Steven Vance
Transportation planner and advocate. Steven also created Chicago Cityscape, a site that tracks neighborhood developments across the city.
Recent Posts
Right Now It’s More Important to Install Bus Lanes on Chicago Avenue Than Bike Lanes
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The new West Town Master Plan, commissioned by the West Town Chamber of Commerce and Special Service Area #29, floats the idea of converting two of the four mixed-traffic lanes on Chicago Avenue in the neighborhood to buffered bike lanes. While that’s a forward-thing idea, it would actually make sense to use that extra right-of-way […]
Eyes on the Street: Ogle the Wilson Station’s Translucent Canopy from the Sky
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What you’re seeing isn’t a typical “Eyes on the Street” because we got our “eyes” up in the air with the new Streetsblog Chicago Traffic Chopper (actually a drone camera) to check in on the reconstruction of the CTA’s Wilson ‘L’ station in Uptown. The project, which began in 2014, will make the train stop […]
People for Bikes’ “Bike Network Analysis” Gave Chicago a Low Score, but We Can Improve It
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The national advocacy group People for Bikes just announced their new Bike Network Analysis scoring system and gave Chicago a low ranking, but there are ways we can improve that number.
Chicago’s ‘L’ Train Turned 125 Years Old Yesterday — What’s Next for the System?
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The Chicago Transit Authority celebrated the 125th anniversary of the ‘L’ yesterday by bringing out rapid transit cars built in 1923 and in 1976. The Chicago & South Side Rapid Transit Railroad Company commenced “Alley L” service on June 6, 1892, in an alley east of State Street between Congress Parkway and 39th Street, according to […]
Metra’s Plans to Decrease Electric Service Outside of Hyde Park Has Some Problems
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Metra has proposed sweeping schedule changes on the Electric District services that will increase service to one neighborhood, decrease service to other comunities, and fully eliminate weekend service on the Blue Island branch.
CMAP: Federal Housing Programs Won’t Fund Walkable Neighborhoods
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According to a new CMAP report, federal guidelines generally discourage mixed-use development.
Eliminating Left Turns for Cars at North/Damen Would Create More Space for People
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One neat trick could go a long way towards solving the traffic problems at Wicker Park's complicated six-way intersection.
Even as Total Chicago Crash Fatalities Dropped, the Percentage of Pedestrian Deaths Grew
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New IDOT crash data makes it more clear than ever that we need to prioritize improving safety for vulnerable road users.
Widening the Tri-State Will Be Another Futile Attempt to Build Our Way Out of Congestion
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Adding new asphalt on the 22 miles of the Tri-State between Rosemont and Oak Lawn would be a waste of money because highway expansion inevitably induces more traffic.
Illinois Bill Would Require Companies to Offer Employees a Transit or Parking Benefit
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Currently thousands of workers in Chicagoland have part of their wages set aside to buy a transit pass. This occurs before taxes are deducted from their paychecks, and thus saves them a few hundred bucks each year in income taxes. Not everyone can do this, but a new bill in the Illinois House of Representatives intends […]
CDOT Open to Phone Hacking to Combat Distracted Driving as Police Stop Issuing Citations
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Chicago transportation commissioner Rebekah Scheinfeld is voicing support for a proposal to use a device known as a “textalyzer” to crack down on distracted driving with cellphones. Two aldermen, Anthony Beale Beale (9th) and Edward Burke (14th), have introduced a resolution asking the Chicago Police Department to look into using a $10,000 device from Cellebrite, which makes […]
Video: Police on Noisy ATVs Have Begun to Invade the Bloomingdale Trail
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As I discussed last week, the 14th Police District’s plan to patrol the Bloomingdale Trail, aka The 606, on all-terrain vehicles makes no sense. They have virtually no benefits over patrolling the path by bicycle, since bike are much more maneuverable (a huge advantage when the trail is crowded), cycles with saddlebags have almost as […]