IDOT Finally Releases Its 2015 Chicago Crash Data
| | 1 Comment
This information is crucial for identifying hotspots for collisions and other trends that can better inform the fight against serious and fatal crashes.
Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about IDOT
The City Releases More Details About the Upcoming Vision Zero Action Plan
| | 9 Comments
A presentation at last week’s Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Council meeting indicates that the city has made some progress on the plan and we should be seeing the fruits of their labor soon.
Why Rauner’s Witholding of Funding for Bike-Ped Bridges Totally SOCCs
| | 39 Comments
The state’s refusal to release SOCC funds for the 41st Street bike-ped bridge and other initiatives is completely counterproductive because it could result in overall higher construction costs.
After 3 Pedestrian Deaths, IDOT Ignores Beach Park’s Pleas for Safety Improvements
| | 2 Comments
The state, which has jurisdiction over the five-lane highway, is refusing to lift a finger to improve pedestrian safety, or even let the village make its own changes.
Reported “Dooring” Bike Crashes Dropped Significantly from 2011 to 2014
| | 10 Comments
Four years of data on reported dooring crashes in Chicago show a decrease from 2011, when the data started being collected by the state, to 2014, the most recent year for which crash data has been released. A dooring crash occurs when someone in a car opens their door into moving traffic without looking, resulting […]
Chicago Needs More Street Redesigns to Reduce Pedestrian and Bike Deaths
| | 9 Comments
Last week the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released a report showing that all traffic fatalities increased significantly on U.S. roads from 2014 to 2015, by 7.7 percent to reach 35,200, the worst death toll since the 2008 economic crash. Streetsblog USA’s Angie Schmitt pointed out that, while Americans drove 3.5 percent more during this period, that’s “not […]
Chicago Should Take Over the North Lake Shore Drive Redesign Project
| | 32 Comments
Last week, the Illinois Department of Transportation hosted the first public meeting on the North Lake Shore Drive reconstruction project in almost a year and a half. This state-jurisdiction road, which is located entirely within the city limits, currently restricts access to our lakefront. And since CTA “express” buses are forced to share travel lanes with cars, […]
IDOT Provides an Update on the North Lake Shore Drive Reconstruction Study
| | 55 Comments
Starting in 2013, the Illinois and Chicago transportation department have hosted a series of public meetings on the North Lake Shore Drive reconstruction study, dubbed “Redefine the Drive.” At a hearing in July 2014, planners introduced Chicagoans to the project’s latest purpose and needs statement (essentially a mission statement), while also asking attendees to chime in with […]
IDOT Discusses the Future of Protected Bike Lanes on State Routes
| | 8 Comments
The ribbon cutting for the Clybourn Avenue curb-protected bike lanes in Old Town on November 20 was a Kumbaya moment for the city and state transportation departments after years of conflict over protected lanes. Soon after Chicago Department of Transportation opened the city’s first protect lane on Kinzie Street in July 201 the Illinois Department […]
How Quinn Staffer Sean O’Shea Blocked Chicago’s Protected Bike Lane Efforts
| | 2 Comments
[The Chicago Reader recently launched a new weekly transportation column written by Streetsblog Chicago editor John Greenfield. This partnership will allow Streetsblog to extend the reach of our livable streets advocacy. We’ll be syndicating a portion of the column on the day it comes out online; you can read the remainder on the Reader’s website […]
IDOT Finally Sees The Light, Stops Withholding Crash Data From the Public
| | 1 Comment
Back in August, a transportation professional who asked not to be named told me the Illinois Department of Transportation had stopped fulfilling requests from nongovernmental entities for crash location data. This information is crucial for analyzing any transportation network — for example, we often rely on crash data for Streetsblog Chicago stories. I have since […]