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March events on the Lakefront Trail

Mar 2, 2018 | by Active Trans

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 March so you can better plan your walking, biking or running route. As we inch towards spring, the trail gets busier. 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. Temporarily, all path users are asked to share the newly separated bike trail between Fullerton Parkway and North Avenue. Reminder, please use caution and slow down in work zones. Sunday, March 4 Chicago Polar Plunge 10 a.m. North Avenue Beach Saturday, March 17...

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

Active Trans to award legal firm at event

Feb 28, 2018 | by Active Trans

It’s not easy for nonprofits to navigate the complex maze of local, state and federal laws that govern their organizations without the help of attorneys. And those legal services can get pricey for grassroots nonprofits with limited resources. Luckily, that’s something Active Transportation Alliance doesn’t have to worry about. Active Trans benefits from pro bono legal services provided by Kelley Drye & Warren LLP’s Chicago office. The international law firm’s generous legal advice helps Active Trans stay focused on its mission while giving Kelley Drye a fascinating inside look at how the nonprofit works to improve walking, bicycling and public transit in Chicago.As a result of the firm’s outstanding legal assistance to Active Trans for the past four years, we will...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, Education, Walking

Weber Spur, a crucial connection

Feb 21, 2018 | by Active Trans

Urban trails are one of the best tools we have to encourage more people to walk and bike for everyday transportation, improve public health, strengthen local businesses and create a cleaner environment.That's why we're making the completion of the Weber Spur Trail on Chicago's Northwest Side a top priority for Active Trans' Chicago River Trail campaign.Suburban Lincolnwood recently built a one-mile stretch of the trail; now we're calling on the city of Chicago to follow through on plans to build its 1.7-mile portion.The Weber Spur is a 2.7-mile trail that starts at Touhy Avenue in Lincolnwood, takes a southwestern route through LaBagh Woods and connects to Elston Avenue's bicycle lanes (see map). This trail will create the ultimate low-stress connection...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, Chicago North Side, North Suburbs, Walking

Active Trans leads new push for safer Logan Boulevard

Feb 20, 2018 | by Active Trans

The idea of creating safe and easy access to and from the growing network of trails along the Chicago River gets us excited.What makes us even more excited is when improving access to the river also creates an opportunity to address long-standing concerns of our members and supporters.That's exactly what's happening in our quest to improve conditions for people walking and biking between Logan Boulevard and new river trail segments near Lathrop Homes.For the next six months, we'll be working with residents, community organizations, design experts and city officials to develop a list of recommendations for creating safe and comfortable spaces to walk and bike between local hubs. Helping us carry out this work are our two project partners, Logan...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, Chicago North Side, Walking

State platform prioritizes transit funding and IDOT reform

Feb 20, 2018 | by Active Trans

Active Trans has released its 2018 Illinois Sustainable Transportation Platform for the upcoming primary and general elections for governor and state legislature. The platform is based on input from Active Trans members, partner organizations, board, and staff.The platform features specific action items to achieve progress on three core goalsDedicate funding to sustainable transportation projectsReform state transportation policy to take a more multimodal approachChampion transformational projectsHighlights include calling on leaders to establish a new Bike-Walk Fund in the state’s annual budget; restoring and, ultimately, growing state support for public transit operations and capital projects; and reforming IDOT policies to support building more and better biking and walking facilities on state routes.The platform also calls on state leaders to advance a vision...

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

Expedia to be honored at 2018 Awards Reception

Feb 13, 2018 | by Active Trans

Chicago is still entrenched in the grip of winter. But Todd Scales is already thinking about the summer. The director of technology of the Android team at Egencia, which is an Expedia company, is hard at work planning bicycling activities and events that he hopes will not only strengthen the bicycling culture at Expedia, but also get employees pumped about the Bike Commuter Challenge, Active Transportation Alliance’s annual biking competition in June.To honor the hard work of Scales and his colleagues, Expedia will be receiving Active Trans’ Business Leadership Award at our 2018 Awards Reception on March 7. As coordinator of the Bike Expedia affiliate group in Expedia’s Chicago office, Scales volunteers his time to manage the company’s bicycling programs, including participation...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, Education, Events

Chicago police must respond to racial disparity in bike ticketing

Feb 12, 2018 | by Jim Merrell

In a follow-up story on a report that first appeared last spring, the Chicago Tribune today published an analysis showing stark disparities in the number of bike related citations issued in African American neighborhoods. The report states that "about 56 percent of all bike tickets were issued in majority black neighborhoods, compared with 24 percent in Latino neighborhoods and 18 percent in white neighborhoods, according to Chicago police statistics. Blacks, Latinos and whites each make up about a third of the city’s residents, according to the U.S. Census." Unfortunately, we are not surprised there was no significant shift in the pattern of bike-related citations. The disparity in where these tickets are being issued strongly suggests they are not primarily about...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, Chicago South Side, Chicago West & Southwest Side, Education

Suburban superstars: Not taking ‘no’ for an answer

Feb 7, 2018 | by Active Trans

Through our Bike Walk Every Town suburban advocacy training, we've been meeting people doing great work in suburban Chicago communities.One of these people is Eberhard Veit, a 10-year bicycle-advocacy veteran from Crystal Lake. He has an impressive resume and has helped ensure the inclusion of biking and walking facilities and the closure of trail gaps on numerous projects throughout McHenry County.We spoke to Eberhard to learn more about his passion for bicycle advocacy and what drives him to keep going, despite the car-centric lifestyle and landscape of the suburbs.For Eberhard, his dedication to bicycle advocacy started with a failure.Ten years ago, a stretch of Rakow Road in McHenry County was set to be widened. The two-lane, wide shoulder road was to be converted...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, North Suburbs, Walking, West Suburbs

City picks route for Red Line Extension

Feb 6, 2018 | by Active Trans

Planning for the long-promised southern extension of the Red Line to 130th Street took a step forward last week as the city chose a preferred route.The Chicago Transit Authority is hosting an open house on Tuesday, February 13 to solicit resident input on the proposed route: Begin the extension at 95th Street and run along the west side of the Union Pacific Railroad tracks from I-57 south to approximately 109th Street;Cross the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and run along the east side of the tracks until crossing the Metra Electric tracks near 119th Street; andContinue south to 130th Street.The proposed 5.3-mile extension would include four new stations near 103rd Street, 111th Street, Michigan Avenue and 130th Street.This project is decades in the...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, Chicago South Side, South Suburbs, Walking

Suburban superstars: a tale of two walking advocates (part 2)

Feb 1, 2018 | by Active Trans

This is a continuation of our two-part blog series highlighting the walking advocacy of two inspiring women in the suburbs. This fall the Active Transportation Alliance gathered more than 100 advocates from 63 villages and cities across the region, both online and in-person, to take part in our Bike Walk Every Town suburban advocacy training.At the training we were honored to meet Des Plaines resident Geraldolyn Harris, who is working to improve walkability in Chicagoland’s northwest suburbs. She has big plans and has a great deal of wisdom and inspiration to offer other advocates interested in transforming their communities.Geraldolyn’s journey into walking advocacy began in 2013 in Colorado.As a native to Denver, Colorado, Geraldolyn grew up near the city’s oldest...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, North Suburbs, Walking

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