Steven Vance

Transportation planner and advocate. Steven also created Chicago Cityscape, a site that tracks neighborhood developments across the city.

Recent Posts

Don’t let competition between agencies and politicians block better South Side transit

By John Greenfield and Steven Vance | Sep 20, 2019 | 12 Comments

Chicago mayor Lightfoot said she's against a proposal by Cook County, backed by her old rival Toni Preckwinkle, that would lower Metra fares and increase service, on the grounds that it would hurt the CTA.

Ride-hailing drivers often park in bike lanes downtown, the most common place for trips to begin and end. Photo via Bike Lane Uprising.

The Most Common Chicago Ride-Hailing Trip Is a 1-Mile Hop From River North to the Loop

By Steven Vance and John Greenfield | Apr 18, 2019 | 25 Comments

The most common types of ride-hailing trips are short, downtown jaunts, many of which could easily be done by more sustainable modes.

The new electric-assist Divvy bikes (shown here without Divvy and Lyft branding) will have a built-in cable lock, allowing them to be parked at bike racks.

Here’s Some of the Nitty-Gritty From the Proposed Divvy/Lyft Contract Amendment

By Steven Vance | Mar 29, 2019 | 8 Comments

Here are some details about the build-out deadlines, advertising rules, profit-sharing, and more.

A diagram of the O'Hare Express study area from the CMAP analysis.

CDOT Is Trying to Convince CMAP to Add the O’Hare Express to ON TO 2050

By John Greenfield and Steven Vance | Feb 1, 2019 | 13 Comments

Adding Elon Musk's pipe dream to the regional plan would make the project potentially eligible to receive federal funds and approvals.

Drivers Struck 296 People in Reilly’s Ward in the Last Year, No Reported Riverwalk Crashes

By John Greenfield and Steven Vance | Oct 3, 2018 | 6 Comments

The car-pedestrian crashes included 48 cases with incapacitating injuries, but there have been no media reports of serious bike/ped crashes in the ward. So why is Alderman Reilly focused on banning bikes on the riverwalk?

The station access elements are highlighted in this rendering. CDOT/Perkins & Will

City Should Raise Priority of Using Damen Green Line Station to Prime Good Land Use

By Steven Vance | Aug 15, 2018 | 27 Comments

When I first saw the design for the new Green Line station at Damen Avenue on the Lake Street branch, I became worried that the station didn’t have an entrance providing access to the westbound platform. Several of the other stations on the branch to city’s West Side and Oak Park have entrances on both […]

The best scenario for the drive: Convert two of the existing mixed-traffic lanes to bus-only corridors.

Advocate For Adding Bus Lanes to North Lake Shore Drive Without Widening the Highway

By Steven Vance | Aug 2, 2018 | 44 Comments

The most sustainable option, converting existing traffic lanes to bus-only, is still on the table. But it's not going to happen unless residents voice support for it.