Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about Streetsblog Network

Will the Obama administration prod state DOTs to abandon the destructive practice of widening roads and highways, or will it further entrench policies that have hollowed out cities and towns, increased traffic and car dependence, and made America a world leader in carbon pollution? That’s what’s hanging in the balance as U.S. DOT opens public comments on […]

Here’s an idea whose time has come: Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney has proposed a tax on soda and other sugary drinks that contribute to obesity and poor health, and using the money to pay for public improvements, including bike trails. The soda tax was first proposed by Kenney’s predecessor, Michael Nutter, who encountered fierce opposition from beverage […]

Here is a truly heartbreaking story about the price we pay for prioritizing cars over people on our streets. This weekend in St. Louis County, a turning driver struck and killed 7-year-old Rachel Bick on Highway 109. She was trying to cross the street on her way to a father-daughter dance at Babler Elementary. As Richard Bose at Next STL writes, this wasn’t an unforeseeable […]

In a blockbuster development, New York’s MTA has withdrawn from membership in APTA, the industry organization representing American transit agencies. The MTA’s rejection of APTA is a big deal. The agency accounts for 35 percent of all transit trips in the nation, and its annual fee to support APTA is larger than what other agencies contribute. The future of […]

Cities all over the country have been experimenting with ways to make bike-share service accessible to people who don’t have a credit card and about $100 to drop all at once on an annual membership. In the last few years, Boston and Chicago both started offering $5 annual memberships for low-income residents. Edward Russell at Greater Greater Washington reports that […]

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx made headlines recently with a speech about how America needs to rethink its approach to urban highways. But U.S. DOT’s influence is limited. States have the real power when it comes spending federal transportation funds, however, and a lot of states are still stuck in the cycle of addressing traffic congestion by widening highways, […]