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Support funding for walking and biking projects in low-income communities

Feb 12, 2020 | by Kyle Whitehead

Last year, Active Trans and hundreds of supporters made our voices heard to ensure that dedicated funding for walking and biking projects would be included in the state's capital bill. As a result, for the first time ever, Illinois' long-term capital plan includes dedicated funding for walking and bicycling projects. Now we need your help to make sure the program is successful. As the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) began moving ahead with the program, it’s become evident that the current language of the legislation lacks clarity on two key points. 1. How often IDOT should set aside the $50 million in new state funds for the walking and biking grant program. What we want: Every year — not every other...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, biking, Chicago, Chicago Central, chicago north, Chicago North Side, chicago north west, chicago south, Chicago South Side, Chicago West & Southwest Side, Chicago West Side, Equity, legislation, South Suburbs, Walking, West Suburbs

Will you help make Chicago’s streets safer?

Feb 4, 2020 | by Julia Gerasimenko

Do you want to see better streets for biking in your Chicago neighborhood and throughout the city? Would you like to learn how to be an effective advocate? Well, here's your chance to get directly involved in making a difference. Here's your chance to help create better walking and biking infrastructure in Chicago and help to hold Mayor Lightfoot accountable to her campaign promise to build 100 miles of new bikeways by 2023. Given that construction of new bikeways has slowed in Chicago, we need people like you getting involved. Will you join the effort to reverse this trend? If this sounds appealing, you'll want to join us for the Safer Streets campaign training on Saturday, March 14. During this...

Tags: Advocacy, biking, Walking

New Uber, Lyft fees should be step toward congestion pricing

Jan 23, 2020 | by Kyle Whitehead

Starting January 6, the fee on solo Uber and Lyft trips citywide increased from 72 cents to $1.25 and the fee on shared trips decreased from 72 cents to 65 cents. Trips that start or end in a new “downtown congestion zone” are charged an additional surcharge ($1.75 for solo trips and 65 cents for shared trips). A portion of the new revenue goes to the city’s Bus Priority Zones initiative that seeks to make bus service faster and more reliable. These new fees championed by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot could be a precursor to a broader congestion pricing approach. Active Trans lobbied in favor of the fees because of their potential to reduce driving and spur public transit use...

Tags: Advocacy, Back on the Bus, Bicycling, biking, Chicago, Chicago Central, Downtown, legislation, public transit, transit, Transit Equity, Walking

Input needed on 78 and Lincoln Yards

Jan 6, 2020 | by Julia Gerasimenko

The 78 and Lincoln Yards are two megadevelopments that are being built in Chicago that undoubtedly will have major impacts on the city at large and neighboring communities. Unfortunately, both projects currently lack a good vision for transit, biking, and walking access. Without a coherent plan for good transportation options, these developments inevitably will be a hindrance to building livable, equitable, and healthy communities. The good news is that you now have an opportunity to provide direct input on the details of these developments, including walking, transit, and biking infrastructure. If you live in the vicinity of either development, you can apply to serve on the 78 Community Advisory Council or the Lincoln Yards Advisory Council. The community advisory councils...

Tags: biking, Chicago North Side, Chicago River Trail, Chicago West & Southwest Side, transit, Walking

Top 10 walking, biking, and transit stories of 2019

Dec 16, 2019 | by Kyle Whitehead

There were plenty of attention-grabbing developments among the top active transportation stories of 2019. 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. 1. State dedicates funds to walking, biking, and public transit. For the first time ever, Illinois’ long-term capital program includes dedicated funding — $50 million annually — for walking and biking projects. The capital bill also includes sustainable funding for public transit for the first time ever. Active Trans championed both initiatives with a bipartisan group of legislators in the Illinois State House...

A new, signature attraction along Chicago River

Nov 25, 2019 | by Steve Simmons

The Chicago River gained an awe-inspiring addition with the recent opening of the Riverview Bridge on the North Branch, now the longest pedestrian and bike bridge in the city. The Riverview Bridge runs for roughly a thousand feet north and south of Addison Street and crosses over the river connecting Clark and California Parks, providing a safe off-street connection with breathtaking urban and natural views. The bridge soars eighteen feet above the Chicago River and is sixteen-feet wide. It ducks under the Addison Bridge, offering people on bike and foot the ultimate low-stress route to bypass heavy traffic unimpeded. It's exciting the city has taken another major step towards a continuous Chicago River Trail. Adding a second major trail in...

Tags: Advocacy, biking, chicago north, Chicago River Trail, Running, Walking

Why Chicago needs a Safe Streets Fund

Nov 20, 2019 | by Julia Gerasimenko

Every life lost is a tragedy. We can't help but be overwhelmed when we think about the 78 lives lost in Chicago so far this year as a result of traumatic traffic crashes. But we mustn't become numb to these terrible events. For the 2019 World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims event, which took place earlier this week, organizers lined up 78 pairs of white shoes in the Thompson Center. The shoes remind us of the people who will not feel the joy of walking down a tree-lined street in their neighborhood on their way home. The shoes represent people who will never again feel the wind on their face while riding their bike to meet up with...

Tags: Advocacy, biking, vision zero, Walking

New section of river trail at Lathrop Homes opens

Oct 17, 2019 | by Steve Simmons

Earlier this week, developers, city leaders, advocates, and residents celebrated the official opening of the riverfront path at Lathrop Homes, one of the first local trails built by a public-private partnership. The trail runs for roughly a half mile north and south of Diversey Avenue on the east side of the Chicago River and features new landscaping, benches, trees, and a boat and kayak launch. Because the City of Chicago's design guidelines require developers to build trails, public-private partnerships will play a key role in completing a continuous Chicago River Trail. The new trail at Lathrop provides safe passage under the Diversey Avenue Bridge, and if you follow it south of Diversey, the trail curves out into the river, offering...

Tags: Advocacy, biking, Chicago North Side, Chicago River Trail, Walking

Chicago should keep e-scooter sharing program

Oct 14, 2019 | by Kyle Whitehead

UPDATE (1/29/20): The City of Chicago released an evaluation of the 2019 scooter pilot and announced there will be a second pilot during summer 2020. They're currently working on the terms of the new program. No details about how it will be structured are available at this time. ________________ During the past four months while the City of Chicago's e-scooter sharing pilot program has been underway, Active Trans has been busy gathering information — online and in-person — from hundreds of Active Trans members, supporters, and residents. Many of the people who provided feedback live or work in the West Side pilot area. We wanted to hear what people thought about the pilot program and their general thoughts about e-scooters....

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, biking, Chicago, Chicago Central, chicago north, Chicago North Side, chicago north west, chicago south, Chicago South Side, Chicago West & Southwest Side, Chicago West Side, Downtown, E-scooters, Equity, public transit, transit, Walking

Walking the South Branch of the Chicago River

Sep 25, 2019 | by Active Trans

On a warm August afternoon, over 50 people joined the Mayor's Pedestrian Advisory Council (MPAC) for a walk (pictured) from El Paseo Community Garden in Pilsen to the Eleanor Street Boathouse in Bridgeport. Along the way, participants from Pilsen, Bridgeport and elsewhere got to experience part of the proposed El Paseo Trail and discuss site specific challenges and opportunities. This roughly five-mile stretch from Ping Tom Park south to Western Ave is one of five remaining areas that need to be connected for the city to achieve its goal of a continuous Chicago River Trail. As the tour began at Mural Park in Pilsen, Paula Acevedo, co-director of El Paseo Community Garden, presented their El Paseo Community Council initiative. She...

Tags: biking, Chicago River Trail, south branch, Walking

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