Big crowd showed up to Chicago Bike PAC’s Campaign Trail Party to root for alders who support Complete Streets

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Chicago Bike PAC is a political action committee that’s raising money to help elect bicycle-friendly alderpersons to the City Council. Last Thursday, the group hosted a Campaign Trail Party at Midwest Coast Brewing Company, 2137 W. Walnut St. on the Near West Side. Cohosts included Better Streets Chicago (Action Fund), Chicago, Bike Grid Now!, and Chicago Family Biking.

The event was a shout-out to five alders that Bike PAC founders Kevin Borgia and Chris Ridgeway consider to be “Safe Streets champions.” These included Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st), Ald. Julia Ramirez (12th), Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th), Ald. Matt Martin (47th), and Ald. Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (48th). Also present was Ald. Anthony Quezada (35th), who was appointed to replace former alder Carlos Ramirez Rosa in April 2025.

The party doubled as a fundraiser. This morning Bike PAC announced that they have surpassed their $100K goal by reaching $107,508 to contribute to campaigns.

In addition to the six alders, Mayoral candidate Joe Holberg, and perhaps some other political hopefuls, attended. And several dozen civilian bike advocates showed up, many of whom pedaled there in the excellent late summer weather that evening.

Kevin Borgia, who served as emcee, gave the opening remarks. “We want to build the city for all Chicagoans, whether it’s the office worker in Sears Tower – and it is the Sears Tower,” he said to chuckles from the audience. “[From] the line cooks at Mr. Beef, to the janitors at Sox Park and Wrigley, to the families that just want to bike their kids to school safely. That’s why we’re all here tonight.”

The next speaker was Ald. Julia Ramirez. She explained that she lost her only brother Nicholas Ramirez to gun violence when he was 19, and said that tragedy informs her response to traffic violence cases. “70 percent of those drivers who struck someone in Brighton Park didn’t even live in the neighborhood,” said Ramirez. “Archer Avenue… is not an expressway. It’s a neighborhood with living people and neighbors. That’s why we fought for a historic $20,000,000 investment in Archer and Kedzie avenues, [with] safer intersections, improved crossings, accessible sidewalks, modernized infrastructure, and, yes, bike lanes.” 

Ramirez was followed by Gil “Pookie” Campos, a Bright Park cycling advocate. After the 12th Ward alder’s political opponents staged weekly protests against the Archer Complete Streets project, Campos and Alfredo Villadares Jr., from nearby Gage Park Cyclists, organized rallies to compete with them. Campos told the Bike PAC crowd that he thought to himself, “If they’re gonna be out there protesting against bike lanes, then maybe I should be protesting for bike lanes.” The counter-protesters eventually outnumbered the naysayers and, after nearly six months of dueling rallies, the opponents stopped showing up.

Rebecca Resman, a founder of Chicago Family Biking, which “offers education, resources, and encouragement to help families ride,” provided a parental viewpoint on bike issues. She said the fact that it’s illegal for kids 12 and older to ride on our city’s sidewalks made her concerned about making it safer to bicycle in the roadway.

“We’ve had some real wins for safer streets,” she said. “The reality is that every single one of these pieces of infrastructure has come with a fight. We fight for the idea, we fight to get it implemented without it being watered down to the point of losing its effectiveness. And then it gets put in, and we have to fight to keep it there. I’m really tired of this fight. We need leaders that are going to prioritize and fight for safe streets, but also, we need to support them. It’s my whole heart out there. I know every parent who watches their kid walk out that door… it’s the same gut feeling. So what are we doing to protect these kids?”

The next speaker was Timothy Shambrook, who lost his daughter Lily, 3, in a June 2022 bicycle crash caused by a trucker illegally blocking a bike lane. Since then, he has been a tirelessly advocate for traffic safety to help prevent other families from experiencing the same heartache. He mentioned that getting around Chicago by sustainable transportation gave Lily a keen sense of direction. “She knew where she was in the city without being stuck in a car like you’re going to the moon. [Kids who live car-free] have the opportunity to learn about their city.”

The last presenter was Ald. Andre Vasquez, who mentioned that he only learned to ride a bike a few years ago. “If you grow up in a neighborhood that maybe you can afford because you’re an immigrant family, it’s not the safest neighborhood to walk outside in,” he explained. “So maybe you’re not learning to ride a bike the way everyone else does.”

Using Divvy bike-share, he participated in one of the Chicago Department of Transportation’s “Learn to Ride” classes, and practiced his skills by rolling down a hill in Warren Park. Three weeks later after taking the class, he rode in Bike The Drive, This year he lead a group ride from Lincoln Square to a starting point for the car-free highway event.

While Vasquez said he loves the feeling of freedom and flight from biking, he realizes that Chicago streets are not entirely bike friendly. When he asked how many audience members have been “doored” while biking, most of the attendees raised their hands.

Vasquez said he doesn’t believe new traffic safety infrastructure will lead to gentrification and housing displacement in Chicago’s lower-income and working-class communities, especially if Complete Streets projects are evenly distributed throughout the city. But he acknowledged that that’s an understandable worry. “We are in a city that was designed in such a racist manner that even when safety is coming to you, you get concerned,” he said.

Having a critical mass of alders who support Safe Streets at City Hall will help ensure that all Chicagoans can reap the benefits of better walk/bike/transit, citywide.

See more photos from the Campaign Trail Party on Chicago Bike PAC’s post.

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