeastern Illinois.
• Assessing transportation demand management (TDM) strategies.​​​ The project team developed case studies of TDM approaches in other regions in the United States to understand their potential applicability in northeastern Illinois.
• Modeling the effects of different post-COVID scenarios. The project team developed scenarios that varied across factors including remote work, job locations, and transit service levels. The team leveraged these scenarios as inputs for CMAP's existing regional travel models, identifying possible impacts on transportation, climate, and equity outcomes.

Many communities in northeastern Illinois have started transforming streets to create attractive and welcoming community spaces. Farther away, cities like Barcelona have used these designs in a much grander way to create greener spaces that put pedestrians first. Read how communities can take a page from Barcelona’s playbook on green, pedestrian-friendly spaces.

Miami-Dade County’s Department of Transportation and Public Works found an innovative way to meet travelers’ needs through a special ride-hailing program when it suspended its overnight bus service during the pandemic. Learn how public-private partnerships can fill transportation gaps.

Car travel in northeastern Illinois returned to pre-pandemic levels by summer 2021, reinforcing why congestion remains a significant problem for the region. We looked at how Singapore used congestion pricing to address traffic and travel demand. Learn how Singapore improved traffic with congestion pricing.

Like other states, Illinois has been at a crossroads over how to fully fund the transportation system in recent years. But Oregon has been one of the few states to generate revenue through a road-usage-charge policy, providing a glimpse of how the idea could work on a statewide level. Read how Oregon is using a per-mile charge to help pay for roads.

Daniel Comeaux, CMAP project manager (dcomeaux@cmap.illinois.gov, 312-386-8669)

Throughout the Mobility Recovery project, members of the Transportation Equity Network and representatives from nearly 30 partner organizations provided invaluable guidance and insight.