CTA Makes Case for BRT, Critics Call it a 'Glorified Ashland Express Bus'

North Side neighbors have long been vocal about the proposed Bus Rapid Transit line down Ashland Avenue, but on Wednesday, it was the Chicago Transit Authority’s turn to make their case for the project.

Residents gathered at the recent Wicker Park Committee meeting to collectively discuss their qualms with the project, DNAinfo Chicago reports. But representatives with the CTA came prepared with facts to shed light on the apparent need for BRT.

They handed out this fact sheet to explain, “Why AsHland?” The top fact underscored Ashland Avenue’s bus route as the most trafficked CTA route in Chicago, with 10 million boardings in 2012.

It’s a key talking point the CTA has brought up multiple times in the past.

"Ashland continues to be one of the most congested corridors in the city," a spokesperson told Patch in August. "Without a dedicated travel lane a bus making limited stops would only be able to travel marginally faster and would still be bogged down by vehicle traffic sharing the travel lane. CTA considered a similar option very early on in the process, but it was eliminated because it did not meet the project’s purpose and need."

Other facts on the CTA’s handout touched on those points, like how BRT will increase travel speeds by 83 percent. That’s in addition to being located within walking distance of one out of every four homes in the city.

But of the roughly 25 neighbors in attendance, the list of facts seemingly did not sway the crowd. Wicker Park Committee president Robert Mantsh told DNAinfo he envisions traffic problems and “ghost buses” from lack of ridership.

"Among this audience, I'd say I'm the second most in favor of it, and I'm against it—so they're all against it," Mantsh said, according to reporter Darryl Holliday. "It's basically a glorified Ashland Express bus."

CTA representatives say the project is still more than a year from being completed, and there will be plenty of opportunities this fall to collect more feedback from residents.

And while the anti-BRT group dubbed the Western-Ashland Coalition started a petition against the transit line, DNAinfo points out another group in support of the project. They’ve apparently collected more than 1,000 signatures in favor of BRT on Ashland.