Author Archives: Maya Norris

Sneak peek of Active Trans auction items up for bid

| Mar 19, 2021

Here’s your chance to support your favorite nonprofit while treating yourself to some fun experiences and items.

Active Trans’ 35th Anniversary E-Bash on March 25 will include an online auction that will have something for everyone’s interests and budgets.

Items range from a getaway to Wisconsin to gift cards for your favorite craft beers. Get ready to place your bids. Here’s a sneak peek of what will be auctioned off at our 35th Anniversary E-Bash.

Longtime staffer reflects on Active Trans’ achievements over the last 35 years

| Mar 18, 2021

2021 marks a historic milestone for the Active Transportation Alliance. The nonprofit celebrates its 35th anniversary this year in leading the charge to create a sustainable transportation landscape in Chicagoland that emphasizes safety and health.

Active Trans has come a long way since it was founded in 1985 as the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation by a small group of advocates looking for ways to make bicycling safe and easier. Over the next 23 years,

Veteran advocate brings equity, affordability to the region’s transportation system

| Feb 8, 2021

Jacky Grimshaw has made an indelible mark on the transportation scene in metropolitan Chicago. The longtime sustainable transportation advocate has spent the last 30 years working to improve walking, bicycling, and public transit conditions in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs.

She’s been a prominent, influential force that has helped to shape and advance an equitable, affordable, and sustainable transportation system in the region.

Her impressive achievements in the sector have earned her Active Transportation Alliance’s Visionary Leadership Award,

“Community activator” uses bicycling to bring people together

| Dec 22, 2020

Pha’tal Perkins has seen for himself the transformative power of bicycling. The bicycling advocate and community activist created the Roll N Peace bike rides to get more residents in Englewood to hop on two wheels as a way to promote public safety and unify this neighborhood on the southwest side of Chicago.

His extraordinary advocacy work with the Roll N Peace bike rides as well as other community safety initiatives earned him a 2020 Advocate of the Year award from Active Transportation Alliance.

Metra to provide long-awaited rapid transit to South Side and south suburbs

| Dec 7, 2020

Transit riders on the South Side and in the south suburbs have some improved travel options to look forward to in the new year. In January, Cook County will usher in a rapid transit pilot program to help those residents travel to and from downtown Chicago quickly, easily, and affordably.

The long-awaited South Cook Fair Transit program will offer reduced fares and increased service on Metra’s Electric District and Rock Island District rail lines,

Advocate works to make Des Plaines better for walking, biking

| Nov 18, 2020

Wharton Sinkler is on a mission. As the president of the Des Plaines Bike and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, Sinkler wants to pave the way to better walking and biking conditions in Des Plaines. He and his fellow DPBPAC members advocate for infrastructure projects in Des Plaines that allow people walking and biking to navigate the northwest suburb safely and easily.

For his outstanding advocacy work over the years, Sinkler and two other local advocates — Romina Castillo and Pha’Tal Perkins — will be receiving Advocate of the Year awards at the Active Trans Annual Meeting on December 2.

Founder Suzan Pinsof reflects on Active Trans’ origins

| Aug 24, 2020

Ever wonder how the Active Transportation Alliance got its start? Well, Suzan Pinsof can tell you firsthand.

The retired urban planner and bicycling advocate was instrumental in creating the nonprofit organization that evolved into Active Trans more than 30 years ago, laying the foundation for the nonprofit’s bicycling advocacy and its success in creating safer conditions for people walking, biking, and using public transit in Chicagoland today.

Pinsof played a critical role in Chicago’s bicycling movement in the early 1980s when she worked at the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission,

Community bike shops keep cyclists rolling during the pandemic

| Jul 2, 2020

As more people turn to bicycling as a reliable mode of transportation for commuting and other trips during the COVID-19 pandemic, community bike shops are more vital than ever before.

These nonprofits not only provide affordable repairs and sell used bikes—critical services during the coronavirus crisis—but they also play an essential role in promoting how cycling helps create prosperous, healthy, and equitable communities.

Usually located in historically marginalized neighborhoods, community bike shops are anchors in their communities,

Meet our Bus Organizing Fellows

| May 27, 2020

A new group of advocates has joined the Active Transportation Alliance in its quest to push for affordable, speedy, and reliable bus service in Chicago. Armed with a deep commitment to community organizing and public service, Active Trans’ new Bus Organizing Fellows have been working to understand how to improve bus service during the COVID-19 pandemic for essential workers.

Since March, the fellows — LaCreshia Birts, Rylen Clark, and Jamaine Gooding — have been conducting online surveys with essential workers from historically marginalized communities who depend on public transit to get to their jobs.

A few questions for Amy Rynell

| May 22, 2020

Amy Rynell joined Active Trans as its new executive director in March. An experienced nonprofit leader with a deep commitment to social justice and human rights, Rynell comes to Active Trans having served in various research and policy roles at Chicago-based Heartland Alliance over the last 22 years, most recently serving as director of research and policy.

Amy shared her thoughts about what it’s been like to lead the organization through the COVID-19 crisis,