Lakeview Developer First to Use TOD Ordinance to Reduce Parking
New rental housing planned next to the Paulina Brown Line station in West Lakeview at Lincoln Avenue and Roscoe Street is the first known development to take advantage of the transit-oriented development ordinance passed in 2013 that reduces parking minimums for buildings near transit stations.
January 30, 2014
Mapped: Where Most Chicagoans Don’t Own Cars
A new interactive map shows what transportation mode people use to get to work in each neighborhood in Chicago, while also identifying the share of Chicagoans who don't own cars. Shaun Jacobsen -- who writes the Transitized blog and occasionally freelances for Streetsblog -- created "How Chicago Commutes" to show that many residents will benefit more from walking, bicycling, and transit improvements than free curbside parking, which tends to dominate the discussion at public meetings.
January 29, 2014
A Look at the Illiana Tollway Boondoggle From Indiana’s Perspective
The Illinois Department of Transportation is pushing forward with the risky and unnecessary Illiana Tollway by announcing its "short list" of four finance and construction groups that can build the 35-mile Illinois portion. Streetsblog has reported abundantly from the Illinois perspective -- including a look at IDOT's own analysis showing a net decrease in Illinois jobs as a result of the project. But it's also worth taking a look at how the process -- and the opposition -- have played out in Indiana.
January 24, 2014
Eyes on the Street: CDOT Adds Curb to Prevent Sidewalk Driving
Back in April we showed that people were driving, parking, and blocking the sidewalk next to the BP gas station on the newly redesigned Congress Parkway streetscape. After publishing, we found out that the post had drawn the attention of Chicago Department of Transportation staff.
January 23, 2014
Divvy Surveying Members About Different Pricing Options
Divvy started sending out surveys yesterday asking how members use the system, whether their patterns have changed over time, how often they drive and take public transit, and what would get them to ride a bike more. The survey also asked members for their opinion of hypothetical changes to the system's current price and fee structure.
January 22, 2014
Eyes on the Street: Unwalkable Kinzie Sidewalk Finally Replaced
The steps, broken pavement, and roller coaster ramps at the southwest corner of Kinzie Street and Clark Street were all repaired recently. The construction was originally supposed to wrap up by spring 2013, but didn't finish until December. The six-month long construction was unusually complex, according to 42nd Ward Alderman Reilly's newsletter.
January 21, 2014
Walgreens: A Safe Pedestrian Design “Doesn’t Work For Us”
Streetsblog Chicago will not be publishing Monday.
January 17, 2014
Traffic Deaths Down 7.5 Percent in Chicago While Rising Statewide
Update: IDOT updated their statistics today which now show that there were 124 fatal crashes in Chicago in 2013, not 120, as initially reported. This represents a decrease from 2012 of 7.5 percent.
January 15, 2014
Albany Park to Walgreens: Make a Walkable Store, Not Curb Cuts and Parking
Members of Albany Park Neighbors, a grassroots group of local residents, are gearing up to convince Walgreens to change the company's proposed suburban store design for Kimball and Lawrence to one that will work better for a walkable city neighborhood.
January 14, 2014