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CTA plans citywide rollout of tactile blue bus‑stop signs; decal pilot to add route details
Summary
CTA reported a multi‑year plan to install tactile blue bus‑stop signs with raised lettering and braille at over 10,000 stops, a decal pilot to add route information at 100 stops, and an anticipated systemwide completion by early 2029 pending manufacturing and crew availability.
Jeremy Seffrens, senior manager for traffic planning at CTA, presented the agency’s tactile bus‑stop sign program and its next phases.
Seffrens said CTA installed more than 3,000 tactile blue signs during a pilot that began in July 2022, and that a June CTA Board contract will fund systemwide installation to reach more than 10,000 stops. The signs are blue panels mounted about five feet above ground with raised lettering and braille intended to help blind and low‑vision riders identify bus stops.
Because many stops serve multiple routes and route patterns change, CTA plans a phased approach to adding route‑specific information: a decal pilot for 100 high‑ridership stops on five routes with two‑route decals (route and direction) and an evaluation of durability in Chicago weather; more complex locations with many routes could later receive e‑ink displays.
Seffrens said the decal design currently fits two routes and the direction (for example, “49 / X49 Southbound”) and would cover roughly 93% of stops. The CTA plans to begin manufacturing pending vendor capacity and hopes to begin installations in fall 2025 and complete the systemwide rollout by early 2029.
Committee members urged CTA to coordinate early feedback with organizations that serve visually impaired people (the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois, Lighthouse, Access Living, Ogden Center) and recommended user testing and braille proofreading by professionals. CTA staff acknowledged the importance of QA/QC and said they are in contact with stakeholders and welcome suggestions for pilot locations and outreach.
Why it matters: Raised‑letter and braille signage helps blind and low‑vision riders find the correct pole among other street signs and increases independence while boarding. The timeline depends on manufacturer capacity and in‑house installation crews.
