Blog

Moving beyond four main barriers to building protected bike lanes in Chicago

Sep 24, 2020 | by Kyle Whitehead

Protected bike lanes have been proven again and again as the best approach for making streets safe and comfortable for biking. People of all ages and abilities get excited about biking when they are physically protected from car traffic.

This protected biking environment dramatically increases safety and comfort for people on two wheels while having limited negative impact on car and truck traffic.

The key ingredient for a good protected bike lane (PBL) is a street with space that can be dedicated to bikes.

Pop-up bus lanes coming to Chicago Ave and 79th St. 

Sep 21, 2020 | by Active Trans

The Chicago Department of Transportation and the Chicago Transit Authority are rolling out a new pilot that will implement “pop up essential bus lanes” on two major corridors along two of the highest ridership bus routes in Chicago. 

One will be on 79th Street between Cicero and Western, a total of three miles, and the other on Chicago Avenue between Laramie and Ashland, a total of 4.6 miles. The right hand travel lane will be converted into a bus only lane using tape and signage.

Ride the BLT—a socially distanced bike ride!

Sep 21, 2020 | by Kerry Holsinger

Looking for some socially distantced physical activity this fall? From the organization that brings you Fifth Third Bike the Drive,  Trans now brings you the Boulevard Lakefront Tour, the self-led bike ride edition!

You choose a route and we’ll send the map for you to ride on any date you choose.

We have crafted (and tested!) FIVE unique bike routes to explore Chicago on two wheels. Whether it’s a 30-mile ride through the North,

Metra must get past serving just white-collar suburban riders

Sep 18, 2020 | by Active Trans

This is a guest post by Scott Presslak, a regional transit advocate who runs the Star:Line Chicago Twitter account.

As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, the only certainty we have these days is uncertainty. 2020 has, without a shred of hyperbole, been the most challenging year that most of us have had to persevere, on multiple fronts.

That challenge has come down hard on transit agencies across the U.S.

Join our transit discussion during Cook County Racial Equity Week

Sep 9, 2020 | by Kyle Whitehead

Active Transportation Alliance is excited to co-host a discussion on public transit during Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s second annual Racial Equity Week. 

Register for the discussion, which will be held as a virtual event on Thursday, September 17 at 11 a.m. 

The event is a roundtable on transportation equity in the time of COVID-19, with a spotlight on Cook County’s Fair Transit project on Chicago’s South Side and South Suburbs.

Support better transportation in Chicago’s 2021 budget

Sep 8, 2020 | by Kyle Whitehead

Chicago faces many challenges as officials prepare next year’s budget.

Among those challenges is the need to improve mobility options while keeping the city’s transportation system accessible to everyone.

That’s why we need to ensure that transportation issues and improvements are part of the city’s budget conversation. You can help make sure this happens: If you’re a Chicago resident, please take the city’s 2021 budget survey by Sunday, September 13.

The stress and uncertainty surrounding transportation

Sep 2, 2020 | by Active Trans

At Active Trans, there’s been a lot to learn as we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. Every day we’re fine-tuning our work so that we can better address the challenges people face while walking, biking, and using public transit during the pandemic.

We’ve known that COVID-19 has altered walking, biking, and public transit, but we’ve been struggling to understand how different parts of the region and individual communities have been affected.

In order to get a better grasp of the widespread impact of this crisis,

How to get everyone wearing masks on public transit

Aug 28, 2020 | by Julia Gerasimenko

Universal mask wearing on buses and trains is the best way to ensure transit riders and operators stay safe and healthy amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

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,

Founder Suzan Pinsof reflects on Active Trans’ origins

Aug 24, 2020 | by Maya Norris

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,

Mobility and essential travel during COVID-19

Aug 21, 2020 | by Alex Perez

When COVID-19 cases and deaths were rising in Chicago in March and April, the pandemic hit communities of color on the South and West Sides of Chicago at disproportionate rates.

People in communities of color were already facing disparities in income, employment, health, traffic safety, and economic disinvestment before the COVID-19 outbreak. When the pandemic hit, Black people started dying at 2-3 times the rate of the city’s White residents.

In order to gain a better understanding of the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Black and Brown communities in Chicago,