Connecting Cook County

The average Cook County family doles out $10,000 annually on train tickets, bus passes, car payments, and gas. Second only to housing as a yearly expense, transportation poses a financial burden to many families in our region. Beyond the financial challenge, many households do not have access to convenient transportation options, limiting their ability to access the most basic needs, such as a jobs, healthy food, and healthcare.

Given the importance of transportation for our region, Civic Consulting Alliance worked closely with the Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways to devise a regional transportation strategy, Connecting Cook County: 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan , which was released earlier this month.

To develop the County's first transportation plan in 70 years, the team took a demand-driven approach, starting with a basic question, "What do those who use the system need most?" Building from this inquiry, Civic Consulting helped the Board identify five transportation initiatives for the county: (1) focus on public transit and other transportation alternatives; (2) support the region's role as North America's freight capital; (3) promote equal access to opportunities; (4) maintain and modernize what already exists; and (5) increase investment in transportation.

"Transportation is critical to the economic success of Cook County as it connects individuals to jobs and goods to market," said Toni Preckwinkle, President of Cook County Board of Commissioners. "With that in mind, we worked with Civic Consulting to devise a plan that will make transit and other alternatives to automobiles more accessible to those who need it."