Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about State Policy

IDOT Finally Sees The Light, Stops Withholding Crash Data From the Public

By John Greenfield | Nov 3, 2015 | 1 Comment

Back in August, a transportation professional who asked not to be named told me the Illinois Department of Transportation had stopped fulfilling requests from nongovernmental entities for crash location data. This information is crucial for analyzing any transportation network — for example, we often rely on crash data for Streetsblog Chicago stories. I have since […]

The Rebel Commissioner: “Start-Up City” Goes Behind the Scenes at CDOT

By John Greenfield | Oct 20, 2015 | No Comments

[This piece also runs in Checkerboard City, John’s transportation column in Newcity magazine, which hits the streets on Wednesday evenings.] Ex-Chicago Department of Transportation chief Gabe Klein says that when he returned to Chicago earlier this month for his first real visit since he resigned almost two years ago, it was a highly emotional experience. […]

The Illiana’s Latest Death Blow: Feds Dropping Their Appeal of Court Ruling

By Steven Vance | Sep 23, 2015 | 3 Comments

A new legal development may represent the final nail in the coffin for the wasteful, destructive Illiana Tollway project. Yesterday, the Federal Highway Administration dropped its appeal of the court ruling that invalidated the Illiana’s key supporting document. Back in June, U.S. District Court Judge Jorge Alonso invalidated the tollway’s Environmental Impact Statement, calling it “arbitrary and capricious.” […]

High Speed Rail Association: Use Metra Tracks for O’Hare Express

By Steven Vance | Sep 2, 2015 | 49 Comments

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and aviation commissioner Ginger Evans stated earlier this year that creating an express train to O’Hare Airport is a priority for this administration. However, the Blue Line is already a fairly speedy way to get to the airport, which could easily be upgraded via a few short-term improvements. Therefore, the city might be […]

State Transportation Department Is Refusing to Provide Crash Data to Citizens

By John Greenfield | Aug 21, 2015 | 2 Comments

Crash data from the Illinois Department of Transportation is important for the work we do here at Streetsblog Chicago. For example, we recently looked up statistics from IDOT’s Illinois Safety Data Mart crash database in order to investigate the Chicago Department of Transportation’s claim that they intend to close a street in Jefferson Park due […]

Eyes on the Street: The New Normal on Clybourn Avenue

By John Greenfield | Aug 13, 2015 | 3 Comments

The Lakefront Trail. Milwaukee Avenue. The 606. And Clybourn Avenue? The first three Chicago routes are known for having massive amounts of bicycle traffic during rush hours, and anytime the weather is nice. With the advent of its new curb-protected bike lanes, it looks like Clybourn is joining this elite club. The Illinois Department of […]

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