'Transit deserts' in Chicago region's mass transit system: report

(Chicago Tribune) The Chicago area’s mass transit agencies are doing a poor job of serving the commuting needs of the region -- portions of which are “transit deserts” — while planning efforts are haphazard, a new report says.

Even major suburban job centers, such as the bustling I-90 Corridor from O’Hare to Schaumburg; the crowded Oak Brook area and booming Naperville, “are not well-served by transit,” and most jobs in the region can’t be reached in a 90-minute commute, the analysis found.

The region will fail to meet a goal of doubling transit use by 2040, so efforts “must be refocused with customer satisfaction as the primary objective,” said a draft report prepared for the Northeastern Illinois Transit Task Force.

Gov. Pat Quinn created the 15-member task force last August to suggest reforms for the transit system after controversy erupted over Metra’s ouster of its CEO. .....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-report-areas-mass-transit-system-not-on-pace-to-reach-2040-goal-20140205,0,6565285.story