Category Archives: Blog

Tell city council: A lower speed limit in Chicago will save lives

Apr 23, 2024 | by Ted Villaire

Last year, 115 lives were tragically cut short in Chicago due to fatal car crashes. Excessive speed was a critical factor in nearly half of those incidents. With higher speeds, the likelihood of severe injuries or fatalities skyrockets. Because of the role speed plays in car crashes, lowering the speed limit even a small amount can have an outsized effect on road safety. We are at a pivotal moment as local lawmakers consider reducing Chicago's default urban speed limit — a proven strategy that has made streets safer in cities around the nation. On May 1, the Chicago City Council’s Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety will convene to discuss this critical issue. Before the hearing, we urge you to...

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Make your voice heard for safer streets in Chicago

Apr 15, 2024 | by Ted Villaire

Over the past five years, the number of serious injuries and fatalities on our roadways has soared. Speed is typically a major culprit. If you want to see motorists traveling at safer speeds, please consider taking action by contacting your alderperson. Chicago City Council's Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety will hold a hearing on lowering the Chicago default speed limit on May 1. Please take a moment to urge your alderperson to support lower speed limits by sending them this action alert. CHICAGO CITY COUNCIL HEARING ON REDUCING SPEED LIMITS The Chicago City Council hearing on May 1 will discuss lowering the citywide speed limit from the current 30 mph to 25 mph. It's an informational hearing and...

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Celebrating progress at the Movers and Shakers Ball

Apr 12, 2024 | by Ted Villaire

The Active Transportation Alliance recently hosted an unforgettable evening that not only celebrated the strides we've made towards a more sustainable and accessible city but also set the stage for the transformative work ahead. The Movers and Shakers Ball — a gala event that brought together the city's most passionate advocates for walking, biking, and public transit — was a resounding success, thanks to the incredible support of our attendees and donors. A CELEBRATION OF VISIONARY LEADERSHIP AND COMMITMENT The highlight of the event was presenting awards to three distinguished recipients, each of whom has made significant contributions to making our streets safer and our transit system more accessible. 7th District Illinois State Senator Mike Simmons (pictured...

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Legislating for livable communities: Sen. Simmons to be honored for transportation leadership

Mar 26, 2024 | by Ted Villaire

State Senator Mike Simmons understands that improving transportation is about more than just getting from point A to point B; it's about transforming our communities into better places to live and work. By championing biking, walking, and public transit, Sen. Simmons is working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve public health, and save lives. It’s this commitment to enhancing our communities through healthy, equitable transportation that earned him the Visionary Leadership Award from the Active Transportation Alliance. The award will be presented to him at the Movers and Shakers Ball on April 4. Senator Simmons has enacted laws that prioritize sustainable transportation infrastructure and enhance public transit access for those who most need it. A perfect example of this is...

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Bring Bike Month 2024 to your community!

Mar 26, 2024 | by Maggie Melin Czerwinski

Want to build more excitement for biking in your community? Last year, dozens of grassroots groups and towns celebrated Bike Month with fun bicycle-related events and activities. These groups infused their communities with the joy of biking through activities like community bike rides, social gatherings, and cookouts. Now you have the opportunity to do the same! Active Transportation Alliance is delighted to again offer a series of mini-stipends to support advocacy work and community-based events that celebrate biking during Bike Month in May 2024 — and beyond. PROGRAM DETAILS This funding opportunity will award 10-15 stipends of $150 dollars each to advocates and organizations in the City of Chicago and the Chicago suburbs. Applicants are encouraged to organize inclusive...

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Our journey towards better transit requires unity and action

Mar 19, 2024 | by Ted Villaire

As our region’s transit system faces unprecedented funding and service challenges, a powerful movement is underway, driven by the collective voices of those who know we deserve better service from our trains and buses. Our recent gathering at the Transit is Essential Town Hall, held at the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church in the Douglas neighborhood, showed the transformative power of people connecting and sharing their stories. It was a moment when about 90 individuals from diverse walks of life—students, commuters, parents, and seniors—came together to hear about one another’s personal experiences and the challenges they face with our current transit system. The stories shared were poignant, painting vivid images of the struggles that come with unreliable public transportation. ...

Tags: Advocacy, Bus, transit, Transit Equity

What’s happening with the remaining section of the Weber Spur Trail?

Mar 1, 2024 | by Maya Norris

The Weber Spur Trail on Chicago’s Northwest Side has been subject to a series of starts and stops over the last decade, resulting in slow, sporadic progress for the rails-to-trails project. But the trail may finally be making some progress as the North Branch Trail Alliance re-engages local communities and stakeholders and works to ensure the project is top of mind with elected officials and government agencies. The Weber Spur is a 2.7-mile trail that starts at Touhy Avenue in Lincolnwood, takes a southwestern route through LaBagh Woods and could connect to Elston Avenue’s bicycle lanes (see drone footage of the route). Suburban Lincolnwood built a one-mile stretch of the trail; now it’s up to the city of Chicago to...

Tags: Chicago North Side, Trails

Surveys help refine DuPage County Trails Plan

Feb 14, 2024 | by Maya Norris

The DuPage County Department of Transportation recently completed a survey that will help inform a trails plan that is expected to be approved this year. The new trails plan, which has been in development for several years, will focus on the maintenance and operations of nearly 100 miles of trails, including the Illinois Prairie Path, Great Western Trail and Southern DuPage County Regional Trail. Sid Kenyon, a senior transportation planner for DuDOT, recently shared the results of two public surveys that garnered 3,100 responses. Kenyon said one of the major topics emphasized by survey respondents was the importance of signage and wayfinding. Trail users want functional and useful signage, he said, that helps remind them of where they are on...

Tags: Trails, West Suburbs

Inadequate hiring pipeline continues to impact CTA service

Feb 2, 2024 | by Julia Gerasimenko

Rail service at the CTA, unfortunately, continues to be plagued by issues surrounding hiring and training. The persistent problems with the agency’s employment pipeline means riders continue to be frustrated with unreliable, infrequent transit service, and CTA workers continue to be frustrated by lack of adequate job growth opportunities. In late December, we mobilized nearly 900 transit supporters in response to the proposed 2024 CTA budget. The goal was to get the CTA board to invest in operator training and increase the number of courses offered. We’re confident that these steps will go a long way in restoring pre-pandemic levels of service on CTA. In early January, we finally received a response from the CTA board indicating that it was...

Tags: Chicago, transit

North Shore Channel Trail extensions would bridge trail gaps

Jan 25, 2024 | by Maya Norris

Walking and biking trails are dotted throughout Evanston. While many of Evanston’s residents take advantage of those trails, they also find them frustrating. Many of the trails don’t connect to other local and regional trails, forcing people to walk and bike along dangerous and stressful roadways if they want to move from one trail to another. But that may change if the Evanston Transit Alliance has its way. The advocacy group is making progress on connecting the North Shore Channel Trail in Skokie to trails north of Evanston, seeking to bridge some of the gaps in Evanston’s trails and bike lanes and ultimately create a regional trail network in the northern suburbs. The Evanston Transit Alliance (ETA) is proposing to...

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