CHICAGO—The Chicago Area Transportation Study (CATS) recently unveiled its 2000 Citizen’s Guide. The easy to read, easy to use, and easy to obtain guide booklet is available locally at village or city halls and can also be found on the "What’s New?" page of the CATS Web site (www.catsmpo.com). "We are very excited about the availability of the 2000 Citizen’s Guide. We hope it will prove useful in getting the public involved," said Jo Ann Eckman, Chairman of the Public Involvement Task Force.

The colorful and attractive booklet details the ways in which citizens can become involved with CATS committees and thus themselves become a part of the policy-making process. It contains important information as well about CATS’ origin, administrative structure and federally mandated responsibilities.

Also included in the guide is a contact page with the phone numbers of transportation officials, a section on regional facts, maps of the six counties and even a glossary of transportation acronyms and terminology. A Spanish version will soon be available. "The best transportation planning is done to service the traveling public, and residents are best served if they have input in the process. The Citizen’s Guide goes a long way toward making participation a reality," said Jacquelyne D. Grimshaw, a coordinator with the Center for Neighborhood Technology.

For a copy of the guide or additional information about CATS, call the Communications Division at (312)793-3460 or log on to www.catsmpo.com.

The Chicago Area Transportation Study is the MPO for Northeastern Illinois, designated by state and local officials to carry out the urban transportation planning process for the region. The area covered by CATS includes all of Cook, DuPage, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties, plus a portion of Kendall county.