October 29, 2013

Mayor Rahm Emanuel And The Department Of Innovation And Technology Announce The Release Of Two Additional Transportation Data Sets

Continues Ongoing Effort to Expand Access to Data

Mayor's Press Office    312.744.3334

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Department of Innovation and Technology (DOIT) publicly released two transportation related data sets today, including an inventory and map of the locations of all Divvy bike stations and a complete data set outlining the pedestrian streets throughout Chicago.

“An open and transparent administration makes it easier for residents to hold their government accountable, but it also serves as a platform for innovative tools that improve the lives of all residents,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “By making this data available to residents and developers, we are better able to promote civic engagement, while continuing to strengthen transportation options and pedestrian activity in Chicago’s neighborhoods.”

Today’s announced Divvy data represents an inventory and map of the 300 Divvy stations and 3,000 bikes that are currently active in the in the Divvy system. This data will be updated and representative of the planned expansion this spring of 400 neighborhood station locations with over 4,000 bikes in circulation.  To date, Chicagoans have made more than 1,300 suggestions for station locations with more than 11,000 votes of support.  The siting process is continuing and locations will be announced later this spring.  The current locations are denoted on the stations map available through the release of today’s data in the City’s data portal and can be found here. The locations of future Divvy stations will be reflected in the data as they are installed. 

In conjunction with the release of Divvy Station locations, DOIT has publicly provided the location of all pedestrian street locations throughout Chicago. A Pedestrian Street is zoned and designated as such in order to preserve and enhance the character of Chicago neighborhood’s pedestrian-oriented commercial corridors. The designation regulates building design, land use, vehicular access, and parking. Pedestrian streets are known to foster commercial activity and interaction among residents.

Strong and safe pedestrian activity has been critical to the economic vitality of Chicago’s neighborhoods and the release of this data will provide Chicagoans greater insight to the location and value of these community anchors, while helping Chicago take a step forward to become the most pedestrian friendly city in the country.

The two transportation-related data sets released today are also in line with the Chicago Department of Transportation’s Complete Streets Plan. The Complete Streets initiative is intended to provide greater balance to Chicago’s streets for pedestrians, transit riders, cyclists, and automobiles. Public access to transportation data will underpin and further this goal.

The City of Chicago encourages any and all public, private or civic institutions to take advantage of this information and to create from accordingly. Commissioner Berman and the DOIT are strongly committed to working with civic technologists as innovation dictates.

Since Mayor Emanuel took office, the city has overhauled the City’s data portal, data.cityofchicago.org, which now hosts more than 400 datasets and has been viewed 2.5 million times. Notable datasets include “Current Employee Names, Salaries and Position Titles,” which publicly displays the salary for every employee of the City of Chicago, a searchable version of the City’s budget, and more than 5 million crime incident reports spanning ten years.

 

###