The development of the Regional Transportation Authority's (RTA's) Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) Project since the project was announced in April, 1990 is chronicled and the decision-making process that led to its initial formulation is explored. PRT's possible application in North-eastern Illinois, the growth in Chicago's suburbs, and the changes in Chicago's commuting patterns that have triggered RTA's examination of a new transit technology are described. In 1950, Chicago's suburbs had about 20 of every 100 jobs in the North-eastern Illinois region. Today, they account for almost 60 percent of the jobs, and their share is growing. RTA's PRT Project is a response to these fundamental changes to the North-eastern Illinois suburban landscape. The key elements of the PRT Project to date include: (a) a multiphased approach with decision points at the end of each phase; (b) competitive system designs to foster competition; (c) drawing new technology out of the private sector by identifying new markets and giving generous public exposure; and (d) hedging risk by sharing in the ownership of new intellectual property and by developing partnerships with private, and other public, entities. The PRT site selection process has identified four communities that measure best against a list of attributes possessed by an ideal PRT community. All four have thus far met RTA's requirements for complementing the existing regional transit system and for generating local support. (Author/publisher)
Abstract