Blog
Keep up with the latest news
on Active Trans and topics that
we care about in the region.
Even if you don’t personally know Kathy Schubert, there’s a good chance you’ve seen her riding around Chicago or volunteering at an Active Transportation Alliance event. That’s because she not only puts on a lot of miles during the year — 6,000 is her record — but you tend to get noticed when you bike around town or across entire […]
Active Trans joined a coalition of advocates in calling on Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to make the city’s ride-hailing fee more equitable and analyze possible congestion pricing options. In a letter sent to Mayor Lightfoot and relevant committee chairs, the group argues that changes to the fee structure would encourage more people using sustainable transportation options, such as shared rides, […]
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 […]
The Skokie Valley Trail extension project needs your support! If completed, the trail would fill a 4.5-mile gap through the Villages of Skokie, Northfield, Glenview, and Wilmette to create a continuous trail from Lake Bluff to Chicago (see map, gap shown in red). This regional trail opportunity is a top priority for the Active Transportation Alliance. The connection could provide […]
Getting around in the communities surrounding Lake Calumet on Chicago’s Far South Side is an enormous challenge without a car. A lack of public transit options, few bicycle trails, and inadequate pedestrian infrastructure make traveling without a car between communities like Riverdale, Roseland, and Pullman frustrating and often risky. Obstacles like heavy industry, highways, rail tracks, and waterways cut off […]
Getting around Chicago on a bike is not as daunting as it seems. That’s what Linor Vaknin learned when she became involved in Active Trans’ annual Bike to Work competition (going on now and continuing until the end of the week). Prior to the event, biking on Chicago streets was out of the question for her. Too hectic, too scary. […]
Marco De La Rosa is making sure the voices of some of the youngest stakeholders in Active Transportation Alliance’s Chicago River Trail campaign are heard loud and clear. As club director of the Linda & Bill Gantz Boys & Girls Club of Chicago in Lathrop Homes on the North Side, De La Rosa is nurturing the advocacy and leadership skills […]
After nearly nine years with the Active Transportation Alliance, Ron Burke will step down from his role as the organization’s executive director next month. During Burke’s tenure, Active Trans contributed to many victories, from the growth of Chicago’s advanced bike lane network and launch of Divvy bikeshare, to the creation of separate biking and walking trails on the lakefront, introduction […]
What is Fair Fares Chicagoland? Fair Fares is a campaign led by the Active Transportation Alliance seeking a discounted transit fare for low-income transit riders in the Chicago region. It would include all public transportation options that are part of the Regional Transportation Authority: Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Pace, and Metra. Why is this necessary? Approximately 20 percent of transit […]
The new state money for walking and bicycling comes with reforms that make it easier for low-income communities to secure funding. Needless to say, we were thrilled to see our efforts pay off in creating better transportation equity in the state. For the first time ever, Illinois’ long-term capital program includes dedicated funding for walking and biking projects — $50 […]