Tag Archives: Bicycling

Restoring express bus should lead to building BRT on Ashland

Aug 18, 2015 | by Active Trans

On Tuesday CTA announced the restoration of express bus service on Ashland and Western Avenues during peak hours. The CTA ended express bus service on the #9 Ashland and #49 Western routes amid budget cuts in 2010. The #9 Ashland route is the most popular bus route in the system with 10 million boardings annually.Today's announcement is good news for transit riders who are forced to deal with overcrowding and slow, unpredictable trips on two of the most popular bus routes in the system. This decision should be a first step towards CTA building a true bus rapid transit (BRT) corridor on Ashland with dedicated bus lanes, improved stations, and enhanced sidewalks and medians.The CTA’s own analysis from 2013 shows restoring...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, Planning, Walking

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Belmont Bypass is about more than just saving time

May 28, 2015 | by Active Trans

Transit systems as large as Chicago’s are complex networks where one seemingly minor issue can cause ripple effects throughout the entire system, slowing trains and frustrating riders all over city.For decades the Clark Junction on the North Side, where the CTA’s Red, Purple and Brown Line trains meet, has been one of those problem spots. Currently, trains on three of the four tracks in the area are forced to stop to allow northbound Brown Line trains to cross.This bottleneck results in 40 percent of weekday trains being delayed by as much as three minutes. The proposed Red-Purple Bypass would eliminate these delays by building a structure allowing Brown Line trains to pass over the top of existing tracks.The immediate time...

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

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Why removing the Kinzie bike lane is a bad idea

Apr 17, 2015 | by Active Trans

A bike network is only as strong as its weakest link, but a new proposal by 42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly threatens to remove one of the most critical connections in Chicago’s growing network of protected bike lanes.In an ordinance introduced in the Chicago City Council, Ald. Reilly is seeking to force the Chicago Department of Transportation to remove the Kinzie Street protected bike lane, located between Des Plaines and Wells Streets in the River North neighborhood. If successful, the removal of the Kinzie protected bike lane would be a setback for Chicago, putting more people at risk of injury while doing nothing to alleviate congestion or move people more efficiently around downtown.Tell your alderman to oppose the removal of...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, Chicago Central, Chicago North Side, transit, Walking

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Time for Chicago to step up its Vision Zero efforts

Apr 14, 2015 | by Active Trans

Now that election season is over, it’s time for our leaders to follow through on their commitment to make our streets safer by developing an action plan to achieve Vision Zero in Chicago.Sign our petition calling on Chicago leaders to support a comprehensive Vision Zero strategy.Vision Zero is an international traffic safety movement built on the concept that no loss of life on our streets in acceptable and traffic crashes are not mere “accidents,” but preventable mishaps that can be reduced and ultimately eliminated with systemic changes. In 2012, Chicago adopted a Zero in 10 goal to eliminate traffic fatalities by 2022.This week a new organization launched to help Chicago and cities across the country achieve these important goals. The...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, Planning, transit, Walking, zero vision

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Vision Zero campaign aims to eliminate traffic fatalities

Mar 25, 2015 | by Active Trans

James Bausch had just bought an engagement ring for his girlfriend Amanda Annis when he biked by a crash scene.Less than an hour later, he learned the crushing news: that his girlfriend had been hit and killed at that scene by a driver who ran a red light.James told us that “nobody should have to go through what Mandy’s family and I went through in losing someone we loved to a preventable traffic crash.”Tragedies like this are not inevitable, are not acceptable, and should be not be forgotten in the debate about traffic safety and red light cameras.With this in mind, Active Trans was joined today by physicians, traffic safety experts and victims of traffic crashes in calling on Chicago’s...

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

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