Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about Around the Block

3 Steps to Fight Street Harassment

By Angie Schmitt | Apr 6, 2017 | No Comments

Cat calls, patronizing enjoinders to "smile," and more aggressive forms of harassment can make walking or biking uncomfortable or threatening. Katie Matchett, an urban planner who writes about pedestrian issues at Where the Sidewalk Starts, still recalls getting harassed on the streets of San Diego as she was beginning her career 20 years ago. She says it's up to everyone -- men and women -- to combat it.

Is Portland Losing Its Resolve Against Highway Expansions?

By Angie Schmitt | Apr 5, 2017 | No Comments

In the 1970s, some American cities revolted against highway expansion and kept the worst excesses of the interstate construction spree in check. Those cities tend to be the most walkable and transit-oriented places in the nation today. But in Portland that legacy is in jeopardy.

There was no congestion crisis on the Atlanta highway system this morning. Image: Google Maps via City Observatory

Atlanta’s I-85 Collapse — Another “Carmaggedon” That Wasn’t

By John Greenfield | Apr 4, 2017 | No Comments

When a heavily-traveled section of Atlanta's I-85 collapsed in a fire last week, the traffic predictions were dire. But the highway disruption appears to be another case of "carmaggedon" that never materialized -- and that should inform the way we plan our transportation systems.

Texas widened I-10 in Houston to cram more car commuters onto the highway system, not to facilitate national trade. Photo: Socreate76 via Creative Commons

The GOP Case for Cutting Federal Transit Funding Isn’t Principled — It’s Tribalism

By Angie Schmitt | Apr 3, 2017 | No Comments

The insistence that transit is a local priority while highways are a national concern has become an article of faith in the world of right-wing think tanks. But today highway spending mostly serves the same type of trips that Republicans purportedly believe are inappropriate for federal funding.

Trump Moves to Immediately Gut Transit Expansion and TIGER Funding

By John Greenfield | Mar 30, 2017 | No Comments

Waiting for fiscal year 2018 isn't fast enough for the Trump administration to cut transit funding. The White House wants to slash transit expansion and TIGER grants immediately.

Young girls are as enthusiastic about biking as boys, but many lose interest in biking as they get older. Photo: Cameron Adams/Flickr

Why Do Teenage Girls Lose Interest in Biking?

By Angie Schmitt | Mar 29, 2017 | No Comments

Jennifer Dill at Portland State University is taking a close look at why girls' attitudes about biking change over time. In a study of 300 Portland-area families, she observed that a gender gap in attitudes toward cycling isn't apparent in younger kids, but when girls reach adolescence, they don't view cycling as positively as boys do.

Officials are questioning whether the $2 billion Mon-Fayette Expressway project -- meant to help this struggling part of Appalachia -- would be worth it. Photo: PGHBridges.com

Highway Projects Won’t Save the Rust Belt

By Angie Schmitt | Mar 28, 2017 | No Comments

Highway mega-projects remain tempting to struggling cities and regions in the Rust Belt. But evidence shows they shift economic activity away from existing business districts and don't generate lasting improvements.

Nashville's $6 billion regional transit plan calls for several new light rail and bus rapid transit lines. Map: nMotion2015

Nashville Is Ready to Embrace Transit

By Angie Schmitt | Mar 27, 2017 | No Comments

Nashville planners have put together a $6 billion transit expansion plan that calls for four light rail lines, three bus rapid transit routes, a commuter rail connection, and more. And it looks like a referendum on raising local taxes to pay for the package would fare well, according to a new poll.

Graphic: Troy Heerwagen via Seattle Bike Blog

Seattle Campaign to #GivePedsTheGreen Would Do Away With “Beg Buttons”

By Angie Schmitt | Mar 24, 2017 | No Comments

A petition in Seattle is calling on the city to do away with "beg buttons" and automatically give pedestrians a walk signal at every traffic light in its "urban villages" -- areas that are walkable and transit-oriented. While pressing a button may seem like a small imposition, it's not that simple.

Even Portland still pours most of its regional transportation money into highways. But a new advocacy coalition is calling for change. Photo: Bike Portland

Portland Advocates Won’t Settle for Business-as-Usual Highway Spending

By Angie Schmitt | Mar 23, 2017 | No Comments

Advocates in Portland are challenging the region's business-as-usual approach to transportation planning. They're sick of roads getting most of the funding pie, while transit, biking, and walking get crumbs.

Atlanta residents voted to expand MARTA service last fall, but the Trump budget would throw those plans into turmoil. Photo: Scott Ehardt via Wikimedia Commons

Transit Advocates Launch Call to Action Against Disastrous Trump Budget

By Angie Schmitt | Mar 22, 2017 | No Comments

Dozens of transit projects across the nation -- as well as walking and biking projects that count on funds from the TIGER program -- are under threat unless Congress scraps the hardline budget outline proposed by the White House. Transportation for America is urging people to contact their representatives and oppose the cuts.

Employees in downtown LA who received free parking drove solo to work at much higher rates than those who did not. Graphic: Donald Shoup/UCLA

Soon DC Employers May Pay People to Not Drive to Work

By Angie Schmitt | Mar 21, 2017 | No Comments

With a "parking cash out" policy, employers who provide employees with parking benefits also give the equivalent value in cash to workers who don't car commute. Now a version of that idea has been introduced in the DC Council by members Charles Allen, Mary Cheh, and Brianne Nadeau.

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