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on Active Trans and topics that
we care about in the region.

Metra Electric service changes take effect September 11

By Ted Villaire | September 6, 2017

Post image: After initially proposing more sweeping service cuts on the South Chicago and Blue Island branches of Metra Electric, the agency revised its plan in response to community concerns and announced the changes will take effect Monday September 11. The latest plan restores one late-night outbound train on the South Chicago branch and four trains on the Blue Island branch […]

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September events on the Lakefront Trail

By Ted Villaire | September 1, 2017

Post image:  The Active Transportation Alliance compiles a list of events happening each month along the Lakefront Trail. See what's going on in the month of September so you can better plan your walking, biking or running route. For regular updates about the Lakefront Trail, follow our Lakefront Trail Twitter page and the #chiLFT hashtag. NOTE: The Lakefront Trail detour […]

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Ride hailing is increasing congestion

By Ted Villaire | August 30, 2017

Recent reports out of San Francisco and New York City find that ride-hailing companies like Lyft and Uber are contributing to increased traffic congestion and could be hurting transit ridership. The San Francisco study found that ride-hailing vehicles travel approximately 570,000 miles within city limits on a typical weekday. This accounts for 20 percent of all local daily vehicle miles […]

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Ride for the Chicago River Trail on September 17

By Ted Villaire | August 30, 2017

Post image:  Join us Sunday, September 17 for a bike tour of the Chicago River's South Branch. We'll celebrate the Chicago River Trail campaign's first year and demonstrate our support for a continuous trail.  Riders will meet at 10 a.m. at Federal Plaza (Adams/Dearborn) and head south for a 12-mile trip. Along the way, we'll discuss plans to improve the […]

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Our strategic plan gives priority to equity & inclusion

By Ted Villaire | August 29, 2017

Post image: “We believe that mobility equity is fundamental to human and civil rights. Car-centric transportation systems are fundamentally unfair and unjust, exclude the needs of those who cannot or do not drive, and discriminate against many of society’s most vulnerable people. We are committed to reversing these disparities by making equity a foundational principle of our work.”  — Organizational […]

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Dashed bike lanes are solid step for Milwaukee Ave.

By Ted Villaire | August 28, 2017

Post image:  In a victory for people who bike, new bike lanes are coming to Milwaukee Avenue in Wicker Park.  As part of a series of near-term improvements to the street, the Chicago Department of Transportation is beginning work to install advisory bike lanes, which will feature dashed lines to create space for people on bikes (see image).  The dashed […]

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Vision Zero Chicago Summit postponed

By Ted Villaire | August 17, 2017

Post image:  After announcing our first Vision Zero Chicago Summit last week, Active Transportation Alliance heard from several community leaders who were concerned the event wouldn’t be inclusive. While our intention was always to have a strong community presence at the event and include speakers from communities of color, we didn't communicate that with the initial invitation, and didn't connect […]

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New effort aims to improve biking & walking in suburbs

By Ted Villaire | August 16, 2017

Post image:  In most suburban communities, getting around on a bicycle and on foot is often difficult and sometimes treacherous. As a result, many people who would like to bike and walk more often tend to avoid doing so. The good news is that we can change this. We can create suburban communities that have high-quality, low-stress bike lanes, sidewalks […]

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Chicago River Trail coalition launches as new trail opens

By Ted Villaire | August 15, 2017

Post image:  Last week, the effort to create a continuous Chicago River Trail took a couple of important steps forward. The first step was the opening of the most recent North Branch Trail Extension, which brings the trail all the way south to West Foster Avenue on Chicago's Northwest Side (see photo). The second step was the launching the Chicago […]

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Better trail connections in DuPage County

By Ted Villaire | August 15, 2017

Several of our supporters recently attended DuPage County’s public meeting about changes coming to the Illinois Prairie Path. We are happy to report that the county is proposing a new side path called the Eola Connector (see image) to improve trail connectivity between the Aurora Branch of the Illinois Prairie Path and several other nearby paths and destinations. The Eola […]

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