Calling all trail riders! The Forest Preserve District of Cook County (FPDCC) is holding its 2015 budget hearing on November 18, and we need enthusiastic trail users to make the case for more safe, convenient and accessible trails. FPDCC is gearing up for the North Branch Trail Southern Extension, which will extend the popular trail from Devon & Caldwell to […]

Post image:   Register now for the 2014 Active Trans Member Meeting & Advocate Summit to be held Thursday November 13, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Red Frog Events, 320 W. Ohio St., Chicago.  All are welcome to attend this free event. We'll be discussing and formulating our strategies for putting biking, walking and public transit on the map in […]

The Chicago area provides opportunities to enjoy more than 1,100 miles of trails that crisscross the region. Not only are these trails fabulous recreational assets, they are also an underutilized transportation network, providing low-stress walking and biking connections within and between communities.  Despite this great regional resource, too often people walking or biking on our regional trails encounter dead ends, […]

Post image:  In its proposed Fiscal Year 2015 Program and Budget, Metra announced it's prepared, if necessary, to implement a ten-year plan for regular fare increases to fund not only its day-to-day operations, but also to begin the long slog to finally address their $8.6 billion backlog of and on-going annual infrastructure needs. This is a gutsy move on Metra’s […]

What The campaign aims to make walking and cycling more safe and convenient along our lakefront and increasing access to public transit. This includes advocating for prioritizing bike, walk and transit improvements in long-term construction projects – like the reconstruction of North Lake Shore Drive – while calling for less costly enhancements that could be made now to the improve […]

WHAT Active Trans' Our Lakefront campaign aims to make walking and cycling safer and more convenient along our lakefront while increasing access to public transit. We advocate for making biking, walking and transit improvements the priorities in long-term construction projects – like the reconstruction of North Lake Shore Drive – while calling for less costly enhancements that could be made now to […]

  BACKGROUND In recent years, bicycling in Chicago has transformed from a fringe activity to a mainstream mode of transportation, opening up the benefits of biking to more Chicagoans than ever before. Since 2000, the number of people biking in the city has roughly tripled, with an average of 125,000 bike trips happening each day.   However, outside of downtown, […]

NEW! See Chicago's first-ever Bus Friendly Streets Report Cards for all 50 wards and eight high-ridership routes. A healthy and growing bus system is critical to building a more sustainable transportation network in Chicago. Back on the Bus identifies ways that elected officials and transit agency leaders can improve bus service and reverse the trend of Chicagoans abandoning public transit […]

It’s time for change. As we wrote last spring, our commuter tax benefit system favors car travel over public transportation and bicycle commuting. The benefit is an employer-provided federal tax benefit that allows commuters to purchase tax free transit passes, carpooling rides or parking. Currently, the monthly benefit for car parking is $250, compared to just a $130 benefit for […]

Post image:  Active Trans is excited to be working with Wayne Township officials to develop a comprehensive bike plan that should be completed by the end of this year. Once completed, Wayne would be the first township in Illinois to adopt a bike plan. Over the summer, residents and elected officials brainstormed ideas for making the six-community area in Chicago’s […]