For the past four years on February 4, a network of transit rider unions, community organizations, environmental groups, and labor unions have organized Transit Equity Day.
Transit Equity Day serves as a national day of action that commemorates the birthday of Rosa Parks while reminding us that public transit is a civil right.
We hope you can join us for Chicago’s first Transit Equity Day celebration on February 4 at noon.
In order for people to make well-informed choices about safety and transportation, it’s critical for Chicago-area transit agencies to be transparent about how air is flowing through their vehicles. This is especially important given that, according to the CDC, COVID-19 spreads both through larger droplets that fall out of the air rapidly as well as smaller droplets and particles that can remain suspended for many minutes or hours.
Providing information about air flow could help the thousands of people still riding and operating transit better understand their level of risk of contracting the virus.
The multi-year North Lake Shore Drive reconstruction project is at another critical decision point and we need your input on the project. If you care about improving transportation on Lake Shore Drive and want to see fewer cars — rather than more cars — on this roadway, we need you to step up and share your support for a bus-only lane.
Take the survey to show support for a bus-only lane that does not require widening the drive.
Without $32 billion in emergency funding needed for public transit, public transportation will be devastated both locally and across the country.
A new report released by TransitCenter and Center for Neighborhood Technology details the impact for people in Chicago and 9 other regions.
As emergency funding from the CARES Act runs out, transit cuts averaging 40 percent across major U.S. regions would result in more than 3 million people losing access to frequent transit,
While universal compliance is difficult to achieve, leadership from local and state elected officials and local transit agencies is needed to send a clear, direct, and accessible message to transit riders that masks are required on all buses and trains.
We do, however,
Active Trans’ Bus Organizing Fellows Rylen Clark and Jamaine Alberto Gooding submitted comments to Chicago Transit Authority August board meeting.
Rylen provided oral comments before the board while both Jamaine and Rylen submitted written comments.
You can read Rylen’s full comments here and below and Jamaine’s full comments here. You can watch the entire CTA board meeting recording here.
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Take action now in support of 30 miles of bus lanes and masks for riders!
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed a lot of what we perceive and know about mobility and transportation.
In recent months, Active Trans met with more than 100 stakeholders who are invested in our work. We spoke with community partners, elected officials, department of transportation and transit agency officials, and residents across the city and suburbs.
As part of this process, we held a series of small-group conversations and solo conversations with stakeholders and elected officials on the city’s North Side.
Active Trans’ Bus Organizing Fellows, Rylen Clark and Jamaine Alberto Gooding, submitted comments to July’s Chicago City Council meeting. Jamaine was selected to provide oral comments before the full council while both Jamaine and Rylen submitted written comments.
You can read Jamaine’s comments in full here and Rylen’s comments in full here. Below are excerpts from their testimonies:
To Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the members of Chicago City Council,
As the Mayor and City Council develop the 2021 Chicago city budget, we urge them to work with the Chicago Transit Authority and Chicago Department of Transportation to:
– Roll out 10 miles of bus lanes before the end of 2020 as part of the city’s COVID-19 response
– Fund and build out 20 additional miles by the end of 2021
– Provide masks for all transit riders
COVID-19 has impacted transportation and mobility in profound ways. To better understand the transportation needs of the people and communities most impacted by the pandemic, Active Trans embarked on a listening tour of over 100 community leaders and public officials. This is part of a series of blog posts sharing what we learned.
To learn more about the specific transportation and mobility challenges that people in Chicago face — particularly in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic — we held 11 conversations with community partners and elected officials on Chicago’s South Side.