Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about State Policy

Motor Mouth Face-Off: Vote on the Most Cringeworthy Car-Centric Quote

By Angie Schmitt | Aug 12, 2013 | No Comments

It can be a revealing moment when a public official lets slip with a quote that inadvertently tells you what he really thinks of policies to improve walking, biking, or transit. We asked our readers around the country to send us the most egregious “Motor Mouth” quotes they could dig up. Now we need you […]

North Lake Shore Drive Will Get Rebuilt, But Will It Be a Great Street?

By Steven Vance | Jul 25, 2013 | 114 Comments

The north portion of Lake Shore Drive, from Grand Avenue to its northern terminus at Hollywood Avenue, will be rebuilt in the next five years. It’s a major transportation project and a huge opportunity for Chicago, but will we make the most of it? A coalition of 15 national and regional organizations presented their vision […]

Email Shows IDOT Almost Approved A Protected Lane, Changed Their Minds

By John Greenfield | Jul 19, 2013 | 15 Comments

The Illinois Department of Transportation’s ban on protected bicycle lanes on state-jurisdiction roads is a mystery. As Steven Vance reported in February of this year, the department is prohibiting the Chicago Department of Transportation from installing PBLs on IDOT streets at least until CDOT provides three years of “safety data” on existing protected lanes. Since […]

IDOT Still Has Time to Make Peoria Street Great

By Steven Vance | Jul 19, 2013 | 5 Comments

As part of the Circle Interchange project, the Illinois Department of Transportation will rebuild many of the bridges around the confluence of three highways. One of them is the Peoria Street bridge, a vital connection that links two college buildings and West Loop residences north of the Eisenhower Expressway to the University of Illinois at Chicago […]

All Infrastructure Projects Create Jobs, But Not All Are Smart Investments

By Steven Vance | Jul 18, 2013 | 31 Comments

The Circle Interchange highway expansion project began construction Wednesday. At a press conference on the Peoria Street bridge, Governor Quinn stressed the job creation aspect of the $475 million project. What Quinn didn’t mention is that any $475 million infrastructure project would create a lot of jobs. In fact, after the 2009 stimulus bill injected billions […]

Governor Quinn is On Board With IDOT’s Protected Bike Lane Ban

By John Greenfield | Jul 17, 2013 | 16 Comments

For years, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has been an enthusiastic supporter of walking, biking and transit initiatives. In 2001 he hiked from the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan to draw attention to the need for universal healthcare, and he later launched the Walk Across Illinois fitness challenge, encouraging residents to walk 190 miles within one […]

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