Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about IDOT

The City Releases More Details About the Upcoming Vision Zero Action Plan

By John Greenfield | Mar 15, 2017 | 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.

Rendering of the 41st Street pedestrian bridge, a project that is on hold because of IDOT's refusal to release additional SOCC funding

Why Rauner’s Witholding of Funding for Bike-Ped Bridges Totally SOCCs

By John Greenfield | Mar 13, 2017 | 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.

The intersection of Yorkhouse Road and Sheridan, where a man was fatally struck on Monday, has a bus stop (left) but no sidewalks or crosswalks. Image: Google Street View

After 3 Pedestrian Deaths, IDOT Ignores Beach Park’s Pleas for Safety Improvements

By John Greenfield | Jan 13, 2017 | 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

By Steven Vance | Sep 29, 2016 | 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

By Steven Vance and John Greenfield | Jul 8, 2016 | 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

By Steven Vance | Dec 17, 2015 | 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

By Charles Papanek | Dec 15, 2015 | 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

By John Greenfield | Dec 10, 2015 | 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

By John Greenfield | Dec 2, 2015 | 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

By John Greenfield | Nov 3, 2015 | 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 […]

Eyes on the Street: Delivery Drivers Are Blocking New Clybourn Bike Lane

By Steven Vance | Oct 8, 2015 | 13 Comments

The new curb-protected bike lane on Clybourn Avenue and Division Street in Old Town aren’t even finished yet, but they’re already getting great use. Bike-specific traffic signals should be added later this fall, completing the project. However, there’s already a fly in the ointment – delivery drivers are blocking the lanes on a regular basis. The […]

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