What are your transportation priorities? Tell Cook County

Want less congestion on Route 14? Or fast public transit to O'Hare from Palatine? A way to safely walk or bike between home and work?

Now's the time to submit your wish list as Cook County begins work on a long-range transportation plan.

"We want to look at transportation from a variety of perspectives from public transit to cars to pedestrian access to rail corridors," Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said Tuesday, adding the plan is intended to spur economic growth and build livable communities.

"We want to get people to where the jobs are, to get drivers out of cars and reduce congestion and support alternate transportation."

The public will be able to comment on transportation "strengths, weaknesses, and priorities" through a website and interactive kiosks located throughout the county.

Cook County's last transportation plan was created more than 70 years ago and focused on the expressway system that exists today. The latest "Connecting Cook County" plan extends out 25 years.

Cook County is home to more than half the region's population and jobs, Preckwinkle said. "For too long, decisions that impact our communities have been made by others. We want to measure our strengths and weaknesses and identify opportunities to improve in a rapidly changing world."

The plan will cost $1 million and is expected to be complete within 18 months. Rotating kiosks will be available for the next nine months including locations at the Mount Prospect Library, 10 S. Emerson, and the Prairie Center for the Arts, 201 Schaumburg Court, Schaumburg.

The public is encouraged to focus "not so much on what the problems are but what the needs are," Preckwinkle noted.

Also weighing in on the project are several advisory groups with representatives from planning organizations, business and environmental interests, plus Pace, Metra, the CTA, IDOT and Illinois tollway.

The hope is to coordinate planning throughout the county to present a united front when competing for "limited federal dollars for transportation projects," Preckwinkle said.

To learn more, go to http://connectingcookcounty.org/.