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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]