Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about Divvy

Yes, Businessmen Ride Divvy in Suits

By Steven Vance | Sep 23, 2013 | 19 Comments

Before Divvy launched, Trib columnist Jon Hilkevitch infamously questioned whether businessmen would use the system, “risking sweat stains on expensive suits just to save a couple of dollars on a taxicab and possibly save a tree from pollution.” One reader recently told us that he still encounters people who don’t believe anyone would ride Divvy in […]

CDOT Developing Divvy Relocation Procedures

By Steven Vance | Sep 13, 2013 | 11 Comments

Divvy bike-share continues to expand, Assistant Transportation Commissioner Sean Wiedel said at the Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Council on Wednesday, and should reach 300 stations by the end of September. As of today there are 222 stations. Wiedel reported that over 7,700 annual members and numerous 24-hour pass users have made almost 325,000 trips and pedaled […]

The Challenge of Making Divvy Accessible to People Without Bank Accounts

By Steven Vance | Sep 5, 2013 | 40 Comments

To use Divvy you must have a debit or credit card. Currently, there’s no way around that, so even though an annual Divvy pass is a bargain at $75, the system is unavailable for many Chicagoans. A significant share of city households — 12.7 percent — don’t have bank accounts, according to graduate research by […]

Injunction to Remove Divvy Station Denied, But Lawsuit Can Continue

By Steven Vance | Aug 29, 2013 | 3 Comments

Last Friday Judge Kathleen Kennedy heard arguments from plaintiffs Jeannine Cordero and David Kolin, representing the 3565 N Pine Grove condo association, about receiving an injunction to prevent the installation of a Divvy bike-share station on the roadway adjacent to their building. They contended that the station would devalue their property and bring litter, and […]

John Kass Returns to Bike Baiting: “I Can’t Stand Those Divvy Bike People”

By John Greenfield | Aug 26, 2013 | 80 Comments

After a series of anti-bike columns in the Tribune, designed to tick off cyclists and rack up pageviews, John Kass crossed the line last May with a piece that implied motorists shouldn’t be expected to watch out for bikes before opening their car doors. Dustin Valenta, who sustained a cracked skull, fractured pelvis and shoulder […]

Alderman Tunney: A People Spot Is More Valuable Than Parking Spots

By John Greenfield | Aug 23, 2013 | 20 Comments

32nd Ward Alderman Scott Waguespack, usually a progressive on transportation issues, recently made some backward comments about city initiatives that convert car parking spaces into facilities like Divvy stations, bike parking corrals and People Spot seating areas. Waguespack fretted about the impact these conversions would have on local businesses, but it’s clear that these innovative […]

Condo Association Sues to Have “Hideous” Divvy Station Removed

By Steven Vance | Aug 22, 2013 | 93 Comments

Update Friday, 15:09: Judge Kathleen Kennedy denied the plaintiffs’ request for a temporary restraining order because they didn’t state a clearly ascertainable, protectable right and cannot sustain the merits of their complaint (if it went to trial, as they requested). The protectable rights they tried to ascertain and state were that the Divvy station would […]

600 Youth Bike Apprenticeships Help Spread Benefits of Divvy Citywide

By John Greenfield | Aug 20, 2013 | 6 Comments

[This article also ran in Checkerboard City, John’s column in Newcity magazine, which hits the streets on Wednesday evenings.] As I pedaled up to the Bronzeville Community Garden, 51st and Calumet, on a Wednesday afternoon, smooth R&B drifted from a sound system and folks were gathered around a table made of colorfully painted repurposed wood, gazing […]

The Trib’s Jon Hilkevitch Changes His Tune, Reports Divvy Is a Success

By John Greenfield | Aug 19, 2013 | 45 Comments

Back in May, a month before the Divvy bike-share system launched, transportation reporter Jon Hilkevitch published the first of three Tribune articles characterizing Divvy as a rip-off, dysfunctional and racist. In that first piece, a faux exposé entitled “Overtime fees, legal potholes dot city bike-share program,” Hilkevitch portrayed the rules and charges associated with the […]

Evanston and Chicago Applying for Federal Funds to Expand Divvy North

By Steven Vance | Aug 15, 2013 | 49 Comments

The Evanston City Council on Monday approved a proposal to apply for federal funds through the Transportation Alternatives program to pay for a minimum of seven Divvy bike sharing stations (map) in the adjacent suburb. A staff memo to the council [PDF] recommended that Evanston make an agreement with the City of Chicago to collect […]

For Some College Students, Ventra Rollout Begins Today

By Steven Vance | Aug 5, 2013 | 14 Comments

The Chicago Transit Authority’s revenue director, Eric Reese, hosted a gaggle of reporters on Friday to show off the Ventra “outreach bus” and demonstrate, for the first time, a Ventra vending machine. Ventra is set to replace the current fare media for CTA and the Pace suburban bus system, including all passes, Chicago Card/Plus, and […]

Proof That Bike-Share Generates More Foot Traffic Than Free Parking

By John Greenfield | Aug 5, 2013 | 37 Comments

[This article also appeared in “Checkerboard City,” John’s column in Newcity magazine, which hits the streets on Wednesday evenings.] As I’ve written, the 32nd Ward’s Scott Waguespack is a good guy, and he’s one of Chicago’s best aldermen. A key independent voice and reformer, he’s sort of the Eliot Ness of City Council. He made […]

Load more stories