The Urban Transportation Center at UIC is dedicated to conducting research and education and providing technical assistance on urban transportation planning, policy, operations and management. We specialize in these core clusters of transportation research: transit planning, operations and management; transportation funding and financing; freight planning, operations and management; and data development for transportation planning and policy analysis.

 

With the assistance of three federal grants, the Urban Transportation Center is now funded as a partner of three new national transportation research consortia: The National Center for Transit Research; the National University Rail Center (NURail); and the National Center for Freight & Infrastructure Research & Education (CFIRE). The awards are funding collaborative research in the areas of public transportation, rail engineering and technology, and freight and infrastructure.

 

 

US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood's UIC Interview

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood was interviewed by UTC Executive Director Steve Schlickman during the annual UIC Urban Forum, held Thursday, Dec. 6, 2012 at the University of Illinois at Chicago Forum Building. LaHood was the keynote speaker at the forum.

The interview event featuring LaHood and Schlickman was titled “MAP-21 and What’s Next for Urban Transportation Funding: A Conversation with U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.” Among conversation topics, LaHood discussed the transportation funding issues that are impacting the economies and social networks of metropolitan regions today.

 

 

 

April 2013

• Executive Director Steve Schlickman is quoted on the CTA's $14.25 million minimum settlement regarding alleged bus defects in an April 8 Chicago Sun-Times article.

 

 

January 2013

• The Urban Transportation Center hosted a sold-out seminar event featuring Michael Melaniphy, President and CEO of the American Public Transportation Association, on Thursday, Jan. 31. Melaniphy's presentation was on "The State of the Public Transportation Industry and Livability." The event was sponsored by URS Corporation, and a video of the presentation can be viewed online here.

 

• Executive Director Steve Schlickman is quoted in a Jan. 29 Chicago Sun-Times article on Sen. Dick Durbin’s recommendation that the federal government be repaid for federal funds used to rebuild Midway Airport before any privatization of the airport. Schlickman says the recommendation is not an attempt to stop privatization.

 

 

December 2012

• Executive Director Steve Schlickman is quoted by the Daily Herald in a Dec. 31 article on expectations for transportation
funding, the Circle Interchange, and bus rapid transit in 2013.

 

• Executive Director Steve Schlickman is quoted in a Dec. 23 article by the Chicago Sun-Times on the rationale behind increasing transit fares and Chicago Skyway tolls, balancing revenue needs with ridership decreases.

 

 

November 2012

• Jordan Snow, research transportation planner/analyst at the Urban Transportation Center, is quoted in a Nov. 9 WBEZ article on the Chicago Transit Authority's new bus rapid transit from downtown through the South Side.

 

 

September 2012

• Executive Director Steve Schlickman is quoted in a Sept. 27 Chicago Tribune article on the RTA’s proposal for a $2.5 billion bond program to repair or replace its vehicles, tracks, equipment and bridges. Schlickman, former director of the RTA, cautions that sales tax revenue might not increase enough to cover the debt service.

 

• Executive Director Steve Schlickman is quoted by the Chicago Sun-Times in a Sept. 21 article on the possibility of private financing of the CTA Red Linen extension to 130th Street.

 

• Executive Director Steve Schlickman gave a keynote speech on the concepts of sustainability and livability in transportation on Sept. 17 at a Community Leaders Luncheon in Moline, IL. The luncheon honored MetroLINK, which was recently recognized by the American Public Transportation System as the Best Small Transit System in America. Schlickman also spoke on how MetroLINK is a leading transit system in applying the concepts of sustainability and livability to its facilities, transit operations, and promoting economic development. 

 

 

June 2012

• Executive Director Steve Schlickman participated in a June 8 luncheon with Simon Kennedy, who was the Canadian Prime Minister's representative on the binational Canada-U.S. Beyond the Border Working Group. The luncheon was held at the Mid-America Club, and focused on the Action Plan for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness, produced by the Beyond the Border Working Group. The lunchon discussion detailed the fascinating agreement between Canada and the United States, which together form one of the largest trading partnerships in the world. The Action Plan can be read here.

 

• Executive Director Steve Schlickman is quoted in a June 5 article by Progress Illinois on the need for additional federal and local financing before a CTA Red Line expansion can take place.

 

• Executive Director Steve Schlickman is quoted in a June 4 article by the Daily Herald on disagreements between the leaders of the Regional Transit Authority, Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace.

 

 

May 2012

• Bill Millar, retired president of the American Public Transportation Association, presented a lecture on May 31 on the progress of transit during his 40-year career in the industry. Millar also spoke on the transportation industry's future. The event was held at the Great Cities Institute at UIC, and was part of the ongoing UTC Seminar Series. See the video.

 

• The Spring 2012 edition of the UTC's newsletter, The Connector, is now available.

 

• Executive Director Steve Schlickman is quoted in a May 12 article in the Chicago Tribune on the rationality of Metra's plan make service and security adjustments during the NATO meeting.

 

 

April 2012

• Executive Director Steve Schlickman is quoted in an April 28 article in Crain's Chicago Business on Rahm Emanuel's handling of transportation issues in his first year as Mayor of Chicago.

 

• Executive Director Steve Schlickman is quoted in an April 3 Progress Illinois article on the unlikeliness of the proposed CTA Red Line expansion receiving funding from private investors. He is also quoted in a March 30 Chicago Tribune article on a recent performance assessment of CTA and Metra in comparison to transit systems in other U.S. cities.

 

• Highlights from the conference Rebuilding the North American Economy Together an event sponsored by CN and supported by Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, are now available.

 

 

Ongoing research projects 

 

The METSI project continues to provide UTC with funding for research, and is crucial to both the breadth and depth of research topics that UTC faculty, staff and students undertake. These topics include Transportation Planning, Land Use and Economic Impact of Transportation, Operations, Management and Finance, and Traffic Engineering, among others.

 

Other prominent projects include the CTA Project and ongoing freight research funded by a gift from CN Railroad.