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Post image: Raise your hand if you've heard this before: A state agency makes false promises to the public that building or extending a road will completely solve traffic congestion problems. This time, it's the Illinois Tollway Authority, which announced plans to take a step towards extending Illinois Route 53 in Lake County. Yesterday, an Illinois Tollway subcommittee approved a $25 […]
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Speeding up buses in urban areas and attracting more riders is a difficult task if transit vehicles are constantly stuck in traffic. Cleveland learned this lesson nearly 10 years ago and it continues to reap the benefits. In building a corridor that prioritizes bus traffic with dedicated lanes, Cleveland embraced the reality that buses are moving many more people much […]
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Chicago should look to the West Coast as it considers investing more to speed up local buses. Seventeen years ago, when Los Angeles County decided to give its buses priority at traffic signals, the buses experienced huge gains in speed and reliability. The county has a massive bus system that accounts for a majority of all public transportation trips. Through […]
Read More Post image: To make way for trail separation, the park district plans to close the Lakefront Trail between Diversey and North Avenue and redirect users to a marked detour through Lincoln Park. See a map of the official detour from Diversey to North Avenue. After breaking ground on the project over the weekend, the temporary closure will take effect Monday, […]
Read More Post image: Carol Ross Barney has done it again. The noted Chicago architect — who is renowned for her civic, cultural and social design projects for the public — has made an indelible impact in Chicago with the completion of the Chicago Riverwalk. Given that the full Riverwalk officially opens on Saturday with a host of special events, we thought […]
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In 2012, San Francisco’s MUNI transit system implemented a revolutionary concept to America’s bus systems – pre-paid, all-door boarding for all of its street vehicles, including buses and trolleys. Bus riders could now enter through any door of any vehicle at any time and tap their transit card on a reader that’s adjacent to the door to verify payment. Riders […]
Read More Post image: Do you live on the Northwest Side and want to improve trails and bike routes in your neighborhood? Would you like to learn more about supporting regional paths like a Chicago River Trail? There's still time to RSVP for our workshop on May 25 at Gompers Park Fieldhouse. A key part of our plan for a Chicago River […]
Read More Post image: Saturday’s groundbreaking on the Lakefront Trail was a great moment for everyone who enjoys one of Chicago’s most beloved — but extremely congested — public spaces. For Saturday’s event, I joined Mayor Rahm Emanuel, local philanthropist Ken Griffin, Chicago Park District Superintendent Michael Kelly, Alderman Michelle Smith and others to mark the beginning of a project that will […]
Read More Post image: The growing attention on the dangers of excessive criminalization of low-income people and communities of color has extended into the world of public transit. Last year the State of California decriminalized transit fare evasion for minors, making evading a fare a finable offense but no longer a misdemeanor. Around the same time prosecutors in Portland decided to stop […]
Read More Post image: Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago’s Wicker Park/Bucktown neighborhood is one of the busiest streets for walking and biking in the entire city. The street also sees an unacceptable number of people walking and biking injured in preventable crashes. In the five years between 2011 and 2015, there were 195 bicycle injury crashes, 56 pedestrians injured, and one pedestrian fatality. […]
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