How Chicago is unblocking the bus

We all know the frustration: you’re making great time on the bus until someone parks in the bus lane “just for a minute.” In Chicago, those minutes have added up to decades of declining speeds—but that’s about to change. In part two of our Chicago series, we’re diving deep into the massive changes coming to the CTA and Pace bus systems. Thanks to the landmark NITA Act passed in late 2025, Chicago is receiving $1.5 billion a year in new funding to avoid the transit death spiral and—more importantly—to finally give buses the priority they deserve. From automated camera enforcement to "orbital" lines that bypass the Loop, we’re looking at how Chicago is speeding up the least glamorous but critical piece of its transit system. Because at the end of the day, faster buses don’t just mean shorter commutes—they mean freedom. In this video, we cover: Why the bus (not the ‘L’) is the true backbone for many Chicagoans. The "Smart Streets" pilot and the end of bus lane blocking. How the new Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) is changing the game. Pace’s suburban BRT (Pulse) expansion and orbital routes. Why $1 invested in transit equals $4 in economic benefits. Take Action: If you want to see faster, more reliable transit in the Midwest, please subscribe! For folks in Chicago, consider joining: Active Transportation Alliance: https://activetrans.org/ Commuters Take Action (CTAction): https://www.ctaction.org/ Open Source Alternative: Watch Heartland Urbanist ad-free on Urbanists.video, a community-owned, open-source platform for people who love cities: https://urbanists.video/ #Chicago #Transit #CTA #PaceBus #Urbanism #NITAAct #HeartlandUrbanist #PublicTransit