Tag Archives: transit

Mobility in the time of COVID-19 in the south suburbs

Aug 18, 2020 | by Maggie Melin Czerwinski

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed a lot of what we perceive and know about mobility and transportation. In recent months, Active Trans met with more than 100 stakeholders who are invested in our work. We spoke with community partners, elected officials, department of transportation and transit agency officials, municipal staff, and residents across the city and suburbs. As part of this process, we held a series of small-group conversations and solo conversations with stakeholders in southern Cook County and Will County. Though not all encompassing, here is a glimpse of what residents in the south and southwest suburbs are experiencing. During the course of 14 conversations, we spoke with community members, municipal staff, and elected officials representing Blue Island, Calumet City,...

Tags: Bicycling, South Suburbs, Trails, transit, Walking

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Take action now to stop public transit and Divvy shutdowns

Aug 14, 2020 | by Active Trans

The following is an organizational statement from Active Transportation Alliance Executive Director Amy Rynell. For more on the shutdowns, see Lynda Lopez's blog post, The needless harm done by shutting down public transit. Public transit provides access to opportunities for thousands of working-class Chicagoans. Buses, trains, paratransit, and bike share connect people to their jobs, healthcare appointments, grocery stores, and their families. When it's taken away, riders are cut off from where they need to go or forced to pay much more for a taxi or ride-hailing trip. The repeated evening and overnight shutdowns of CTA, Divvy, and paratransit service in the downtown area sets an alarming precedent. City officials are making this call without providing the public a clear...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, biking, Bus, Chicago, Chicago Central, Downtown, public transit, transit, Transit Equity

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Mobility in the time of COVID-19 on Chicago’s North Side

Jul 31, 2020 | by Julia Gerasimenko

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed a lot of what we perceive and know about mobility and transportation. In recent months, Active Trans met with more than 100 stakeholders who are invested in our work. We spoke with community partners, elected officials, department of transportation and transit agency officials, and residents across the city and suburbs. As part of this process, we held a series of small-group conversations and solo conversations with stakeholders and elected officials on the city’s North Side. Though not all-encompassing, here’s a glimpse of what residents on the North Side are experiencing. During the course of 14 different conversations, we spoke with community members and elected officials representing Albany Park, Belmont Cragin, Edgewater, Hermosa, Lakeview, Logan Square, Lathrop...

Tags: Advocacy, Chicago North Side, Fair Fares Chi, Lakefront Trail, transit

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State reverses decision to eliminate bus lanes as option for North LSD

Jul 31, 2020 | by Kyle Whitehead

Bus lanes are back on the table for the reconstruction of North Lake Shore Drive, but more work needs to be done to make sure they’re part of the final design.  This week state and local officials said they’ll carry forward the 3+1 bus only lane option to the next stage of the planning process. The transit-friendly design had been eliminated in June, despite opposition from the Chicago Transit Authority. Active Trans and other advocates came out strongly against the decision. More than 700 Chicagoans signed letters to Gov. Pritzker, Mayor Lightfoot, and the project team urging them to reverse course. Several community leaders on the project task force also spoke up. Your strong grassroots response clearly made a difference. It drew attention from decision makers and helped...

Tags: Advocacy, Back on the Bus, Bus, Bus report cards, Chicago North Side, Lakefront Trail, public transit, transit, Transit Equity

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Transportation issues on the city’s Southwest Side during COVID-19

Jul 28, 2020 | by Lynda Lopez

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed a lot of what we perceive and know about mobility and transportation. In recent months, Active Trans met with more than 100 stakeholders who are invested in our work. We spoke with community partners, elected officials, department of transportation and transit agency officials, and residents across the city and suburbs. As part of this process, we held a series of small-group conversations and solo conversations with stakeholders and two elected officials on the city’s Southwest Side. Though not all-encompassing, here’s a glimpse of what residents on the Southwest Side are experiencing. MOBILITY FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES As our mobility in the city adapts to the changing circumstances of the pandemic, people with disabilities have experienced...

Tags: biking, covid-19, Southwest Side, transit, Walking

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Chicago prepares second e-scooter pilot

Jul 27, 2020 | by Kyle Whitehead

The scooters are coming. Again.  Officials say four companies responded to the city’s request for applications for a second e-scooter sharing pilot this summer. Chicago selected Bird, Lime, and Spin to participate in this year's program, which launches August 12. 2020 PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS  The terms reflect many of the recommendations from Active Trans’ E-Scooter Policy Report, which was released following the 2019 pilot.  The companies can operate a combined 10,000 scooters in a geographic area that includes most of the city.  Scooters are not allowed downtown or on the Lakefront or 606 trails, as Active Trans and our partners recommended.   At least half of the scooters must be docked in low-income areas on the South and West Sides. We spoke with community leaders in these “priority zones” after the initial pilot and...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, biking, Chicago, chicago north, chicago north west, chicago south, Chicago South Side, Chicago West & Southwest Side, Chicago West Side, covid-19, E-scooters, Equity, transit, Walking

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Bus Fellows deliver budget request to City Council

Jul 23, 2020 | by Julia Gerasimenko

Active Trans' Bus Organizing Fellows, Rylen Clark and Jamaine Alberto Gooding, submitted comments to July's Chicago City Council meeting. Jamaine was selected to provide oral comments before the full council while both Jamaine and Rylen submitted written comments. You can read Jamaine's comments in full here and Rylen's comments in full here. Below are excerpts from their testimonies:   To Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the members of Chicago City Council, My name is Rylen Clark. I am from Chicago and I have lived in the Chicagoland area for most of my life. I have extensive experience in peer-to-peer nonprofit organizations that primarily focus on at-risk youth at drop-in centers such as Center on Halsted and Broadway Youth Center in the...

Tags: Advocacy, Back on the Bus, Fair Fares Chi, transit

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Transportation issues on the city’s West Side during COVID-19

Jul 23, 2020 | by Lynda Lopez

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed a lot of what we perceive and know about mobility and transportation. In recent months, Active Trans met with more than 100 stakeholders who are invested in our work. We spoke with community partners, elected officials, department of transportation and transit agency officials, and residents across the city and suburbs. As part of this process, we held a series of small-group conversations and solo conversations with stakeholders and an elected official on the city’s West Side. Though not all-encompassing, here’s a glimpse of what residents on the West Side are experiencing. TRANSIT As changes are made to public transit to accommodate the needs of public health, one of the top concerns we heard on the...

Tags: Bicycling, Chicago West Side, transit, Walking

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Take action for 30 miles of bus lanes and masks for riders

Jul 20, 2020 | by Julia Gerasimenko

As the Mayor and City Council develop the 2021 Chicago city budget, we urge them to work with the Chicago Transit Authority and Chicago Department of Transportation to: - Roll out 10 miles of bus lanes before the end of 2020 as part of the city’s COVID-19 response - Fund and build out 20 additional miles by the end of 2021 - Provide masks for all transit riders   Take action NOW to demand 30 new miles of bus lanes and masks for all transit riders!  We need bus lanes to keep bus trips as fast and reliable as possible and connect people to jobs, healthcare, food, and family. Buses are often slow and unreliable due to getting stuck in traffic...

Tags: Back on the Bus, budget, transit

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Further impacts of the transit shutdown in Chicago

Jul 11, 2020 | by Active Trans

The recent CTA shutdown stirred a lot of emotions among residents throughout the city. It also caused lot of discomfort and inconvenience. The shutdown came at a time when widespread social unrest over police-involved killings was happening in Chicago and the nation. Following the abrupt transit shutdown were the calls for accountability for the city officials and mayor. The bus fellows at Active Trans saw an opportunity to capture these concerns and launched a rapid survey response. We wanted to hear from people impacted on the ground by the shutdown and how it disrupted their lives. While speaking with five people who shared their stories, two main points came up often regarding the shutdown: concerns about lack of access to Divvy Bikes and the...

Tags: covid-19, divvy, transit, Transit Equity

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