Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about Gabe Klein

Riding the Bike-Share Boom

By Clarence Eckerson Jr. | Dec 9, 2013 | No Comments

Without a doubt, 2013 has been a banner year for bike-share in the United States. Major systems were implemented in New York City and Chicago, and many others debuted or expanded in other cities. In fact, Citi Bike users have biked over 10 million miles and the system is closing in on 100,000 annual members! The Institute for Transportation & Development […]

Like Gabe Klein, Deputy Commish Scott Kubly Is Calling It a Wrap at CDOT

By John Greenfield | Dec 3, 2013 | 16 Comments

Last Tuesday was Chicago Department of Transportation Commissioner Gabe Klein’s last day on the job. Three days later Deputy Commissioner Scott Kubly, one of Klein’s key lieutenants, announced his resignation as well. Kubly, who has been central in implementing many of Klein’s progressive transportation initiatives, had seemed like a strong candidate to serve as the […]

Emanuel Touts His Transportation Accomplishments at Active Trans Gala

By John Greenfield | Nov 21, 2013 | 8 Comments

On Tuesday, the Active Transportation Alliance honored several movers and shakers in the local sustainable transportation scene at an awards reception in the Revolution Brewing taproom. Mayor Rahm Emanuel was given the Extra Mile Award in recognition of his role in implementing bike-share, bus rapid transit, the Red Line South rehab, and protected bike lanes. […]

An Exit Interview With Chicago Transportation Chief Gabe Klein

By John Greenfield | Nov 18, 2013 | 42 Comments

[A shorter version of this article ran in Checkerboard City, John’s column in Newcity magazine, which hits the streets on Wednesday evenings.] Maybe I jinxed things by naming transportation czar Gabe Klein as the city’s best department head in Newcity’s October 31 Best of Chicago issue, because the very next day he announced he was […]

Critique of the Gabe Klein Era by “Moe Torrist” Is Running on Fumes

By John Greenfield | Nov 13, 2013 | 12 Comments

Since transportation commissioner Gabe Klein announced he’s resigning at the end of the month, he’s received plenty of praise for his work promoting safer, more efficient and more vibrant Chicago streets. However, after all the bold initiatives he’s spearheaded, he probably didn’t expect his sendoff to be all wine and roses. Yesterday the Expired Meter […]

What Does Chicago Need From the Next Transportation Commissioner?

By John Greenfield | Nov 8, 2013 | 30 Comments

This morning the Chicago Sun-Times published a fairly solid editorial with some interesting thoughts on the task ahead for whomever takes the reigns of the Chicago Department of Transportation after Commissioner Gabe Klein steps down later this month. “Too often in the past the city’s transportation chief has focused more on potholes and snow removal […]

Evaluating Gabe Klein’s Chicago Legacy

By John Greenfield | Nov 5, 2013 | 17 Comments

Not long after Gabe Klein reported for work as commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation on May 16, 2011, there was speculation that he wouldn’t stick around long. Klein’s wife was remaining in Washington, D.C., where he had previously run the DOT. As an ambitious guy who had worked in several different fields, including […]

Gabe Klein to Resign at End of Month

By Steven Vance | Nov 1, 2013 | 27 Comments

With two and a half years of service under his belt as the transportation commissioner — not to mention 300 bike-share stations — Gabe Klein announced that he will be resigning at the end of November. A lot changed since Klein arrived. He oversaw a major reorganization of the transportation department, the creation of Chicago Forward, a […]

Bike Coordinator Ben Gomberg Leaves CDOT After 17 Years

By John Greenfield | Sep 25, 2013 | 9 Comments

It’s the end of an era. After serving as Chicago’s first and only bike program coordinator since 1996, Ben Gomberg says he has left the city’s transportation department for greener pastures. “After 17 years coordinating Chicago’s bike program I felt it was time to move on,” he told me. “I’m proud of establishing the largest and […]

CDOT Launches New Online Clearinghouse: “Complete Streets Chicago”

By John Greenfield | Aug 28, 2013 | 3 Comments

The Chicago Department of Transportation has so many balls in the air nowadays when it comes to sustainable transportation and livable streets projects, it can be hard to wrap your head around all of them. The department’s recently launched Chicago Complete Streets web portal is good starting point for getting a handle on the many […]

The Latest Word From the Mayor’s Pedestrian Advisory Council

By Kristen Maddox | Aug 26, 2013 | 23 Comments

The Mayor’s Pedestrian Advisory Council met last Wednesday, the day after an SUV driver struck and killed an 83-year-old man in Rogers Park, then fled the scene. At the meeting, Chicago Department of Transportation Commissioner Gabe Klein, co-chair of MPAC, along with Peter Skosey, vice president of the Metropolitan Planning Council, described the crash as “gruesome.” […]

Cubs Divvy Station and Southport People Spot Enliven Wrigleyville

By John Greenfield | Aug 8, 2013 | 16 Comments

It’s a pleasure to see Divvy docking stations, People Spot seating areas, on-street bike corrals, and other productive uses of the public way popping up around Chicago. They serve as reminders that there are much more effective ways to move people around the city and attract customers to business districts than focusing on facilitating car […]

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