Blog

Closing the door on the Route 53 extension

Nov 24, 2020 | by Maggie Melin Czerwinski

Highway expansion has a long history of encouraging more people to drive, intensifying congestion, displacing low-income communities, and harming the environment.

For all these reasons, we were delighted to see progress made in putting to rest once and for all the controversial Route 53 highway expansion in Lake County.

An important step in preventing the project from easily getting reactivated in the future is re-envisioning the land that was acquired when the project was under consideration.

Advocate works to make Des Plaines better for walking, biking

Nov 18, 2020 | by Maya Norris

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.

Petition: CTA budget cut would harm vulnerable Chicagoans

Nov 18, 2020 | by Kyle Whitehead

Active Transportation Alliance, Center for Neighborhood Technology, Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development, Chicago Jobs with Justice, Elevated Chicago, Environmental Law & Policy Center, Equiticity, Illinois Environmental Council, Metropolitan Planning Council, Respiratory Health Association, Shared-Use Mobility Center, Sierra Club Chicago Group, and Union of Concerned Scientists launched the following petition against Mayor Lightfoot’s proposed cut to CTA’s budget.

Active Trans works to connect trails in Chicagoland

Nov 11, 2020 | by Jim Merrell

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Chicago area residents have come to depend on trails not only as recreational assets, but also as transportation corridors that provide low-stress walking and biking connections within and between communities.

The Chicago area provides opportunities to enjoy more than 1,100 miles of trails that crisscross the region. But too often people walking or biking on our regional trails encounter dead ends, dangerous crossings, diversions onto stressful streets, and other gaps in the network.

More information needed about airflow on Chicagoland buses and trains

Nov 10, 2020 | by Julia Gerasimenko

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.

Metra rolls out bike car, eases bike restrictions during COVID

Nov 6, 2020 | by Kyle Whitehead

Thanks to the advocacy efforts of Ride Illinois and Active Trans, Metra is introducing its first-ever bike car on the Milwaukee District North Line and temporarily relaxing bike restrictions across all 11 lines. 

The commuter rail agency, which  announced the changes Thursday, was able to make this move because ridership remains down by more than 90 percent during the pandemic and excess capacity exists on all trains. 

Virtual town hall: Advancing walking and biking projects during COVID-19

Nov 6, 2020 | by Active Trans

Join Active Transportation Alliance on Wednesday, November 11, 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., for a virtual town hall with State Representative Theresa Mah (2nd District) and Alderman Andre Vasquez (40th Ward).

You can register for the free event today.

Rep. Mah and Ald. Vasquez will discuss how they have been working with residents in their districts to advance walking and biking projects during COVID-19. Also joining the conversation will be leaders from local community groups who are addressing these issues.

National Lawyers Guild of Chicago speaks out against transit shutdowns

Nov 3, 2020 | by Active Trans

On Monday the National Lawyers Guild of Chicago, a local coalition of attorneys for civil and human rights, signed our petition urging Chicago officials to keep transit running during post-election protests and future periods of unrest.

The organization shared the following statement after voting to endorse the petition.

_________________________

Executive action to shut down public transportation, often without advance notice, endangers the safety, health and livelihood of Chicagoans.

Take our survey on food access and transportation

Nov 2, 2020 | by Active Trans

In the era of COVID-19, social justice is more important than ever.

Yet, during the pandemic, some social justice issues that were once a priority have been sidelined or, in some cases, have gotten lost in the cracks.

The Active Transportation Alliance is picking up one of those subjects that seems to have gotten lost in the cracks: food insecurity and it’s relation to public transit. 

Active Trans will be working with local food pantries to explore this issue.

Cameras can help Chicago slow down cars but must be deployed fairly

Oct 27, 2020 | by Kyle Whitehead

During a difficult Chicago budget season, Mayor Lori Lightfoot is proposing changes to the city’s speed camera program that would lower the speed at which residents are ticketed. 

State law allows Chicago officials to ticket people driving when they’re captured on camera going 6 mph or more above the posted limit. However, to date the city has only ticketed residents for going 10 mph or more above limit.  

Last week Mayor Lightfoot proposed lowering the ticketing threshold to 6 mph.