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Benched: How Does National Bike & Walk Benchmark Rank Chicago?
Yesterday, the Alliance for Biking & Walking released its 2014 Benchmarking Report, which details data and trends about bicycle and walking infrastructure in all U.S. states and in the 52 largest cities. The report enables both public officials and advocates to evaluate how their communities stack up, compared to other communities. It also provides concrete examples of innovative pedestrian and bicycle projects nationwide. How does Chicago compare?
April 17, 2014
Could IDOT Bike Plan Represent a Turning Point for the Car-Centric Agency?
The Illinois Department of Transportation has a long history of promoting driving before all other modes. However, its new Illinois Bike Transportation Plan, released this morning at the Illinois Bike Summit in Champaign, may represent a new direction for the department.
April 15, 2014
The Fiscal Insanity of Highway Building
To peer inside the minds of highway builders, take a look at what's happening in Dallas.
April 9, 2014
Missouri Pols Launch Sneak Attack on Bike Funding
The state of Missouri is aiming to bridge its transportation funding shortfall with a 1 percent sales tax that will generate $8 billion over 10 years. Rather than raising the gas tax, this regressive tax will force people who don't drive to subsidize roads -- and for good measure it will also forbid tolling on two major highways.
April 8, 2014
Parking Madness Final Four: Kansas City vs. Rochester
The hunt for the worst parking crater on earth nears its epic conclusion with the second Final Four match of Parking Madness.
April 7, 2014
CNT and Active Trans Launch “Transit Future” Funding Campaign
On Monday, Governor Quinn’s Northeast Illinois Public Transit Taskforce released its final report, underscoring the need for better funding for regional transit. Yesterday, the Center for Neighborhood Technology and the Active Transportation Alliance launched a new campaign, dubbed "Transit Future," to raise that money via a new Cook County-based revenue stream that would help the region leverage federal dollars.
April 4, 2014
LA’s Orange Line Offers a Sneak Peek at Fast Ashland Bus Service
When I visited Los Angeles earlier this winter, I took a ride on the Orange Line, a bus rapid transit route that offers a preview of what fast, reliable bus service will be like for transit riders on Ashland Avenue.
March 12, 2014
The Only Problem the Illiana Solves Is a Political One
The Illiana Tollway is a solution in search of a problem, and the Illinois DOT's final document in preparation to receive federal approval to build the tollway is a case study in backwards transportation planning. IDOT's playbook went like this: Design a new road, have consultants review traffic patterns on existing roads to find issues to underpin the rationale for the new road, then rally political support for the road around those issues.
March 4, 2014
Illinois’s New Highways Will Cost Taxpayers Dearly
The nation may be driving less, but Illinois road boosters are still determined to build more highways. The problem for Illinois taxpayers is that it may be impossible to construct these new roads without huge subsidies.
February 14, 2014
Would NYC’s Midtown Biz Leaders Write Off the Idea of a Car-Free Mag Mile?
Yesterday’s Active Transportation Alliance announcement submitting 20 streets for consideration as partial or total car-free spaces has already sparked a lively dialogue. Stories in the Tribune, Sun-Times, ABC, and DNAinfo have all examined whether or not the automobile-dominated status quo represents an appropriate allocation of public space.
February 13, 2014