Tag Archives: Bicycling

Taking the safe streets fight to D.C.

Sep 10, 2019 | by Barb Cornew

While transportation may not be the biggest issue in national politics this year, members of Congress do understand how important it is for their constituents to be able to get where they need to go. Active Trans worked with advocates from across the Chicago region to meet with their members of Congress during the summer recess. We discussed how to work together on a national agenda for safer streets and more reliable public transit. Personal connections and local stories go a long way with elected officials in D.C. Citizens from Park Ridge, Evanston, Des Plaines, Chicago, Elk Grove, Schaumburg, Elgin, Downers Grove and Wheaton met with U.S. Representatives Jan Schakowsky, Chuy Garcia, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Mike Quigley, Sean Casten, and Brad...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, biking, legislation, transit, Walking

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Hamilton left an indelible mark on Chicago’s transportation scene

Sep 10, 2019 | by Active Trans

When Luann Hamilton joined Chicago’s Public Works Department — the predecessor to the Chicago Department of Transportation — in 1985, cars were the only transportation mode given consideration on our streets. Hamilton (pictured left) knew she would be in for an uphill battle pushing for projects that prioritized walking, biking, and public transit. But that didn’t stop the sustainable transportation advocate. Over the next 34 years, she adeptly navigated the rocky and nuanced terrain of Chicago’s transportation and urban planning sectors. Hamilton and her colleagues successfully transformed the region with seminal walking, biking, and public transit projects that are now synonymous with the city, while she rose through the ranks of the agency, becoming deputy commissioner at CDOT in 2005....

Tags: Bicycling, transit, Walking

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Breaking the cycle of ugly public meetings

Sep 6, 2019 | by Jim Merrell

A proposed project to make a street safer for people walking and biking sparks backlash. A contentious public meeting is held. Arguments based on emotion and anecdotal experience are hurled about. People are frustrated. Rinse. Repeat. Maybe the project moves forward, or gets watered down, or nixed entirely. Who knows? The outcome depends on a completely opaque process and constantly shifting set of criteria. Chicago: This is why we can’t have nice things. The dust up over proposed pedestrian and bicycle improvements to Dickens Avenue in Lincoln Park is just the most recent in a long line of public processes that leave everyone frustrated. To advocates who understand the urgent need to cure our city of its addiction to car...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, transit, Walking

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Tell us what you think about e-scooters

Sep 4, 2019 | by Kyle Whitehead

As a full-fledged e-scooter sharing program in Chicago starts to take shape, we want to hear from you about what the future of scooters in Chicagoland should look like. Chicago’s e-scooter pilot ends October 15. In coming weeks, Active Trans is collecting feedback on the Chicago pilot from residents, community-based organizations, and elected officials as we determine how to advocate around e-scooter policy. We plan to release a policy report in mid-October. Chicago officials say no decisions have been made about a long-term e-scooter program, and some suburbs are considering e-scooter policy questions. You can help by joining Active Trans and our community partners in any of the following activities. POLICY SURVEY Share your views about e-scooter policy in a...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, Chicago, chicago north west, Chicago West & Southwest Side, Chicago West Side, E-scooters, Walking

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Help create vision for a safer Archer Avenue

Sep 3, 2019 | by Julia Gerasimenko

Want to be part of a working group to develop a community-driven vision for a safer Archer Avenue? Your chance to help improve Archer between Harlem Ave. and Western Ave. is coming up on Wednesday, September 4. While Archer Avenue is identified as a spoke route in the Streets for Cycling Plan 2020, little progress has been made, unfortunately, to make this major thoroughfare safe for people biking. The photo featured above is a ghost bike dedicated to Lisa Shalk, who was killed by a driver while riding her bike at the intersection of Archer Avenue and Lorel Avenue in November 2017. This is just one example of how street design failed the most vulnerable people on Archer. Overall, the...

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

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Support needed for Dickens Avenue Greenway proposal

Aug 16, 2019 | by Julia Gerasimenko

Update [8/21/19]: Please note the venue for the August 22nd public meeting has been changed to Lincoln Park High School. The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) has proposed creating a neighborhood greenway on Dickens Avenue. This Thursday, August 22, is your chance to let CDOT and 43rd Ward Ald. Michele Smith know that the ward needs this project and more like it. While some residents have expressed their interest in this project, more voices are needed to ensure that this project is not derailed by local NIMBYs. Neighborhood greenways are low-stress streets that are designed to be safer and more comfortable for all users — people walking, bicycling, and driving. The streets are designed to be used by people of...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, Chicago North Side, Walking

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Stan Day invests in the power of the pedal

Aug 8, 2019 | by Maya Norris

It probably comes as no surprise that bicycling plays a huge role in Stan Day’s life. As the co-founder and chairman of SRAM, the second-largest maker of bicycle components in the world, Day is passionate about bicycling and how it can transform people’s lives and create healthy, thriving communities. That’s why the bicycling advocate and SRAM have been a longtime supporters of Active Transportation Alliance, joining forces with the organization to help get more people on bikes and improve conditions for bicycling throughout Chicago — an investment that has reaped rewards for cyclists in the city. Day has been proud to support Active Trans for the last 20 years. He credits the nonprofit’s nuanced insight and knowledge about sustainable transportation...

Tags: Bicycling

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Longtime supporter has made her mark on local cycling

Jul 3, 2019 | by Active Trans

Even if you don’t personally know Kathy Schubert, there’s a good chance you’ve seen her riding around Chicago or volunteering at an Active Transportation Alliance event. That’s because she not only puts on a lot of miles during the year — 6,000 is her record — but you tend to get noticed when you bike around town or across entire states with a miniature schnauzer riding in your basket. Suzy, her former riding companion, isn’t Schubert’s only claim to fame however. For the past 20 plus years, Schubert (pictured) has been an active commuter, enthusiastic recreational cyclist, and a staunch advocate for safety. She is a founding member of the Chicago Cycling Club, joined Active Trans when it was still...

Tags: Bicycling, Chicago, Events

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Advocates urge Lightfoot to explore congestion pricing

Jul 2, 2019 | by Kyle Whitehead

Active Trans joined a coalition of advocates in calling on Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to make the city’s ride-hailing fee more equitable and analyze possible congestion pricing options. In a letter sent to Mayor Lightfoot and relevant committee chairs, the group argues that changes to the fee structure would encourage more people using sustainable transportation options, such as shared rides, walking, bicycling, and public transit. Transportation is the leading contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the country. In Illinois, more than half of all emissions come from the Chicago area. Also signing the letter was the Metropolitan Planning Council, Center for Neighborhood Technology, Shared-Use Mobility Center, Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development, and Via ride-share service. HOW TO REFORM RIDE-HAILING AND...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, biking, Chicago, Chicago Central, Downtown, Equity, transit, Walking

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Lincoln Park resident works for a safer Dickens Ave.

Jun 26, 2019 | by Kyle Whitehead

Stephanie Sims, a Lincoln Park resident and Active Trans Ambassador, is using her training to rally her neighbors to support the proposed Dickens Neighborhood Greenway. Sims is circulating a petition urging 43rd Ward Alderman Michele Smith to make the project a top priority. When Sims was recently trained to be an Active Trans Ambassador, she learned the ins and outs of organizing support for walking, bicycling, and public transit improvements in her neighborhood. If you live in the 43rd Ward, you can sign Stephanie's petition today. Use Active Trans' legislator lookup tool to confirm you ward. Interested in becoming an Active Trans Ambassador in your community? Sign up for our last training of the summer on July 24. Neighborhood greenways...

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

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