Policy & Planning
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Make biking part of your plan to take on the challenges of a COVID-19 winter
Cold-weather cycling is just one of the options for infectious disease expert-approved cold-weather fun available.
December 2, 2020
We are all that wave-tossed Lakefront Trail cyclist
Yesterday morning when big waves knocked a person off their bike on the Lakefront Trail and nearly dragged them into Lake Michigan, it was a symbol of many things.
December 1, 2020
Free advice to Biden: Do yourself a favor and don’t hire Rahm Emanuel as USDOT chief
Announcing Emanuel as your choice would almost certainly fill the streets of Chicago with hundreds or thousands of justifiably angry protesters. You really don't want to kick off your administration that way.
November 30, 2020
Leland Slow Street in 47th Ward ends Sunday, permanent greenway coming next year
Let's raise a toast to the Leland Slow Street, which has helped make the COVID-19 lockdown a little more bearable for local residents and families.
November 28, 2020
Transit agencies discuss plans for possible “Armageddon” funding scenario
“In the previous [2008] doomsday budget, our deficit was in the neighborhood of $100 million,” CTA president Dorval Carter said. “This is Armageddon-type stuff."
November 25, 2020
Ald. Martin floated the idea of downtown congestion pricing during budget talks
Who knows, with enough political support for this idea to reduce congestion and pollution and plug the budget hole, maybe we can get congestion pricing approved in the 2022 budget.
November 24, 2020
Lightfoot’s budget narrowly passes, with downsides for transit riders and motorists alike
The budget diverts $16 million in operations funding from the CTA. It also raises the city gas tax by three cents and drops the speed camera ticket threshold to 6 mph.
November 24, 2020
It’s not your imagination: Divvy’s e-bikes actually are slower now
It's not a great marketing strategy to charge a premium to use a service, get people used to using that service at level X, and then quietly lower the service quality to level Z.
November 23, 2020
Study: Uber and Lyft likely aren’t being used much to address Chicago transit deserts
Most ride-hail trips are being taken in majority-white and/or more affluent neighborhoods downtown and on the North and Northwest sides.
November 23, 2020
3-cent gas tax hike wouldn’t impact drivers much, but taking $16M from CTA is wrong
Included in Mayor Lightfoot's proposed budget are two transportation-related tax changes, one that would make driving a little more expensive, but another that would reduce funding for transit.
November 20, 2020