The Difficulty of Mapping Transit 'Deserts'

The Chicago Tribune reports that Chicago is not on pace to meet its goal of doubling transit ridership by 2040. A little early to call things, sure, but the fact is the transit network isn't connecting workers with jobs. The Tribune says that "most jobs in the region can't be reached in a 90-minute commute" (and Brookings recently quantified "most" at a more precise 77 percent). According to a report drafted for a regional transit task force, Chicago suffers from too many "transit deserts":

A transit "desert" is a relatively new concept, defined as an urban area full of transit-dependent people (usually city residents who are low-income, elderly, disabled, or all of the above) but lacking sufficient transit service. The report mentioned by the Tribune doesn't identify the exact transit deserts in Chicago, saying only that the term applies to "significant portions" of the metro area. Perhaps the final report, due at the end of the March, will be more precise.