As I’ve written before, this is going to be the long, hot summer of sustainable transportation in Chicago. There are a number of big, bold walking, biking and transit projects taking place: the south Red Line rehab, construction of the Bloomingdale, protected bike lanes on Milwaukee and elsewhere, the launch of Divvy bike-share, and much more.
Our job at Streetsblog Chicago is to keep you updated on these exciting initiatives, as well as to get the message out to others on why sustainable transportation projects, including ones that take away space from cars, are crucial for creating a liveable city. We’re also here to debunk misinformation about walking, biking and transit that’s all too common in the mainstream media.
The Illinois Department of Transportation wants to build a flyover lane for the Ike seven feet from someone’s bedroom or block protected bike lanes on Clybourn? We’ll get you the skinny on the situation. Local merchants think the Lawrence road diet or Ashland bus rapid transit will destroy their businesses? We’re here to calm them down. The Tribune implies that Divvy will be a rip-off and a failure, or blames the victim when cyclists get injured or killed by drivers who open their car doors without looking? We’re going to set them straight.
We really appreciate the support of folks like you who read Streetsblog Chicago and chime in on the comments sections of our articles, and we need your help to keep doing the important work of promoting sustainable transportation in our city. Streetsblog is reader-powered, and we need to raise funds to support the site, or else it might not be here in 2014. Fortunately, while media outlets everywhere are trying to figure out how to stay afloat, Streetsblog readers are helping to show that we've got a viable model here, based on producing content for a passionate, dedicated audience.
If you value the work we do please make a contribution to Streetsblog Chicago so we can keep bringing you the latest in livable streets. For some extra motivation, we also have a sweet folding bike to give away at the end of the pledge drive. Everyone who makes a gift of $50 or more (or a monthly gift of $5 or more) will be entered into the drawing to take home this fine steed, courtesy of Dahon. Thanks for reading and supporting the site.
