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Chicago needs more safe places to ride bikes and scooters on city streets

Oct 13, 2021 | by Kyle Whitehead

Update (10/14/21): Chicago City Council passed the e-scooter ordinance. The program is expected to launch in Spring 2022. As Chicago City Council considers an ordinance establishing a long-term e-scooter sharing program, Active Transportation Alliance submitted a letter in support of the ordinance to the Transportation and Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committees. Following are excerpts from the letter: Active Transportation Alliance supports a long-term e-scooter sharing program for Chicago because it would give people another option to get around other than driving or hailing a car. This program should complement – not compete with – the city’s publicly owned, thriving and expanding Divvy bikeshare system. As neighborhood air quality gets worse and we continue to experience the heightened effects of climate change, Chicago officials must invest in a safer, healthier,...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, biking, Chicago, E-scooters

Second e-scooter pilot serves as another step forward

Jan 19, 2021 | by Alex Perez

After two years of pilot programs, Chicago is well-positioned to create a long-term e-scooter sharing program that is focused on neighborhoods lacking transportation options. The four-month long second e-scooter pilot program ended in mid-December. Bird, Lime, and Spin were the vendors, with a limit of 3,333 scooters per vendor. This was four times the number of scooters deployed in the 2019 pilot. The Covid-19 pandemic led to lower ridership levels in 2020. According to the Chicago Department of Transportation, ridership decreased from 821,000 trips in 2019 to 640,000 trips in 2020. About one-quarter of the 160,000 trips in 2020 were taken in priority areas. Compared to 2019, the average trip length in 2020 increased a bit to 1.71 miles. 2020...

Tags: chicago north, Chicago South Side, Chicago West & Southwest Side, E-scooters, Equity

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

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...

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

Tell us what you think about e-scooters

Sep 4, 2019 | by Kyle Whitehead

As a full-fledged e-scooter sharing program in Chicago starts to take shape, we want to hear from you about what the future of scooters in Chicagoland should look like. Chicago’s e-scooter pilot ends October 15. In coming weeks, Active Trans is collecting feedback on the Chicago pilot from residents, community-based organizations, and elected officials as we determine how to advocate around e-scooter policy. We plan to release a policy report in mid-October. Chicago officials say no decisions have been made about a long-term e-scooter program, and some suburbs are considering e-scooter policy questions. You can help by joining Active Trans and our community partners in any of the following activities. POLICY SURVEY Share your views about e-scooter policy in a...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, Chicago, chicago north west, Chicago West & Southwest Side, Chicago West Side, E-scooters, Walking

E-scooter pilot can help win street space back from cars

May 2, 2019 | by Kyle Whitehead

Update [6/11/19]: Chicago selected 10 vendors to participate in the four-month pilot program launching Saturday June 15 on the West Side. -------- Chicago needs better alternatives to driving and more of them. Thanks to a new pilot program, electric scooters may become part of a growing list of more efficient transportation options. Chicago launched an e-scooter sharing pilot program that will begin on June 15 in much of the western side of the city (see graphic, courtesy of CDOT). The program is designed around recommendations from former Mayor Emanuel's New transportation and Mobility Task Force. The four-month pilot with 2,500 scooters provides an opportunity to address legitimate questions about how scooters will fit in Chicago's transportation network before committing to a...

Tags: Chicago West Side, E-scooters, new mobility

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

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