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Extending the I&M Canal Trail

Jun 27, 2018 | by Matt Gomez

A few southwest suburban communities, including Summit, are exploring an extension to the popular Illinois and Michigan (I&M) Canal Trail for biking and walking.Earlier this month, Active Trans joined Summit Mayor Sergio Rodriguez, local advocates and trail development experts for a tour of a potential site for the trail along the Sanitary and Ship Canal in the Village of Summit (The Sanitary and Ship Canal is a 28-mile-long canal system that connects the Chicago River to the Des Plaines River). Active Trans has been working on the I&M Trail for the past few months as part of our larger Trail Connect Chicagoland campaign, which is our effort to build both community and government support across the region for closing gaps...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, Walking

TOD near bus routes should come with service upgrades

Jun 25, 2018 | by Kyle Whitehead

Mayor Emanuel’s proposal to incentivize housing development near high-ridership bus routes must prioritize on-site affordable units and come with upgrades to bus service. Last week the mayor announced a plan to expand the city’s transit-oriented development (TOD) policy to include high-ridership, high-frequency bus routes like Western, Ashland, Chicago Avenue and 79th Street. The city will study these areas with CTA and engage aldermen and community residents, with plans to introduce an ordinance in 2019. The Chicago ordinance currently applies to areas around CTA and Metra rail stations; this expansion to bus routes would be the first-of-its-kind in the U.S. Supporting TOD is a great way to lower household transportation costs, boost neighborhood economies and increase access to jobs, schools, and...

Tags: Advocacy

Electric scooters: promise or peril?

Jun 25, 2018 | by Ron Burke

Active Trans has long been a believer in the power of bike sharing to increase bicycling, sustainability, equity and more. Divvy recently topped 15 million rides since launching in 2013, and new dockless bike-sharing companies offer the potential to improve and expand bike share if cities adopt the right policies. But what about electric scooter sharing? This new service has already arrived in San Francisco where it has been wonderful or awful, depending on who you ask. Similar to dockless bike sharing, these scooters are self-locking and customers use an app to unlock and ride them. When the ride is over, the scooter can be left anywhere within the designated service area. Also similar to dockless bike sharing is that there...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling

Businesses benefit when employees bike to work

Jun 21, 2018 | by Barb Cornew

The Bike to Work Challenge is one of Active Trans' longest-running and most beloved events. The two-week-long challenge, which started on June 15 and lasts until June 29, gives workplaces throughout Chicagoland an opportunity to go up against one another in a friendly competition. Workplaces compete by earning points and getting the most employees riding to work during the week (a bike commute can mean a full or partial bike trip). The event, presented this year by Keating Law Offices, is a great way to improve health among employees, enhance organizational camaraderie and promote sustainability. As part of this year’s challenge, Active Trans is excited to recognize members of the inaugural Bike to Work Challenge Advisory Group. Members of the...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling

Sign the petition for a Chicago Bike Walk Fund

Jun 18, 2018 | by Active Trans

After a flurry of new construction from 2011 to 2015, the growth of Chicago’s networks of protected bike lanes and pedestrian-friendly streets has unfortunately slowed down. Chicago installed 15.9 miles of new bikeways (including one mile of protected bike lanes) in 2017, down from a peak of 39.5 new miles of bikeways in 2014. Progress on safer streets is clearly lagging despite growing support among Chicagoans and our elected officials for creating streets that protect the most vulnerable users on foot and bike. This lack of forward momentum is also evident in the city's Vision Zero plan, which has set a goal to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries among people walking, biking and driving. Without dedicated funding for the plan,...

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

Elon Musk is not Chicago’s transit savior

Jun 15, 2018 | by Kyle Whitehead

Before city leaders go any further in negotiations with Elon Musk’s Boring Company to build and operate express transit service from O’Hare to downtown, they should revisit who the project benefits and if the public-private partnership will slow progress on the region’s more pressing transit needs. Musk’s proposed Chicago Express Loop would transport passengers between O’Hare and Block 37 in downtown Chicago in 12 minutes or less using “autonomous electric skates” traveling at 125-150 miles per hour. The 8-16 passenger skates would travel in new underground tunnels on a yet to be determined alignment. The technology is unproven and experts have raised many questions about its safety, cost, and feasibility. The proposal targets business travelers with tickets costing $20-$25 per...

Tags: Advocacy, Chicago Central, Chicago North Side

Crowdsourcing for safer bike lanes

Jun 13, 2018 | by Maya Norris

The new bicycling infrastructure taking root in Chicago has done much for the city’s reputation as a great place for biking. Building on that reputation is getting named by Bicycling magazine as the best US city for bicycling in 2016. But there is a major problem that has been cutting into this status — and it’s not a minor issue: drivers parking in bike lanes. This widespread phenomenon is not only inconvenient, it’s dangerous. Seeing this pervasive problem prompted Christina Whitehouse to create Bike Lane Uprising, a website that allows people to report bike lane obstructions by posting photos and factual details on a map. Launched in August 2017, Bike Lane Uprising seeks to make bicycling safer by streamlining the...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling

Celebrate Lakefront Trail improvements with us

Jun 8, 2018 | by Active Trans

For more than 30 years, Active Trans has been working to make the Lakefront Trail safer and easier to use. In the past year or so, parts of the trail have taken a quantum leap forward in terms of safety and comfort. But as you probably know, work still needs to be done. Join us on June 28 at Theater on the Lake as we celebrate the newly separated trails for people on foot and on bikes. Hear from advocates and city leaders about how the project is going and what’s needed to push it across the finish line. The happy hour event is at the newly renovated Theater on the Lake and will feature drinks from Revolution Brewing, light...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, Lakefront Trail, Walking

UIC public health students advance Weber Spur Trail

Jun 6, 2018 | by Steve Simmons

Because urban trails encourage more people to bike, walk and run, they happen to be one of the best tools we have to improve public health. This desire to help people improve their health is in part what fuels our work to advance a continuous Chicago River Trail. For the past year, we've been working closely with one of our partners, public health students at the University of Illinois-Chicago (pictured), to identify the public health benefits the proposed Weber Spur Trail would bring to the Northwest Side. With help from Active Trans supporters (Alderman Laurino, North River Commission and North Branch Trail Alliance), the students surveyed more than 240 residents, finding that nearly all of them expect public health to improve...

Tags: Advocacy, biking, Chicago North Side, Walking

Biking & walking safety education bill on home stretch

May 31, 2018 | by Active Trans

Every day in Illinois, an average of 5 kids are hit by drivers of motor vehicles within one block of a school, and more are hit beyond the school zones. A bill that would help address this tragic daily occurrence while encouraging more walking and biking has passed the Illinois Senate and now heads to Governor Bruce Rauner for approval. The Bike Walk Education in Schools Act (HB4799) requires K-8 schools to provide biking and walking safety education. Illinois’ School Code requires automobile safety education, but currently there isn’t a requirement for providing instruction on how to bike and walk safely. State lawmakers have heard from hundreds of people who support this bill. Kudos to Rep. Sonya Harper and Sen....

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, Education, Walking

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