In many ways, Chicagoland's transportation system is the envy of other American cities, but a new report says that lack of coordination and fragmented authority costs the area in economic development potential.
A newly released survey by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development "found a lack of coordination among the four transit agencies and their four separate boards as well as insufficient accountability," reports Richard Wronski. "Those issues intensify the economic impact of congestion on Chicago, estimated at over $6 billion in 2011 by the Texas Transportation Institute, the report said."
The study echoes the findings of earlier reports about Chicago's transportation system, according to Wronski, but in this case, the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development provides a global perspective on Chicago. In fact, the Chicago findings are part of a "larger look at transportation in several metropolitan areas, including Athens, Greece; Marseille, France; and Frankfurt, Germany, that is scheduled for release this year."
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