Tag Archives: biking

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...

Bike safety bills move forward in Springfield

Apr 10, 2018 | by Active Trans

Two bills that would strengthen education and awareness of the growing number of people bicycling in Illinois passed out of committee in Springfield on Tuesday. One bill would add the Dutch Reach method to Illinois’ Rules of the Road manual and add bike safety questions to the state driver’s license exam. The Dutch Reach method encourages drivers and passengers to use their far hand and reach across their body to open car doors after parallel parking, forcing people to look back for approaching cyclists and other traffic before exiting the car. Research shows the Dutch Reach makes drivers and passengers more aware of approaching cyclists, helping prevent crashes and save lives. “With more people riding bikes in communities across Illinois,...