Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about State Policy

IDOT Exec on Bike Planning: “We’re Trying to Move Away From Old Cultures”

By Steven Vance | Jul 10, 2013 | 38 Comments

At a public meeting about the first state bike plan last night, staff from the Illinois Department of Transportation said the agency is trying to change its culture, and that starts with separating the bicycle component from its Long Range Transportation Plan into its own planning process. With about 70 participants in the crowd at […]

IDOT’s Protected Lane Ban Overshadows Development of State Bike Plan

By John Greenfield | Jul 9, 2013 | 30 Comments

As the Illinois Department of Transportation launches the public input process for the state’s first-ever statewide bicycle transportation plan, the elephant in the room is IDOT’s prohibition of protected bike lanes on state jurisdiction roads in Chicago. Protected lanes have been proven to improve safety for all road users, based on several years worth of […]

Tuesday: Can’t-Miss Public Meeting on First-Ever State Bike Plan

By Steven Vance | Jul 5, 2013 | No Comments

Next Tuesday, July 9, the Illinois Department of Transportation and its consultant, Alta Planning + Design, will host the first two public meetings to start crafting the first-ever state bike transportation plan. This is not a “bikes as recreation” plan. Judging by the Illinois Bike Transportation Plan website, it looks like the plan is going to be […]

IDOT Presents Final Plans for Circle Interchange

By Steven Vance | Jul 2, 2013 | 41 Comments

The Illinois Department of Transportation showed final plans for the Circle Interchange expansion last Thursday at the last public meeting about the project. You now have a week and a half to tell IDOT your thoughts on the record before the public comment period ends July 12 (see how below). Since the last public meeting, IDOT has […]

IDOT Asks Road Builders to Pack Room at Circle Interchange Hearing

By Steven Vance | Jun 27, 2013 | 72 Comments

The Illinois Department of Transportation is hosting a meeting tonight to present adjustments to the $475 million Circle Interchange project. The project, justified as way to increase automobile speeds and reduce congestion-related delays and crashes, will still have an ugly flyover over Halsted Street and at eye level of many residents in a nearby apartment building. […]

An IDOT Engineer Discusses the Department’s Ban on Protected Bike Lanes

By John Greenfield | Jun 17, 2013 | 23 Comments

This February, Steven Vance reported that the Illinois Department of Transportation has been prohibiting the installation of protected bike lanes on state jurisdiction roads in Chicago at least until the Chicago Department of Transportation collects three years of “safety data” on existing Chicago protected lanes. That means the earliest the ban would be lifted would […]

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