When Active Transportation Alliance develops our state legislative agenda, we weigh many factors: what will help us achieve our mission, what’s realistic in the current political moment, what are the best practices we should follow, what our partners are prioritizing, and what our team can feasibly take on.
But one factor rises to the top: What you’re passionate about.
In policy work, personal stories and numbers matter. The more people we have behind a legislative proposal to improve how we get around, the better our chances of developing it into a bill and then passing it into law.
Just as important, we want our agenda to come straight from the lived experience of the people most affected. Listening to supporters helps make sure our legislative agenda reflects the real priorities and pain points of the communities we serve — not just what looks good on paper.
Below is a rundown of what we’ll be working on during the coming legislative sessions. Not every goal will move forward this year — but be assured we’re already laying the groundwork for each of these.
Want to learn more about the legislation we’re supporting, advancing, and tracking?
Join us for a webinar on Monday, March 23 at noon to hear from me, the Active Transportation Alliance Executive Director, and our lobbyist, John Amdor, as we break down the key bills, take your questions, and share how you can plug into the advocacy efforts this session.
LARGE SCALE REFORMS
Large-scale change often means rethinking how we invest our dollars. In Illinois, transportation funding overwhelmingly favors projects that benefit drivers over everyone else.
We’ve made real progress securing new resources for walking, biking, and transit, but there’s still a long way to go. The proposals below point us in the right direction.
Transportation Choices Act. Transportation and land use planning in Illinois should be directed to projects, programs, and policies that promote affordability, transportation choices, economic development, environmental stewardship, and long-term fiscal responsibility. This heavy hitting policy will help us prioritize active transportation infrastructure and prevent further harm to our climate from transportation.
Capital bill. Illinois’ capital bills generate transportation funding for the state, local governments, and transit agencies. Last time around we got $50 million more dedicated to active transportation. The need and demand is high. We want to increase the share of those resources going to walking, biking and transit infrastructure in the next capital bill.
SET SAFE SPEEDS THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITIES
In Illinois, more than 3 people are killed every day on our roads, and speeding is one of the leading culprits. The faster a driver travels, the slower their reaction time and the greater the impact upon collision. Illinois needs to lower the default-urban-area speed limit statewide while also expanding safety zones.
SAFE STREETS POLICY REINFORCEMENT
Lowering the default speed limit is just one piece of the puzzle for making our streets safer and more inviting. We want to see a comprehensive set of policy changes starting with these listed below.
E-motorcycles and e-bikes: E-motorcycles (often called “e-motos”) and other high speed personal mobility devices must be distinguished from e-bikes in the state vehicle code, and prohibited from using trails, bike lanes, and shared use paths designed for people walking and biking.
Super-speeder policy. “Super speeders” are drivers who repeatedly exceed speed limits at dangerously high speeds and cause a disproportionate number of severe and fatal crashes. These drivers should be required to use intelligent speed assistance devices that can prevent them from exceeding the speed limit.
Automated enforcement policy. Illinois is due for a review of automated enforcement laws and updates to the statute to embody best practices for safety and equity.
ENHANCE SAFETY FOR VULNERABLE ROAD USERS
Our goal is to keep people walking, biking, and using assistive devices safe whether that’s through legal protection, traffic laws, or education.
The safety stop. The “safety stop” — also called the “Idaho Stop” — allows people biking to treat a stop sign as a yield sign as long as it’s safe to proceed. People biking must still yield the right of way to pedestrians and to others who arrive first at stop signs.
People biking = permitted road users. Illinois is the only state that does not deem people biking as “intended users” of the road. Changing this law would give people biking the same legal protections already available to others using the road, and it would encourage more communities to build bike lanes and other facilities that would make the roads safer for all road users.
Eliminate right turns on red lights in urban areas. Studies show that turning right on red can cause more collisions, particularly with people walking and biking.
Biking and walking education in schools. The 2018 Bike & Walk Education in Schools Act — a law that Active Transportation Alliance helped to pass — mandates that Illinois schools provide safe biking and walking instruction. To ensure consistent implementation, the statute should be strengthened to include appropriate incentives for schools and school districts.
Join us on Monday, March 23 at noon to learn more about this legislative agenda and how you can get involved.