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Lime endorses Active Transportation Agenda

Feb 14, 2019 | by Ron Burke

The following post is a guest blog by Nico Probst of Lime, a new mobility company that operates e-scooter and dockless bike programs in the U.S. Active Trans is still analyzing the pros and cons of e-scooter sharing, in consultation with our members, board and staff. Active Trans doesn't agree with Lime or other new mobility companies on everything, but we welcome their support for our shared bike/walk/transit goals in Chicago and the suburbs. Lime is founded on the simple idea that all communities deserve access to reliable, on-demand, and affordable mobility. Through the equitable distribution of shared scooters, bikes and carshare, we aim to reduce dependence on personal automobiles and leave future generations with a cleaner, healthier Chicago....

Tags: Advocacy, E-scooters, Elections

The 78 can do more to promote walking, biking & transit

Feb 5, 2019 | by Steve Simmons

The planned mega-development along the South Branch of the Chicago River, known as the 78, moved a step closer to reality as Chicago's Community Development Commission recommended tax increment financing to pay for streets and public works upgrades for the project. This 62-acre project will add 10,000 housing units and create a big opportunity to prioritize healthy and sustainable transportation. While the 78's master plan has some promising ideas for transportation, we think with some key changes the 78 would benefit walking, biking and transit. Much like Lincoln Yards on the North Side, the 78 offers a valuable opportunity to add trails, moving the city closer to a 27-mile continuous Chicago River Trail. A trail would promote walking and biking while supporting healthy...

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

Stories from the bus

Jan 31, 2019 | by Active Trans

Guest blog by SWOP Organizer Devonta Boston. Southwest Organizing Project is one of our Bus Advocacy Community Partners and mini-grant recipients. SWOP organizer Devonta Boston met with 60 individuals on the Southwest Side to discuss their experiences with bus service in their community: During the time I spent doing relational meetings centered around bus advocacy, I have had the opportunity to learn a lot and heard varying opinions of local bus service. One thing is for sure, a lot of people rely on CTA to get downtown. But what about getting to all the other destinations in Chicago? Known issues Among young commuters, reliability is a frequent complaint. Youth that I spoke with were frustrated by some trains randomly becoming...

Tags: Advocacy, Chicago West Side, transit

Connecting Chicago’s suburbs with rapid transit

Jan 31, 2019 | by Ron Burke

Chicago suburbs eager to attract people and companies should start by becoming more walkable and transit-friendly. One place to look for successful ways to accomplish this is Pace’s “bus on shoulder” service. A recent Chicago Tribune article documents the growing ridership on routes between the suburbs and downtown Chicago that use the highway shoulders of I-55 and I-294. The buses can bypass traffic jams created by thousands of drive-alone commuters, allowing bus riders a faster and less stressful commute. Pace says the I-55 service would grow beyond the current 3,000 daily riders if they only had more buses. Most suburbs are designed around the inefficient model of moving one person per car. Highway shoulders are part of that equation. They...

Tags: Advocacy, North Suburbs, South Suburbs, transit, West Suburbs

West Side advocates share bus service woes with CTA board

Jan 28, 2019 | by Julia Gerasimenko

Getting to jobs on time is difficult for many West Side residents who rely on the bus during off-peak hours. Active Trans joined Charles Perry, Director of Organizing at the West Side Health Authority, in testifying before the CTA board in January. We were calling for the transit agency to develop a plan for 50 miles of transit priority streets for Chicago. As one of our Bus Advocacy Community Partners, the West Side Health Authority used mini-grant funds from Active Trans to collect 70 surveys from Austin residents about the quality of local bus service. We shared their stories and copies of the Bus Friendly Streets Report Cards with the CTA Board, highlighting that the 37th Ward received a D...

Tags: Advocacy, Chicago West & Southwest Side, Chicago West Side, transit

Mayoral candidates pledge support for better bus service

Jan 28, 2019 | by Julia Gerasimenko

The leading candidates for mayor of Chicago say they support creating more bus-only lanes and other improvements that would make bus service faster and more reliable. On Tuesday, January 15, nine candidates participated in the Bus Riders Forum organized by the Pilsen Alliance and Active Transportation Now. The forum was moderated by Mary Wisniewski, transportation reporter and columnist at the Chicago Tribune. The Pilsen Alliance is a 20-year-old social justice organization that sees equitable public transportation as crucial to social justice in Chicago. Pilsen Alliance is also one of our Bus Advocacy Community Partners and mini-grant recipients. If you missed the forum, which was held at the Lozano Library Branch in Pilsen, you can watch video of the entire forum here....

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

Alderman Villegas on board for better bus service

Jan 24, 2019 | by Julia Gerasimenko

After hearing from a group of youth in his ward who are frustrated with the Diversey bus, Alderman Villegas (36th ward) says he’ll work with city agencies to speed up bus service. Active Trans partnered with a group of youth advocates from the Northwest Side Housing Center on a meeting with Alderman Villegas in late 2018. The alderman heard stories from the youth of what slow and unreliable bus service has cost them, such as being late to school and doctor’s appointments. As part of the partnership, the Northwest Side Housing Center received a mini-grant from Active Trans to fight for better bus service in their local community. The group used Active Trans' Bus Friendly Street Report Cards to back up...

Tags: Advocacy, Chicago North Side, transit

Using balance bikes to build relationships in Elgin

Jan 3, 2019 | by Maggie Melin Czerwinski

A group of advocates in Elgin is working to advance the city’s decade-old bike plan and boost bike access for children in low-income parts of the town.Elgin Bike Hub is a non-profit organization working for better biking in the northwest suburban city that straddles both Cook and Kane counties. The group is pushing for the community’s nearly ten-year-old Bikeway Plan to be updated and revised as an active transportation plan that prioritizes equity. The updated plan would map out the community’s vision of a connected and equitable network of low-stress bikeways, trails, sidewalks and transit access.Using a mini-grant from Active Trans’ Bike Walk Every Town suburban advocacy campaign, the Elgin Bike Hub purchased four balance bikes (bikes without pedals that...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, Education, Events, North Suburbs

Batavia advocates connect with local businesses

Jan 3, 2019 | by Maggie Melin Czerwinski

A western suburban advocate has been going door-to-door in Batavia educating local business owners and their customers about the benefits of walking, biking and public transportation.Abby Beck of Walk Batavia/Bike Batavia wanted to help businesses in downtown Batavia better understand how walking and biking can have a positive impact on their bottom line.She asked businesses to place little chalkboards on their counters with the message “How did you get here today?” Customers were asked to mark “walk,” “bike” and “other.” For two weeks during the month of July, around 20 downtown businesses participated in collecting data on the chalkboards, which were purchased with the help of an Active Trans Bike Walk Every Town mini-grant.Bike Walk Every Town, our suburban advocacy...

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

Top 10 biking, walking and transit stories of 2018

Dec 21, 2018 | by Ted Villaire

There were plenty of attention-grabbing developments among the top active transportation stories of 2018. Some of these developments helped make our streets safer and more inviting for people using active transportation, while others were intended to give more people access to better transportation options. Here they are. If we missed an important story, please let us know in the comments below. 1. Lakefront Trail separation. After decades of trail advocacy by Active Trans and our community partners, we were thrilled to see the completion of the project to create separate foot and biking paths along the Lakefront Trail. Work began in August 2016 on select sections and then last year, local hedge fund manager Ken Griffin donated $12 million to the create...

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

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