Blog

Keep up with the latest news
on Active Trans and topics that
we care about in the region.

How to organize a walk audit

By Ted Villaire | March 18, 2016

Post image: Every day in Illinois, five kids are hit by a car while within one block of a school. Unsafe streets keep kids across the state from walking and biking, cutting them off from the health, economic, and academic benefits of increased physical activity. On March 2, our team participated in a walk audit in Springfield to compare and contrast […]

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Grand Rapids invests in first BRT in Michigan

By Ted Villaire | March 15, 2016

Bus rapid transit (BRT) has gained momentum in the United States, especially in Midwest cities like Cleveland and Chicago. Detroit is looking to be added to the list, but it won’t be the first city in Michigan to adopt BRT. Grand Rapids has held that title since 2014. The Silver Line is a BRT corridor running 9.6 miles north-south through […]

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Will driverless cars be good for cities?

By Ted Villaire | March 11, 2016

Post image:  There is a lot of buzz around driverless — or “autonomous” — cars. Here at Active Trans, we’re trying to learn more about how these vehicles could affect traffic safety and the use of biking, walking and transit to get around.  On the positive side, proponents of these technological wonders promise they will be much safer than vehicles […]

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No public money should be spent on O’Hare Express

By Ted Villaire | March 8, 2016

Post image:  A recent announcement by Mayor Emanuel has revived the idea of building an express train from O’Hare to downtown, but city leaders should proceed with caution. The Chicago Department of Aviation recently hired an engineering/design firm to study the project and analyze potential routes, costs and construction timelines. Experts speculate the project would cost more than $2 billion […]

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Communities join forces to bring back bus routes

By Ted Villaire | February 26, 2016

Post image:  When advocacy groups combine their efforts, their chances for success grow.  That’s what happened when a group of advocates on the South Side of Chicago and another group on the North Side joined forces to reinstate CTA bus service on Lincoln Ave. and 31st St. The groups — coordinated across the city and led by local aldermen and […]

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Local partnership sends bikes to Lesotho

By Ted Villaire | February 25, 2016

Post image:  A shipment of 140 bikes recently arrived for children in the African nation of Lesotho thanks to a local nonprofit and support from employees at a local bike-friendly engineering firm. Until 2012, there were no virtually no bikes in Lesotho, a relatively small mountainous nation that is completely surrounded by the country of South Africa. A great tragedy […]

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Stories show the need for safer walking & biking to school

By Ted Villaire | February 23, 2016

Post image:  Active Trans’ Safe Routes for Healthy Kids campaign focuses on making walking and biking to school better for kids across the state of Illinois. We work with parents, students, teachers and other allies to champion improvements to the state’s Safe Routes to School program. From communities across Illinois, everyone has a story to tell. These stories are important […]

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How to get money for biking and walking fixes in Chicago

By Ted Villaire | February 12, 2016

Post image:  If you’ve been walking around your neighborhood lately thinking of all the ways walking or biking could be improved, now is a good time to contact your alderman and propose these changes. Every year the City of Chicago allocates $1.32 million dollars in “menu money” to each alderman for use on capital improvements in their ward. This budget […]

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Peter Taylor, trail advocate extraordinaire

By Ted Villaire | February 11, 2016

Post image:  Every trail needs a staunch advocate. For the Major Taylor Trail on Chicago's South Side, Peter Taylor has played that role for many years. To recognize his tireless efforts, Active Trans will be giving Taylor a Public Service Award at our 30th Anniversary Soiree on Feb. 22. Taylor, who’s served as an Active Trans board member since 2005, helped […]

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Safe routes in Little Village

By Ted Villaire | February 10, 2016

Post image:  With nearly 80,000 residents, Chicago's Little Village neighborhood has the smallest amount of green space per resident and the largest proportion of residents under the age of 18 of any Chicago community. Neighborhood schools are an essential part of the fabric of this dense, young community. They function as centers for local leadership development and community building, and […]

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