Author Archives: Maggie Melin Czerwinski

Fun walking and biking resources for kids

| Apr 1, 2020

With schools closed and Governor Pritzker’s “stay at home” order extended through April, some of you may now find yourself at home with young children, juggling work and other responsibilities while keeping your kids occupied and entertained.

If you’re looking for ways to engage their minds, why not add some interactive, online walking and biking safety education to the mix?

Here are a few recommended resources that can help prepare kids of all ages with street smarts and safety skills:

Illinois Bike Safety Quiz

BikeSafetyQuiz.com is an online resource developed by Ride Illinois that teaches kids,

Chicago is falling behind on sustainable transportation

| Feb 13, 2020

According to our new report, Chicago is falling behind in the number of people choosing to commute on foot, on bike, or on public transit.

This was just one of the findings of our regularly published Regional Mode Share Report, which compiles and analyzes mode share and travel data for the Chicagoland region.

Here are a few highlights from our 2020 report:

Compared to our peer cities,

Let’s re-envision Route 53 extension

| Jan 31, 2020

After nearly six decades of debate over the highly controversial Route 53 highway expansion project, victory was finally declared for walking, biking, and transit in Lake County last summer.

Recognizing the $3 billion project would not relieve congestion problems, in July of 2019, the Lake County Board unanimously voted to remove support for the Route 53 highway extension from its strategic plan.

A day later, the Illinois Tollway announced that it would cease work on a multi-million dollar environmental impact study of the extension.

Advocacy needed for the Skokie Valley Trail extension

| Jun 26, 2019

The Skokie Valley Trail extension project needs your support!

If completed, the trail would fill a 4.5-mile gap through the Villages of Skokie, Northfield, Glenview, and Wilmette to create a continuous trail from Lake Bluff to Chicago (see map, gap shown in red).

This regional trail opportunity is a top priority for the Active Transportation Alliance. The connection could provide many north suburban families and residents with a low-stress,

Villa Park advocates build support for safer biking

| Mar 12, 2019

Advocate and Village Trustee Bob Wagner is working with a core group of volunteers in the Village of Villa Park to promote bicycle safety and increase public awareness of the village’s recently-developed Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan.

Active Trans partnered with the village to lead the effort in developing the master plan, which has three main goals:

⇒ Create better connections between the Illinois Prairie Path, Great Western Trail,

Advocates fight for bike/walk education in schools

| Mar 4, 2019

Would you like to see your local schools teach walking and biking safety to kids? With your help, we can make that happen.

Last year, thanks to the efforts of Active Trans and our partners, a law was passed requiring that K-8 public schools teach walking and biking safety to students.

Now we’re working with advocates in communities across the Chicago region to help implement the Illinois Bike Walk Education in Schools Act and encourage districts to comply with the new requirement.

Using balance bikes to build relationships in Elgin

| Jan 3, 2019

A group of advocates in Elgin is working to advance the city’s decade-old bike plan and boost bike access for children in low-income parts of the town.

Elgin Bike Hub is a non-profit organization working for better biking in the northwest suburban city that straddles both Cook and Kane counties. The group is pushing for the community’s nearly ten-year-old Bikeway Plan to be updated and revised as an active transportation plan that prioritizes equity.

Batavia advocates connect with local businesses

| Jan 3, 2019

A western suburban advocate has been going door-to-door in Batavia educating local business owners and their customers about the benefits of walking, biking and public transportation.

Abby Beck of Walk Batavia/Bike Batavia wanted to help businesses in downtown Batavia better understand how walking and biking can have a positive impact on their bottom line.

She asked businesses to place little chalkboards on their counters with the message “How did you get here today?” Customers were asked to mark “walk,” “bike” and “other.” 

Suburban advocacy summit on October 27

| Oct 4, 2018

Do you want better walking, biking and transit options in your community?

For people who walk, bike or ride transit in the suburbs, our transportation system is often neither safe nor welcoming.

But when bolstered by a collective voice of advocates, transportation conditions in the Chicagoland suburbs have the potential to be transformed.

Be a part of this suburban transformation by attending our annual gathering of suburban advocates at our Bike Walk Every Town Summit on Saturday,

Bartlett advocate petitions for trail connection

| Oct 4, 2018

Longtime bicycling advocate Terry Witt is leading the charge to fill in a significant regional trail gap through the Village of Bartlett.

Now he’s created a petition and needs your help collecting 1,000 signatures.

Terry (pictured) grew up in the northwest suburbs and now resides in Bartlett. His enthusiasm for biking was originally sparked by his adult son’s love for riding. “I started riding at age 55 with my son and didn’t stop!”

Upon retirement and with a newfound love of riding his bike,