Ring in the New Year by Supporting Safer, More Vibrant Chicago Streets

Our first year publishing Streetsblog Chicago has been an amazing maiden voyage, and as 2013 draws to a close, there are plenty of exciting transportation developments to look forward to in 2014. Construction will start on the O’Hare Line rehab and the Loop bus rapid transit corridor. The Chicago Department of Transportation will roll out dozens of new miles of buffered and protected bike lanes, and at least 175 new Divvy stations. The long-awaited Bloomingdale Trail will finally open to the public. And, with any luck, in the near future we’ll have a glitch-free Ventra system.

If you’ve come to rely on Streetsblog to bring you the latest in transportation news from a pro-walking, biking and transit perspective, please help us keep the site going strong next year by making a tax-deductible donation today. Your gift will go a long way to ensuring we can keep pushing for bold initiatives, countering misinformation from NIMBYs that would keep Chicago’s transportation network stuck in the 20th Century, and calling out the mainstream media when they get the story wrong.

There are a gaggle of reasons why today is the ideal time to support hard-hitting coverage of local transportation news. Thanks to a generous contribution from an anonymous donor, all gifts to Streetsblog received by December 31 will be matched, up to $15,000. That means your money will go even further towards allowing us to do the important work of serving as a watchdog for safer, more efficient and more vibrant Windy City streets.

Everyone who donates by New Year’s Eve will be entered in a raffle to win a handsome new C7 or V7 bike from our friends at PUBLIC bikes. The first winner get first pick of these classy, comfy cruisers.

On top of that, Streetsblog Chicago sponsors Bike and Roll Chicago are generously offering free coupons for a two-hour bike rental for two from their Millennium Park location to the first 100 donors. Make a gift to the website today and we’ll send you a coupon, which will come in handy next time you’re entertaining friends or family from out of town.

Still not convinced that there’s no time like the present for supporting livable Chicago Streets? Anyone who donates to Streetsblog before the big ball drops at midnight tomorrow will be registered to win a badass “Blackdana” helmet in size S/M from the good folks at Nutcase.

As you start making your New Year’s resolutions (I’m committing to ride CTA and Metra more often), please resolve to support the website that goes to bat for the transportation and public space projects you’re passionate about. Thanks to everyone who’s contributed so far, especially our generous anonymous donor, and have a safe and fun-filled NYE.

--John

Streetsblog Chicago will resume publication on Thursday. See you in 2014!