Payton Chung
Payton Chung is Editor at Large of Streetsblog USA. He first addressed a city council about smart growth in 1996, accidentally authored Chicago's inclusionary housing law, and sees the promises and perils of planning every day as a resident of "beautiful as well as sanitary" Washington, D.C.
Recent Posts
Alta Chief: Bike-Share Expansions Unlikely in 2014
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Despite continually growing ridership, Alta Bicycle Share-operated bike-share systems across America will probably not be adding bikes or docks this year. The bankruptcy of Montreal-based Public Bike Share Company, known as Bixi, which developed and manufactured the equipment that Alta’s systems use, has disrupted the supply chain that numerous cities were pinning their expansion plans […]
The Secrets of Successful Transit Projects — Revealed!
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All across America, cities are investing in new transit lines. Which of these routes will make the biggest impact by attracting large numbers of new riders? A landmark report from a team of researchers with the University of California at Berkeley identifies the factors that set successful transit investments apart from the rest. The secret […]
Talking Shared Space With Ben Hamilton-Baillie
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“Recovering architect” and street design expert Ben Hamilton-Baillie launched a broadside against the rules of traffic engineering during a plenary speech to the Congress for the New Urbanism’s recent annual meeting in Buffalo. Baillie urges widespread adoption of “shared space” — a design concept popularized by Hans Monderman over the past generation in the Netherlands that has […]
Wicker Park Counts Up Better Ways to Use Its 11,650 Parking Spaces
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Every Saturday night at dusk, the main streets in Wicker Park and Bucktown seize up. The stalled lines of cars don’t just infuriate drivers — they also stall buses, block crosswalks, and push cyclists into the dangerous door zone. These crowds don’t descend out of nowhere to watch the sunset, or to pile into shows […]
Today’s Headlines
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43rd Street Pedestrian Bridge To Lakefront Will Finally Be Rebuilt (DNA) Pride Parade Means More Frequent Trains, Detoured Bus Routes On Sunday (WLS-TV) Civil Suit Filed Against Hit-And-Run Driver Who Killed Bicyclist Su Ai Xie (RedEye) New, More Visible Traffic Lights Turned On At Milwaukee-Wood-Wolcott (DNA) Memorial To Daniel Burnham To Focus On Virtual Interpretive […]
Chicagoland’s Newest Bicycle Delivery Service Brings Safety to Suburban Kids
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All around the country, and especially in suburban areas, safety conscious parents often keep their kids indoors, off what many fear to be dangerous streets. As a result, many fewer children are walking and cycling, with grave consequences for the nation’s health. The Active Transportation Alliance has long tried to offset this trend in a […]
Join Us Tonight For Our Streetsblog Chicago / Alta Happy Hour
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Tonight, Streetsblog Chicago will be co-hosting a happy hour with Mia Birk‘s planning firm, Alta Planning + Design. Join us from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m. in the downstairs bar area at Vinyl, 121 W. Hubbard Street. Mia served as Bicycle Program Manager for the city of Portland, Oregon, from 1993 to 1999, a pivotal period […]
Today’s Headlines
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Did You Bike To Work Today? Bicycle Commuter Challenge Continues All Week [Active Trans] Ontario Bridge Demolition Sped Up, “Carmageddon” “Not That Bad” [Sun-Times] The Bronzeville Bike Box Opened On Sunday [Bike Box] Citizens Taking Action Ranks Wards By Transit Availability [DNAinfo] Uninsured Driver Kills 77-Year-Old Pedestrian Crossing Elston In Jefferson Park [Sun-Times] Police Renew […]
Mapping How Far You Can Bike Without Breaking a Sweat
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Any bicyclist knows that maps can be quite deceiving at first glance. The first time I tried to traverse San Francisco on a bicycle, I foolishly set out from the bike-rental shop on Fisherman’s Wharf with a basic street map, and decided that I’d avoid downtown traffic by heading south across the grid. While I was correct […]
Wells-Wentworth Project Will Fix Intersection, Spark Riverfront Development
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For years, Chinatown has welcomed visitors with a red ceremonial gateway straddling Wentworth Street just south of Cermak Road. Yet for many visitors to Chinatown, accessing the historic Wentworth business strip involves confusedly jaywalking across the six lanes of Cermak, a not-so-welcoming experience. The Wells-Wentworth Connector project aims to make that tricky intersection safer and […]
Fifteen Complaints Filed Every Day About Reckless Taxi Drivers
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The current debate over rideshare legislation within City Hall and in Springfield has aired the resentment that Chicagoans have towards their taxicab drivers. Jamie Crain, a spokeswoman for Uber, sent Streetsblog excerpts from over 2,000 taxi complaints filed with the city’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection between February and April. That’s an average […]
A Plan to Fill the Hole in Rosemont’s Heart
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The northwest suburban village of Rosemont has always been divided by busy transportation routes that funnel people through a crossroads. Occupying the geographic center of the town is a giant interchange, where the Kennedy Expressway, the Jane Addams (Northwest) Tollway, the Tri-State Tollway, and the I-190 spur to O’Hare Airport tangle over 300 acres of land […]