Blog

Ride for the Chicago River Trail on September 17

Aug 30, 2017 | by Active Trans

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Join us Sunday, September 17 for a bike tour of the Chicago River's South Branch. We'll celebrate the Chicago River Trail campaign's first year and demonstrate our support for a continuous trail. 

Riders will meet at 10 a.m. at Federal Plaza (Adams/Dearborn) and head south for a 12-mile trip. Along the way, we'll discuss plans to improve the river and opportunities to add trail segments. 

The route includes stops at the river's south fork,

Our strategic plan gives priority to equity & inclusion

Aug 29, 2017 | by Active Trans

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“We believe that mobility equity is fundamental to human and civil rights. Car-centric transportation systems are fundamentally unfair and unjust, exclude the needs of those who cannot or do not drive, and discriminate against many of society’s most vulnerable people. We are committed to reversing these disparities by making equity a foundational principle of our work.” 

— Organizational Principle from the Active Transportation Alliance Strategic Plan 

We are officers of the Active Trans board and chose to serve this organization in part because the staff,

Dashed bike lanes are solid step for Milwaukee Ave.

Aug 28, 2017 | by Active Trans

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In a victory for people who bike, new bike lanes are coming to Milwaukee Avenue in Wicker Park. 

As part of a series of near-term improvements to the street, the Chicago Department of Transportation is beginning work to install advisory bike lanes, which will feature dashed lines to create space for people on bikes (see image). 

The dashed bike lanes are a good near-term solution to make Milwaukee Ave.

Vision Zero Chicago Summit postponed

Aug 17, 2017 | by Active Trans

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After announcing our first Vision Zero Chicago Summit last week, Active Transportation Alliance heard from several community leaders who were concerned the event wouldn’t be inclusive.

While our intention was always to have a strong community presence at the event and include speakers from communities of color, we didn't communicate that with the initial invitation, and didn't connect with key leaders prior to releasing the date and draft agenda.

We apologize for mistakes in how the event was rolled out.

New effort aims to improve biking & walking in suburbs

Aug 16, 2017 | by Active Trans

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In most suburban communities, getting around on a bicycle and on foot is often difficult and sometimes treacherous. As a result, many people who would like to bike and walk more often tend to avoid doing so.

The good news is that we can change this.

We can create suburban communities that have high-quality, low-stress bike lanes, sidewalks and multi-use trails that could connect you to local shops,

Chicago River Trail coalition launches as new trail opens

Aug 15, 2017 | by Active Trans

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Last week, the effort to create a continuous Chicago River Trail took a couple of important steps forward.

The first step was the opening of the most recent North Branch Trail Extension, which brings the trail all the way south to West Foster Avenue on Chicago's Northwest Side (see photo).

The second step was the launching the Chicago River Trail coalition, a group of allies that will work for more projects like the new south segment of the North Branch Trail.

Better trail connections in DuPage County

Aug 15, 2017 | by Active Trans

Several of our supporters recently attended DuPage County’s public meeting about changes coming to the Illinois Prairie Path.

We are happy to report that the county is proposing a new side path called the Eola Connector (see image) to improve trail connectivity between the Aurora Branch of the Illinois Prairie Path and several other nearby paths and destinations.

The Eola Connector proposal includes a 10-foot, paved, multi-use path along Eola Road to connect the Aurora Branch to the Batavia Spur,

More protected bike lanes coming to Evanston

Aug 11, 2017 | by Active Trans

Evanston is on move with installing more protected bike lanes on its streets.

Earlier this summer, the City of Evanston began construction of a two-way barrier protected bike lane along a 1.9-mile stretch of Sheridan Road and Chicago Avenue. The bike lane is part of Evanston’s Sheridan Rd.-Chicago Ave. Improvement Project.

Phase one of the project included the recently completed protected bike lane on Chicago Avenue. Phase two,

1st grade transportation advocates of Summit

Aug 7, 2017 | by Active Trans

First graders from Graves Elementary School in the Village of Summit are on a mission to improve their community and their walk to school.

Hundreds of kids in this southwest suburb walk to school every day. While the young students enjoy their commute, they also encounter barriers that need improvement.

In April of this year, a first-grade class sent Mayor Sergio Rodriguez a letter (see below) asking for a meeting and requesting that the village work on improving the pedestrian bridge that offers one of the few connections between the north and south sides of Summit,

Navy Pier Flyover brings safety and style to the Lakefront Trail

Aug 3, 2017 | by Active Trans

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If you’ve experienced the congestion and safety issues along Chicago Lakefront Trail near Navy Pier, you’re probably excited about the new elevated path for pedestrians and bicyclists over the Chicago River called the Navy Pier Flyover.

The flyover will make this stretch of the trail much easier — and far more pleasant — to use while also enriching Chicago’s cityscape with an iconic, one-of-kind structure that people can be proud of.