Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about Active Transportation Alliance

Active Trans Helps Chicago Public Schools Set Up 25 Safe Routes Programs

By John Greenfield | Jul 8, 2013 | 3 Comments

[This article also appeared in print in Checkerboard City, John Greenfield’s transportation column in Newcity magazine, which hits the streets on Wednesday evenings.] In 1969, more than fifty percent of American children walked or biked to school, but by 2009 less than thirteen percent did so. This lifestyle change has been a major factor in […]

Amtrak’s Bike-on-Train Success Should Inspire South Shore Line

By Steven Vance | Jun 6, 2013 | 9 Comments

Amtrak riders tested new bike racks in the snack car of a train to Michigan last month, as the railroad prepares to launch roll-on service for trains to Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Lansing. Derrick James, the director of government affairs for the central region of Amtrak, sent these photos of the event. This single-level Amtrak […]

Active Trans: New Bike Safety Ordinance Good for Cyclists

By John Greenfield | May 9, 2013 | 28 Comments

Yesterday Mayor Rahm Emanuel introduced the 2013 Bicycle Safety Ordinance to City Council, including plans to double the fines for motorists who door bicyclists from $500 to $1,000, as well as to raise fines for cyclists who break traffic laws from $25 to a range of $50-$200, depending on the infraction. Emanuel also announced that […]

Picturing Safer Streets: The Better Blocks Initiative

By John Greenfield | Mar 25, 2013 | 2 Comments

[This piece also appears in Checkerboard City, John’s weekly transportation column in Newcity magazine, which hits the streets on Wednesday evenings.] Underserved neighborhoods are called that for a reason. They generally don’t receive their fair share of city services, and they tend to have less green space, worse conditions for walking and biking, and higher […]

Bike Swap’s Biggest Crowd Yet Turns Out at New Venue

By Steven Vance | Mar 12, 2013 | 2 Comments

Saturday’s bike swap, located in the largest venue since its humble beginnings in the party room of Jak’s Tap in 2010, brought in more visitors than ever — about 1,700, according to the Active Transportation Alliance. Organizers credit several changes, including social media marketing, discounts for University of Illinois at Chicago students and staff, and […]

See You at the Chicago Bike Swap Tomorrow

By John Greenfield | Mar 8, 2013 | 2 Comments

For a crash course in the local bicycle scene, you can’t do better than a visit to the Chicago Bike Swap, taking place this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in a huge gym at the UIC Physical Education Building, 901 West Roosevelt. Admission is $10, $5 for Active Transportation Alliance members and UIC […]

PlayStreets Creates Safe Public Space for Car-Free Recreation

By John Greenfield | Feb 22, 2013 | 3 Comments

Two of the biggest problems facing local youth, and Chicagoans in general, are street crime and the obesity epidemic, partly due to a lack of safe outdoor spaces for physical activity. PlayStreets, an initiative launched last year by the Chicago Department of Public Health, addresses both of those initiative by closing off city streets to […]

Branching Out: The North Branch Trail to Extend Further South, East

By John Greenfield | Jan 23, 2013 | 11 Comments

Local cyclists have long dreamed of a complete network of bicycle paths along the various branches of the Chicago River. This fall we’ll be moving three miles closer to that goal when the Cook County Forest Preserve District begins construction on a southern extension of the North Branch Trail. Meanwhile, the trail is also being […]