“The Chicago Police Department is ready to devote the appropriate manpower and resources to ensure a successful and safe time for everyone,” said Superintendent Jody P. Weis. “Our advice to anyone looking to cause trouble is simple – stay at home. We will not tolerate unruly behavior. If we see it, it will be addressed.”

Chicago Police have made a number of security enhancements, based in part on experience with crowd control on election night for President Barack Obama.

These enhancements include:

• Access points will be manned by uniformed CPD officers and private security personnel. Illegal items will be confiscated, and unruly attendees will be turned away
• Special emphasis will be placed on transit centers, including CTA stations, Metra and Pace stops
• There will be an increased uniformed police presence. Plain clothes officers will be targeting pickpockets, as well as monitoring crowd activities and relaying information to uniformed officers for immediate action
• CPD personnel will be monitoring security cameras near the festival, and working with OEMC and CTA to monitor cameras citywide, share information and address incidents as they occur

The public is also urged to call 911 immediately to report criminal or suspicious activity.  They can also use CPD’s TXT2TIP program to send an anonymous message by sending the message to C-R-I-M-E-S and putting CPD in the subject line.

The Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) will have its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) open throughout the Taste to help coordinate the delivery of city resources. “The EOC will give us the ability to monitor the Taste via our camera network, and deploy emergency services as needed,” said Rich Guidice, Managing Deputy Director, OEMC.

Pole marking will be seen again this year throughout the Taste to provide residents with a visual indication of where they are located in Grant Park.

“Knowing your location when calling 911 provides operators with critical information that allows them to get resources to you as quickly as possible,” added Guidice.

The Chicago Department of Public Health inspectors will be inspecting food booths at the Taste at least four times a day.

“We take food safety seriously, and we set the bar high for the Taste of Chicago,” said Dr. Terry Mason, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health. “In fact, Taste of Chicago is the most tightly regulated, highly scrutinized outdoor food event in the city.”

The Health Department also provided tips for dealing with the extreme heat like:

• Wear a hat, preferably one with a brim to block out the sun;
• Wear light, comfortable clothing to help you stay cool in the summer heat;
• Use sunscreen to help prevent sunburn;
• Wear good, sturdy athletic shoes with cotton socks;
• Make sure that children in strollers are shielded from the sun;
• And drink plenty of water.

The Taste of Chicago runs Friday, June 26 through Sunday, July 5.  The following street closures will remain in effect through 3pm on Monday, July 6:

• Columbus:  Monroe to Roosevelt
• Jackson:  Lake Shore Drive to Michigan Avenue
• Congress:  Michigan to Columbus

Residents should also be aware of additional street closures that will be in effect for the 3rd of July fireworks celebration.

Summer music festivals including Taste of Chicago will have designated entrances, designed to improve the customer experience.

This procedure began with the Chicago Blues Festival and will continue in late summer with the four remaining music festival.

Entrances will serve to meet policies of the events in which no alcoholic beverages may be brought into festival grounds.  Additional restrictions include no pop up tents or canopies, beach or picnic umbrellas, flag poles, barbecue grills, fireworks or any illegal items or substances.

Also pets are restricted from festival grounds for their own protection except for service animals.

Festival entrances for Taste of Chicago are: Columbus and Monroe; Jackson and Michigan; Congress and Michigan; Columbus and Balbo and for Petrillo concerts, mid-block on Monroe from Columbus to Lake Shore Drive.

“Public transportation will be the most effective way to travel to the downtown during the Taste of Chicago,” said CTA President Richard L. Rodriguez.  “This year we have changed some of the bus boarding locations for July 3 following the fireworks. The new locations were used on election night last year and helped  move people quickly and efficiently.”

Following the fireworks, northbound customers should go to LaSalle Street where they can find the  #22 Clark, #36 Broadway,  #146 Inner Drive/Michigan Express,#147 Outer Drive Express and #151 Sheridan..

Southbound customers will be able to find the #3 King Drive, #4 Cottage Grove, #29 State, #62 Archer buses on Clark Street.

Westbound customers can board #20 Madison, #56 Milwaukee and #60 Blue Island/26th buses on Madison, west of Clark Street. The #126 Jackson route will board on Adams at Clark.

At Navy Pier, the #124 Navy Pier will board in front of Navy Pier near the entrance of the Children’s Museum rather than on Grand at Streeter.  The #29 at Navy Pier will board at the south end of Navy Pier in front of the entrance there.

CTA reminds customers that due to crowds, bicycles are not permitted on CTA trains July 3rd and 4th.  However, the bike racks on buses can be used.

As a courtesy to other customers and for the safety of everyone, CTA is also requiring that strollers and carts be folded before boarding buses and trains on both July 3rd and July 4th.

Customers may obtain travel information by visiting CTA’s web site at transitchicago.com, by calling 1-888-YOUR-CTA or the RTA Travel Information Center at 836-7000 from any local area code.

MEDIA PARKING

Media parking for the Taste will be on the westbound lane of Monroe and in the southeast section of the Rose Garden.

On the 3rd and 4th of July, media parking will only be allowed on Monroe.

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On Friday evening, July 3 and Saturday evening, July 4, additional service will be provided for spectators going to Grant Park or Navy Pier for the fireworks displays. To speed travel and reduce lines, customers are encouraged to buy farecards in advance with sufficient value or to add enough value to their existing farecards (either the Chicago Card or magnetic strip Transit Card) for their return trips later in the day.

Bus customers who use CTA fare media pay $2.00 to ride. For rail customers or customers who pay cash on the bus, the fare is $2.25. Customers who use magnetic strip cards or other CTA fare media may transfer for a 25 cent fee. Transfers are not available for customers paying fares in cash.

Extra Service for the Taste of Chicago

• Additional CTA personnel will be on duty at Loop rail stations to help customers and to provide travel information.
• A mobile CTA sales facility will be set up on Jackson just west of Columbus to allow customers to purchase fare media. Visitor Pass vending machines accept credit cards, in addition to cash, and will offer: 3-Day Visitor Passes and 7-Day Passes. Customers also can purchase or add value to transit cards or Chicago Cards at vending machines or use a credit card at Express Vending Machines.

Rail Service – Taste of Chicago

• Blue/Brown/Green/Orange/Pink/Red Lines
  Longer trains will operate on all six of these lines each evening until approximately 10:30pm from downtown daily.
• Purple Line (connections at Howard with Red Line trains serving downtown)
  Longer Purple Line trains will run until midnight from Howard to Linden daily.
• Yellow Line (connections at Howard with Red Line trains serving downtown)
  Trains will operate later than usual on weekdays; with the last train leaving Howard at 12am. Trains operate on Saturday and Sunday from 6:10 a.m. to 12 a.m. at 15-minute intervals.

Park & Ride Facilities

Parking is available for approximately 6,000 cars at facilities adjacent to 18 CTA rail stations, mainly at terminals, throughout the CTA system. Rates are $5 at Rosemont and Forest Park and $4 at all other locations. Park & Ride locations are listed on CTA’s system map and on the CTA web site, transitchicago.com. Customers also may obtain information on Park & Ride facilities by calling 836-7000 from any local area code.

Street Closures – Taste of Chicago

Effective from 5am Friday, June 26 until 5am Monday, July 6, the following streets will be closed to all traffic:

• Columbus Drive between Roosevelt and Monroe
• Monroe Drive between Michigan and Lake Shore Drive
• Jackson Drive between Michigan and Lake Shore Drive
• Congress Plaza
• Congress Drive between Michigan and Columbus
• Balbo Drive between Michigan and Lake Shore Drive

Bus Service – Taste of Chicago

As Taste activities wind down each evening, additional service will be available for trips out of the downtown area at the following locations:

• #6 Jackson Park Express buses can be boarded at all regular stops southbound on State starting at Lake.
• #20 Madison, #56 Milwaukee and #60 Blue Island/26th buses can be boarded at all regular stops westbound on Madison starting at State.
• #151 Sheridan buses can be boarded at regular stops northbound on State starting at Adams.
• Additional service on the #126 Jackson will be provided only on weekends during the Taste, in addition to Friday, July 3. There is no additional service along the #126 route on Saturday, July 4.

For details about all CTA service call 836-7000 (all local area codes) or visit the CTA web site at transitchicago.com to use the travel planner feature.

MEDIA CONTACT:

CTA Media Relations
ctamedia@transitchicago.com

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