The Black Power Bike Ride: A Journey Through the South Side
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Cyclists of color chose bicycles as their means of transportation because "for marginalized groups, cycling has historically been a political act."
Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about equity
Divvy Will Be a Subject of a Bike-Share Equity Study; CDOT Announces Free Cycling Classes
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Along with Philadelphia’s and New York’s bike-share systems, Portland State University researchers have been studying Divvy system, looking at the barriers to riding for low-income individuals and people of color. Meanwhile, CDOT announce this year's adult bike riding classes geared towards new Divvy users.
Daniel Kay Hertz Breaks Down the North Side / South Side Transit Gap
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Hertz proposes commonsense near-term changes we can make to improve South Side transit: building more transit-oriented development, creating rapid-transit service on Metra lines, and adding time-saving features to existing bus service.
Black Bike Advocates Say They’ll Fight the CPD’s Biased Ticketing Practices
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In the wake of a Tribune report on disproportionate bike ticketing in African-American communities, two local cycling advocates say they're determined to hold the police department accountable for ending its unfair enforcement practices.
How Racial Discrimination Shaped Atlanta’s Transportation Mess
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Atlanta is a poster child for sprawl, and its transportation system certainly isn't what you would call resilient.
The Injustice of Subsidizing Jobs People Can Only Reach By Driving
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The more far-flung the jobs in a region, the fewer are accessible via transit, biking, and walking -- or even a short, inexpensive car commute.
Comparing Transit Access in Lincoln Park to South Lawndale
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Here’s some info about transit inequality that I had to leave out of this week’s Chicago Reader column about transportation issues that impact local Latino communities, due to space limitations. Alma Zamudio, who earned a BA in urban planning and public administration at UIC, has worked with various Latino housing, labor, and social justice organizations, […]
Working-Class Chicagoans Discuss the Highs and Lows of Bike Commuting
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Since biking is a convenient and affordable way to travel in the city, many blue-collar workers use bikes to access job opportunities. Streetsblog contributor Lynda Lopez interviewed two Chicagoans who fit this profile to get their take on the benefits of bike commuting in this city, as well as some of the issues they want […]
Sliding-Scale Fines Could Make Chicago Traffic Enforcement More Equitable
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[Last year the Chicago Reader launched a weekly transportation column written by Streetsblog Chicago editor John Greenfield. This partnership allows Streetsblog to extend the reach of our livable streets advocacy. We syndicate a portion of the column after it comes out online; you can read the remainder on the Reader’s website or in print. The paper hits the […]
How Can Chicago Make Sure Vision Zero Benefits Communities of Color?
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This article also ran in the Chicago Reader weekly newspaper. In May 2012 the Chicago Department of Transportation released its “Chicago Forward” agenda, including the stated goal of eliminating all traffic deaths by 2022. That target was inspired by the international Vision Zero movement, which began in Sweden in 1997. It’s based on the notion […]
How Unrepresentative Is Your Regional Planning Agency?
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Do the people who make transportation funding decisions in your region represent the people who actually live in your region? After sitting through dozens of meetings presided over by a legion of white men, Texas transportation reformer Jay Crossley wanted to find out. He recently released the first phase of a report on the Austin region’s Capital […]
Naomi Doerner on How Street Safety Advocates Can Support Racial Justice
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When a police officer in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, shot and killed Philando Castile earlier this month, the encounter began with a traffic stop. The stop fit a pattern: Castile had been pulled over many times before — 46 times in 13 years — but few of those citations were for dangerous driving. More prevalent were stops for minor issues like […]