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Community leaders support Illinois Bike Walk Fund

Oct 11, 2018 | by Kyle Whitehead

Leaders from neighborhoods throughout the Chicago region agree that more state transportation dollars should be spent on biking and walking projects. Active Trans has called upon the next Illinois governor and general assembly to commit to spending a fair share of state transportation dollars for a new, dedicated Bike Walk Fund of $50 million per year, which is only about 2 percent of transportation capital spending at the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). Currently, the state spends very little of its own money on biking and walking projects that promote healthy, sustainable and equitable communities. Add your name to our petition to the next governor and state assembly. Leaders from the following community-based organizations support establishing an Illinois Bike Walk...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, biking, Chicago Central, Chicago North Side, Chicago South Side, Chicago West & Southwest Side, Chicago West Side, North Suburbs

New regional plan has mobility vision but lacks funding, political will

Oct 10, 2018 | by Ron Burke

Chicagoland’s new regional plan, called “ON TO 2050,” has plenty of good ideas on paper to tackle the problem of too many cars and traffic crashes, but it lacks the mechanisms, funding and leadership to actually implement a new mobility future and move away from the car-centric status quo. The plan was prepared and approved by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), which is run by a collection of committees comprised of representatives of local, state, regional and federal governments. Previous regional plans have laid out similar goals, but a recent analysis by Active Trans shows the region is just as car dependent today as it was in 1980. Moreover, driving has increased four times faster than the population...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, biking, Planning, Walking

Kids on Wheels fleet provides on-bike education to youth

Sep 26, 2018 | by Melody Geraci

Active Trans’ Kids on Wheels mobile bike fleets once again traveled the region this summer to provide on-bike education opportunities for youth. Since 2013, these two 25-foot cargo trailers have trekked hundreds of miles and served thousands of kids in dozens of communities, offering the opportunity for students to learn valuable riding skills and techniques. It’s an especially important resource for communities where kids and families may not be able to afford to own a bike of their own. This season, Active Trans worked with partner organizations to bring the Kids on Wheels caravan to communities from the northern suburbs to the Southland, in addition to City of Chicago neighborhoods. The season kicked off in May, with Northbrook School District...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, biking, Chicago South Side, Chicago West & Southwest Side, South Suburbs

Improving walking & biking part of public health grant

Sep 25, 2018 | by Melody Geraci

Under a new five-year grant awarded to the Illinois Public Health Institute (IPHI), Active Trans will help communities in Cook County, the Peoria region and southern Illinois improve biking and walking. The grant, which comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and supports the Illinois State Physical Activity and Nutrition Program (ISPAN), allows IPHI to collaborate with the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), local health departments and not-for-profit organizations like Active Trans in promoting healthy nutrition and physical activity in early childhood care and education, making the the built environment better for walking and biking and improving food policy and food systems and nutrition for mothers and infants. The initiative will focus on three regions in the state:...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, biking, Walking

South Branch leadership workshop on Sept. 27

Sep 10, 2018 | by Steve Simmons

Would you like safer connections between Brighton Park, McKinley Park, Bridgeport and Pilsen, as well as better opportunities to bike, walk and take public transit in these communities? If you're passionate about these issues, we need you to help us fight for this vision by registering for a leadership training 6-7:30 p.m. on Sept 27 at the YMCA in Pilsen -- located at 2700 S. Western Ave. Click here to sign up for the Sept. 27 leadership workshop. This workshop will cover skills and strategies for promoting walking, biking, and public transit in your neighborhood. Topics will include campaign planning, grassroots organizing, strategic communications and advocacy with decisionmakers. This workshop will be a great way to take action and shape...

Tags: Advocacy, biking, Chicago West & Southwest Side, Walking

Governor signs biking and walking safety ed. bill

Sep 7, 2018 | by Kyle Whitehead

Every day in Illinois, five kids on average are hit by a driver of a motor vehicle within one block of a school, and more are hit beyond the school zones. A bill that helps address this tragic daily occurrence while encouraging more walking and biking was recently signed into law by Governor Rauner. The Bike Walk Education in Schools Act (HB4799) requires K-8 schools to provide biking and walking safety education. Illinois’ School Code requires automobile safety education, but currently there isn’t a requirement for providing instruction on how to bike and walk safely. This bill is an important step forward in making Illinois a better place for kids to bike and walk. Over the past thirty years, childhood...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, biking, Education, Walking

Progress during Emanuel years, but much more work to do

Sep 7, 2018 | by Ron Burke

Under Mayor Emanuel’s leadership, Chicago strengthened its commitment to building safer streets that make it easier to get around without a car. The mayor was a national leader in building better bike infrastructure through a growing network of protected bike lanes, off-street trails and neighborhood greenways. He set an example that other cities followed and soon mayors were competing to be more bike-friendly. The mayor secured millions of dollars in federal funding to rebuild Chicago’s decades-old public transit system, leading to more reliable service on the city’s busiest rail lines. He expanded implementation of the city’s policy to prioritize pedestrian safety when building and rebuilding streets, adding more countdown timers, refuge islands and enhanced crosswalks. Despite recent progress, it is...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, biking, Walking

Support a moratorium on expressway expansion

Aug 13, 2018 | by Ron Burke

A new analysis shows the Chicago region has grown more car dependent since 1980, and that a different approach is needed to create healthier, more sustainable and more equitable communities. The Active Transportation Alliance's 2018 Regional Mode Share Report demonstrates the region's inability to build its way out of traffic congestion. A larger percentage of Chicagoland residents are driving to work today compared to 1980, and the total amount of driving in the region has grown approximately four times faster than the population. While the region’s population grew by 18 percent since 1980, the traffic increased by 66 percent in the same period. View the full report for a breakdown of the data by tranportation mode, county and demographic information. You...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, biking, Chicago Central, Chicago North Side, Chicago South Side, Chicago West & Southwest Side, Chicago West Side, North Suburbs, South Suburbs, Walking, West Suburbs

Majority of local crashes happen on arterial streets

Aug 6, 2018 | by Kyle Whitehead

If leaders in the Chicago region want to reduce crashes and save lives, new data shows more resources should go towards redesigning arterial streets. According to the Active Transportation Alliance’s 2018 Chicago Regional Crash Report, 53 percent of all crashes in the region occur on arterial roads, which make up 36 percent of the lane miles in our region. These roads often divide communities and serve as barriers for people biking and walking to jobs, parks, healthcare centers and other popular destinations. Active Trans compiles and analyzes public data annually on trends on bicycle and pedestrian crashes, injuries and fatalities. Every year the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) reviews crash data reported from local municipalities to ensure accuracy before publicly...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, biking, Walking

Join Big Marsh Bike Convergence on Sat., July 28

Jul 23, 2018 | by Julia Gerasimenko

The needs of people biking and walking on Chicago's Southeast Side have been ignored for too long. In an effort to change that, community advocates are now ramping up the pressure on local elected officials. Join Active Trans, the Southside Trailblazers, Friends of Big Marsh and Slow Roll Chicago on Saturday, July 28 for the Big Marsh Bike Convergence community ride. We will travel from four community areas around Lake Calumet and convene at Big Marsh Park to highlight the challenges for people biking and walking on the Far South and East sides of Chicago. Active Trans has been advocating for improved connections for people biking and walking in the Far South and East sides of Chicago for several years. Community...

Tags: Advocacy, biking, Chicago South Side, Walking

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