Blog

Kids on the move in Highland Park

Nov 16, 2017 | by Active Trans

No one forgets how to ride a bike. They just forget that they should be riding a bike. That’s why Highland Park’s Bike Walk Advisory Group (BWAG) teamed up with Highland Park School District 112 to encourage students to walk or bike to school.

Inspired by the national Bike-Walk to School Day, members of BWAG contacted every elementary and middle school principal in town.

The ask seemed simple: urge students to get to school under their own foot power.

Mayor's Pedestrian Advisory Council updates

Nov 15, 2017 | by Active Trans

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The Mayor’s Pedestrian Advisory Council (MPAC), which is open to the public, is hosted by the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) and takes place quarterly at city hall.

The meetings are a great way to stay informed about CDOT projects and hear about initiatives to improve conditions for people walking around the city. 

The meeting always starts with sobering statistics of recent pedestrian fatalities, as it did at the most recent session last week.

Hyde Park residents to address mobility problems

Nov 13, 2017 | by Active Trans

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On a recent Saturday morning, residents of Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood and members of the Hyde Park Kenwood Community Conference gathered to discuss making it easier to get around in the neighborhood. Active Trans was there to facilitate the meeting and provide some background on transportation planning, rules of the road and priority setting.

Nina Helstein, one of the directors of the Hyde Park Kenwood Community Conference, said over the years that her organization has sometimes served the role of creating forums in the community for problem-solving and,

NW Side residents eye biking, walking improvements

Nov 10, 2017 | by Active Trans

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Over thirty people recently attended a community forum on biking, walking and transit conditions on the Northwest side of Chicago at Cosmic Bikes in Jefferson Park. Representatives of the North Branch Trail Alliance, the North River Commission and local residents were all in attendance.

Maps were laid out to collect both general and specific information about improvements to pedestrian facilities, bike infrastructure and transit access.

Mobilizing suburban advocates

Nov 10, 2017 | by Active Trans

The time has come for suburban Chicago communities to boost their game when it comes to improving walkability, bikeability and transit.

In pursuit of these goals, 65 advocates from 44 villages and cities around Chicagoland recently joined Active Trans for our inaugural Bike Walk Every Town suburban advocacy summits.

Designed to mobilize grassroots leaders to work on improving biking, walking and transit in their local communities, the summits provided residents with step-by-step instructions on how to build a base of supporters from the community,

Proposed distracted walking ordinance misses real problem

Nov 9, 2017 | by Active Trans

The distracted walking ordinance proposed by Ald. Burke and Beale at Wednesday’s City Council meeting misdiagnoses the problem contributing to traffic deaths involving people walking.

The ordinance proposes fining people who are crossing the street while using a mobile device “in a manner that averts their visual attention to that device.” The fine would be $90 for the first offense and $500 for the second.

Active Trans encourages everyone on our streets to travel safely,

Leaders from West and South Sides discuss safety

Nov 8, 2017 | by Active Trans

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In our conversations this fall with community leaders from Vision Zero high crash areas on the West and South Sides of Chicago, the leaders consistently called for more infrastructure investment in their neighborhoods.

Active Trans reached out to several community-based organizations after we cancelled our Vision Zero Summit planned for September. Several partners were concerned the event wouldn’t be inclusive so we wanted to take more time to speak with additional community-based organizations.

New report calls for city action to reverse bus ridership declines

Nov 6, 2017 | by Active Trans

A healthy and growing bus system is critical to building a more sustainable transportation network in Chicago. Back on the Bus, a new report from the Active Transportation Alliance, analyzes the recent drop in Chicago bus ridership and outlines low-cost ways to improve service and increase bus ridership.

Read the executive summary and full report. Share the report on social media with #backonthebus.

The report calls on elected officials and transit agency leaders to improve bus service and reverse the trend of Chicagoans abandoning public transit for less efficient transportation options.

Illinois has work to do to be more bicycle friendly

Nov 1, 2017 | by Active Trans

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A new report finds Illinois has a solid foundation in place to become one of the most bicycle friendly states in the nation, but we’re missing opportunities to improve.

The League of American Bicyclists ranks Illinois 16th in the country and third in the Midwest for biking and walking.

The state finished first in the Legislation & Enforcement category – thanks in part to the strength of Illinois’ Cyclist Anti-Harassment and Must Stop for Pedestrians laws,

November events on the Lakefront Trail

Oct 27, 2017 | by Active Trans

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The Active Transportation Alliance compiles a list of events happening each month along the Lakefront Trail. See what's going on in the month of November so you can better plan your walking, biking or running route.

As the temperatures fall heading into winter, there are fewer events to watch out for. 

For regular updates about the Lakefront Trail, follow our Lakefront Trail Twitter page and the #chiLFT hashtag.