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Dedicated transit lanes still on the table for North LSD

Jul 17, 2018 | by Kyle Whitehead

Transit riders have spoken up throughout the planning process for the reconstruction of North Lake Shore Drive and that support is starting to show up in the project design. A project team comprised of the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) and Chicago Park District (CPD) plans to rebuild North Lake Shore Drive between Grand and Hollywood Avenues. The proposed project involves seven miles of the 8-lane Lake Shore Drive boulevard, including the 12 highway junctions and the surrounding parkland. At a recent community task force meeting the project team announced the “dedicated transitway left” alternative, which includes adding a bus lane to the center of the drive in both directions, will be carried forward and...

Tags: Advocacy, Chicago North Side

Bike Week grants inspire events around the city

Jul 16, 2018 | by Julia Gerasimenko

Active Trans was thrilled to be able to offer financial support to bring Bike Week into additional communities throughout Chicago this year. Thanks to financial support from Google, Active Trans provided four grants to community groups so that they could host Bike Week encouragement and educational events. The North River Commission -- serving the Albany Park, Irving Park, North Park and Mayfair communities -- held several educational and encouragement events while partnering with local bike shops, Bikes N Roses and Tailwind Cycles. NRC was able to borrow a bus bike rack from the CTA so that folks could practice securing their own bikes to the front of a CTA bus rack without the added stress of holding up a crowded bus....

Tags: Advocacy, biking, Chicago North Side, Chicago South Side, Chicago West & Southwest Side, Events

Chicago’s dockless bike share program needs more bikes

Jul 13, 2018 | by Kyle Whitehead

Reports indicate the City of Chicago’s dockless bike-sharing pilot program is off to a slow start, and the city should consider changes to the program to ensure it generates useful data. Since early 2017 Active Trans has been exploring the potential for dockless bike share in the Chicago region by talking with community members, dockless bike-sharing companies, peer advocates in cities where dockless bike sharing is currently operating, and city officials. These talks continued after Chicago launched a pilot program on the South Side in May and Active Trans released principles to help ensure bike share services are developed in an inclusive and equitable way. Two months later, there’s plenty of excitement and enthusiasm for the new service in the...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling

Our Bus Advocacy Grants are being put to work!

Jul 12, 2018 | by Active Trans

In 2017, Active Trans and our partners from the Back on the Bus Coalition published the Back on the Bus report. This report found that bus ridership in the city was dropping and that the way to increase bus ridership was to focus on improving bus speed and reliability. To reverse this trend, three recommendations were given: Implementing prepaid boarding Using transit signal priority to give buses priority at stoplights Increasing the mileage of dedicated bus lanes To continue this work, Active Trans decided to give grants to four community organizations interested in advocating for these policies in their communities. Our Bus Advocacy Community Partners for this project are Westside Health Authority, Six Corners Association, Northwest Side Housing...

Tags: Advocacy, Chicago Central, Chicago North Side, Chicago South Side, Chicago West & Southwest Side, Chicago West Side, Walking

Chinatown organization works to improve walkability

Jul 12, 2018 | by Active Trans

Chicago's Chinatown has been touted as one of the only Chinatowns in the U.S. that is growing. Indeed, over the past several years, Chinese Americans have moved beyond Chinatown's core within Armour Square and into "Greater Chinatown." While Chicago's Chinatown is a vibrant neighborhood and great place to live, it’s also long overdue for active transportation investments. The Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community (CBCAC), Alderman Solis and Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) began work on a long-term vision plan in 2013 as part of Chinatown's centennial celebration. The Chinatown Community Vision Plan was a culmination of two years of research in which more than 2,000 individuals provided input on the future of Chinatown. Transportation was highlighted in...

Tags: Advocacy, Chicago West & Southwest Side, Walking

Tell governor to sign Bike Walk Education in Schools Act

Jul 10, 2018 | by Kyle Whitehead

Another important bike safety bill has arrived on Governor Rauner's desk and we need your help to make sure it's signed into law. The Bike Walk Education in Schools Act (HB 4799) passed the Illinois House and Senate with strong bipartisan majorities and awaits the governor's signature. The legislation requires school boards statewide to adopt policies for educating K-8 students about biking and walking safety. Schools boards determine how best to implement the requirement in their schools. Tell Governor Rauner to sign HB 4799 to make Illinois streets safer for everybody, especially the most vulnerable users on foot and on bike. Illinois crash data shows that nearly five children are hit by people driving every day in Illinois while walking or...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, Walking

Ride sparks discussion with 31st Ward alderman

Jul 9, 2018 | by Julia Gerasimenko

Belmont Cragin residents are eager to see better biking infrastructure in their neighborhood. This desire was clearly on display on a recent weekend when 80 people came out to the Bike 4 Belmont Cragin ride organized by the Northwest Side Housing Center (NWSHC) and Active Trans. In addition to offering the ride as a fun local event, the ride was intended to demostrate community support for biking infrastructure and the need for maintaining existing bike lanes on the Northwest Side of Chicago. Some the participants kept the momentum going with a visit to their alderman to discuss ways to make biking safer in the ward. The route covered quiet neighborhood streets such as Wrightwood Ave., as well as busy arterial streets...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, Chicago North Side, Chicago West Side

July events on the Lakefront Trail

Jul 9, 2018 | by Julia Gerasimenko

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 July so you can better plan your walking, biking or running route. This month will be busy! For regular updates about the Lakefront Trail, follow our Lakefront Trail Twitter page and the #chiLFT hashtag. NOTE: For updates on the Lakefront Trail separation construction, visit the Chicago Park District’s page. A small section of the lakefront trail between Chicago Ave. and Ontario St. has been affected by recent storm damage. The pedestrian portion of the trail in this area is open for both foot and bike traffic. Repairs will be made when weather allows in the spring....

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, Chicago Central, Chicago North Side, Chicago South Side, Lakefront Trail, Walking

Become an Active Trans Ambassador on Aug. 2

Jul 9, 2018 | by Active Trans

Do you share our vision for a region with safe opportunities to bike, walk and take public transit? Are you excited about the work that Active Trans does and have an interest in advancing our mission by educating others? If you answered yes, we need you to help us fight for this vision by becoming an Active Trans Ambassador. Click here to sign up for an evening training in our office, 6-7:30 p.m. on August 2. The Active Trans Ambassador program is a new initiative for volunteer leaders focused on promoting Active Trans' city and suburban advocacy initiatives. Ambassadors represent us at events, highlighting our advocacy campaigns, building grassroots support for legislative priorities, and building our membership base. The Active...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, Chicago North Side, Chicago South Side, Chicago West & Southwest Side, Chicago West Side, North Suburbs, South Suburbs, Walking, West Suburbs

Tell governor to sign Bike Safety and Dutch Reach Act

Jun 28, 2018 | by Kyle Whitehead

A critical bike safety bill has arrived on Governor Rauner's desk and now we need your help to make sure it's signed into law. On Wednesday, June 27, HB 5143 – the Bike Safety and Dutch Reach Act – was sent to Governor Rauner. The bill amends the Illinois Vehicle Code to add information about bike safety to the state's Rules of the Road manual and driver's license exam. The added information includes a description of using the "Dutch reach" method when opening a car door to prevent a "dooring" crash if a cyclist approaching from behind. This past spring the bill passed both chambers with strong bi-partisan majorities. But the final step is still needed. Tell Governor Rauner to sign HB...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling

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