Keep up with the latest news on Active Trans and topics that we care about in the region.
The Chicago Tribune editorial board recently took issue with a letter that Active Trans, civic partners and local chambers of commerce wrote in support of including dedicated bus lanes or light rail – we call it the “Silver Line” – into the redesign of North Lake Shore Drive.
The Silver Line would run on the north and south sides of the drive and ease crowding on the Red and Brown Lines,
Tags: Advocacy, Chicago North Side
Illinois crash data shows nearly five children are hit by people driving every day in Illinois while walking or biking within one block of a school.
Yet Illinois’ School Code requires automobile safety education, but there isn’t a requirement that education includes instruction on how to bike and walk safely. Active Trans is working with our allies across the state to change that.
The Bike Walk Education in Schools Act (HB4799) requires school boards statewide to adopt policies for educating K-8 students about biking and walking safety,
Advancing a continuous Chicago River Trail that improves the quality of life for all city residents is not an easy task.
The river spans nine aldermanic districts; usage varies from recreational to heavily industrial in stretches; and the quality of access points varies greatly.
As trail segments begin to emerge, there’s an urgency to develop goals for important related issues like affordable housing, water quality,
If you follow urban cycling, you’ve probably heard the stories by now of dockless bikeshare (DoBi) chaos in parts of Asia, with bikes piling up on sidewalks and thrown in to rivers, and with companies going bankrupt almost overnight. Even in the U.S., the rollout has not gone well in some cities like Dallas where bikes are cluttering streets and sidewalks, with limited ridership.
On a recent visit to Seattle,
Turning the Chicago River into an attractive destination with healthy transportation options is an important goal of Active Trans’ Chicago River Trail campaign.
To achieve the vision of a continuous 27-mile trail that all Chicagoans can enjoy, it’s essential that we clean up the environment, ensure housing is affordable, and create safe and easy access to the river.
One area that presents an opportunity to carry out this vision is the South Branch of the Chicago River.
Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, Chicago South Side, Planning, Walking
Seven years ago, Dave Simmons from Elk Grove Village decided to turn his passion for riding bikes into a non-profit with a mission to get more people on their bikes. Through Friends of Cycling in Elk Grove (FCEG), Dave is determined to see more people riding not only for recreation, but also for transportation – to school, to work, to the grocery store, and beyond.
Dave attended our Bike Walk Every Town suburban advocacy skills-building program last fall where we educated local supporters about how to fight for policies that help communities become more walk,
Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, North Suburbs, South Suburbs, West Suburbs
Two bills that would strengthen education and awareness of the growing number of people bicycling in Illinois passed out of committee in Springfield on Tuesday.
One bill would add the Dutch Reach method to Illinois’ Rules of the Road manual and add bike safety questions to the state driver’s license exam.
The Dutch Reach method encourages drivers and passengers to use their far hand and reach across their body to open car doors after parallel parking,
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Active Transportation Alliance is undertaking a new, broad-reaching advocacy campaign called Trail Connect Chicagoland to mobilize our members and supporters around our vision for a seamlessly connected regional trail network.
As one of the first steps in this new campaign, Active Trans recently convened grassroots advocates, allied organizations, local bike clubs, as well as federal, state and local government agencies to kick off a new regional coalition focused on trail advocacy.
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Active Trans Advocacy Manager Maggie Melin recaps her experience at the 2018 National Bike Summit.
The National Bike Summit, hosted by the League of American Bicyclists in Washington DC, is an annual gathering of bicycle advocates from across the country. For this year's event held in March, the contingent from Illinois included myself and six other advocates from Illinois representing Ride Illinois, Women Bike Chicago, and other groups from the city,
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As a part of our work to improve biking and walking conditions in the Lake Calumet region, we are profiling leaders in the community who have been doing this work for many years. One such leader is Tom Shepherd, serving as president of the Pullman Civic Organization for three terms and president of the Southeast Environmental Task Force for five terms.
Why should we look to Tom to learn more about how to advocate for environmental remediation and improvements?
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