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Roughly every three days, one person biking or walking is killed by someone driving a car in the Chicago region.

Lincoln Park resident works for a safer Dickens Ave.

Jun 26, 2019 | by Kyle Whitehead

Stephanie Sims, a Lincoln Park resident and Active Trans Ambassador, is using her training to rally her neighbors to support the proposed Dickens Neighborhood Greenway.

Sims is circulating a petition urging 43rd Ward Alderman Michele Smith to make the project a top priority.

When Sims was recently trained to be an Active Trans Ambassador, she learned the ins and outs of organizing support for walking, bicycling, and public transit improvements in her neighborhood.

If you live in the 43rd Ward, you can sign Stephanie’s petition today. Use Active Trans’ legislator lookup tool to confirm you ward.

Interested in becoming an Active Trans Ambassador in your community? Sign up for our last training of the summer on July 24.

Neighborhood greenways are low-stress residential streets that are designed to be safer and more comfortable for all users — people walking, bicycling, and driving. They are designed to be used by people of all ages and abilities (8 years old to 80 years old) and provide a family-friendly alternative to busier streets.

Improvements to Dickens would include a number of traffic-calming features for safer and more predictable speeds for both cars and bicycles, including a 20 mph speed limit, pedestrian bumpouts, raised crosswalks, and two-way bike lanes.

Lincoln Park residents: join Stephanie in supporting the Dickens Neighborhood Greenway.

In recent years, Chicago has seen just a handful of neighborhood greenways get built. Some of the current examples are on Wood, Berteau, and Manor. Active Trans is urging Mayor Lightfoot and the new City Council to build 25 new miles of greenways by 2023.

A packed crowd of both supporters and opponents attended the initial public meeting for the Dickens Greenway in May. Ald. Smith is working with the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) on revisions to the proposal and expects to hold more meetings this summer.