Blog

Sneak peek of Active Trans auction items up for bid

Mar 19, 2021 | by Maya Norris

Here’s your chance to support your favorite nonprofit while treating yourself to some fun experiences and items.

Active Trans’ 35th Anniversary E-Bash on March 25 will include an online auction that will have something for everyone’s interests and budgets.

Items range from a getaway to Wisconsin to gift cards for your favorite craft beers. Get ready to place your bids. Here’s a sneak peek of what will be auctioned off at our 35th Anniversary E-Bash.

Longtime staffer reflects on Active Trans’ achievements over the last 35 years

Mar 18, 2021 | by Maya Norris

2021 marks a historic milestone for the Active Transportation Alliance. The nonprofit celebrates its 35th anniversary this year in leading the charge to create a sustainable transportation landscape in Chicagoland that emphasizes safety and health.

Active Trans has come a long way since it was founded in 1985 as the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation by a small group of advocates looking for ways to make bicycling safe and easier. Over the next 23 years,

Join us March 24 for a forum on the future of suburban transit

Mar 18, 2021 | by Julia Gerasimenko

The COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing economic crisis have reshaped the landscape for public transit in our region’s suburban communities.

Dramatic declines in ridership and revenues have forced local agencies to make tough choices about suburban transit service, all while thousands of people throughout the region continue rely on transit to navigate their daily lives. At the same time, opportunities for resilience and innovation are on the horizon.

Join Active Transportation Alliance and Warehouse Workers for Justice for a lunchtime conversation on Wednesday,

Winter Bike Challenge, presented by Keating Law Offices, wraps up

Mar 5, 2021 | by Clare McDermott

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and brutal February weather, nearly 350 people suited up and participated in the 2021 Winter Bike Challenge, presented by Keating Law Offices.

Overall, riders logged nearly 2,000 miles over the course of 300 trips.

During the two-week challenge, riders saw all types of cold weather thrown at them, including one day with over ten inches of snow in the Chicago-area. Despite the snow that day, eight winter riders still got out and logged miles.

Action Alert: Help make state roads safer for people walking and biking

Feb 25, 2021 | by Kyle Whitehead

The transportation committee in the Illinois State House is considering a bill that would make roads safer for vulnerable users, and we need your help to make sure it passes.

House Bill 270 eliminates the 20 percent local cost share for walking and biking infrastructure on state roads. The bill is scheduled to be called in committee on Monday, March 3, at noon.

Under current law, when the state is rebuilding a road,

Report shows mayor, police drove decisions to shut down transit, raise bridges

Feb 24, 2021 | by Kyle Whitehead

A new report from Chicago’s Inspector General (IG) finds police and emergency management personnel had outsize influence on decisions to shut down transit and raise bridges during last summer’s protests following George Floyd’s murder.

These decisions had major transportation impacts on thousands of city residents, particularly our most vulnerable neighbors such as people with disabilities and low-income essential workers.

Yet the report finds the city’s transit leaders who know their systems best often weren’t at the table when these calls were made. 

Join us at the Chicago Food Justice Summit

Feb 24, 2021 | by Active Trans

As part of the 16th Annual Chicago Food Justice Summit, Active Transportation Alliance is excited to help lead a discussion about how food access is linked to transportation issues. 

The virtual event, which is focusing on the theme of “radical re-imagination,” is sponsored by the Chicago Food Policy Action Council (CFPAC). The CFPAC is an organization that works to improve food access for Chicago residents and ensure that the food is culturally appropriate,

Active Trans stands with SE Side residents fighting General Iron permit

Feb 23, 2021 | by Julia Gerasimenko

Active Trans stands in solidarity with the hunger strikers and Southeast Side residents who are fighting to get Mayor Lightfoot and Public Health Commissioner Arwady to deny the final permit to General Iron, a car crushing and metal recycling facility.

The facility, previously located in Lincoln Park, has a well-documented history of causing health issues in local residents due to the release of particles that cause lung and heart problems.

Looking at the 2020 air quality and health index map produced by the Chicago Department of Public Health,

Join us for a Southside Summit on Transportation

Feb 22, 2021 | by Active Trans

Active Transportation Alliance is excited to participate in a virtual summit about the impacts of growth in warehousing and trucking on Chicago’s South Side. 

This 3-day event is being cosponsored by the Chicago Environmental Justice Network (CEJN) and the Transportation Equity Network (TEN). Registration is free and open to the public. 

Organizers plan to discuss the central role of freight in our region’s economy and how it contributes to many negative outcomes that primarily impact Chicago’s Black and Latinx populations.

Belmont Cragin youth urge CTA board to upgrade bus service  

Feb 16, 2021 | by Active Trans

Two community youth leaders pressed the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) board at the February meeting on service and cleanliness issues, earning commitments from CTA leadership that they would work to address their concerns.

Minerva Garcia and Yalinette Rivera are youth organizers from the Belmont Cragin Youth Leadership Council, a part of the Northwest Side Housing Center. Both Minerva and Yalinette testified at CTA’s February board meeting.

Minerva is a junior at Northside College Prep and Yalinette is a junior at Lincoln Park High School.