Pandemic
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Here’s a smarter approach to Lightfoot’s self-contradictory Stay at Home advisory
Instead of telling residents to stay home except for essential trips and never hang out with friends, while keeping gyms, bars and restaurants open, the city should educate people about safe socializing and make outdoor dining and drinking safer.
November 12, 2020
Mitigating risks on group bike rides with COVID on the rise
While group bike rides, even with masks and social distancing, aren't without risk during the pandemic, community activists say the benefits are worth it.
November 7, 2020
Universal Metra bicycle access via dedicated bike cars would be a game-changer
Bike cars on all trains on all lines during non-pandemic times would enable people to use bikes for first- and last-mile trips for downtown commutes.
November 6, 2020
Free mask dispensers on the CTA? Lightfoot: “We’ve done a tremendous amount already”
The mayor seems to be taking an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" attitude. But feedback from straphangers suggests there's still room for improvement when it comes to mask compliance.
November 5, 2020
Advocates blast mayor’s refusal to rule out a CTA shutdown if there’s election unrest
"I'm not going to hesitate" to shut down transit and Divvy again in the event of civil unrest Lightfoot told Streetsblog this morning.
October 30, 2020
Dome sweet dome? A look at more strategies to help bars and restaurants survive winter
Here's a look at new kinds of outdoor dining, including greenhouses and domes, and the winners of the city's outdoor dining contest.
October 29, 2020
Chicago businesses: Here’s what’s required to use parking lanes to enable outdoor seating
It turns out that the bureaucratic hoops aren't especially onerous, and they're a relative bargain thanks to the city waiving some of the associated fees.
October 29, 2020
The 79th Street pop-up bus-only lanes are only a half-measure
Red paint and effective enforcement is needed to make the lanes work better and actually improve bus speeds.
October 28, 2020
To help restaurants and bars survive winter, let’s make it easy to use car space for seating
There are plenty of ways Chicago can help restaurants and bars survive this extremely challenging period -- if city officials are willing to be flexible, generous, and proactive to help them out.
October 27, 2020
COVID-19 isn’t a good time to start ticketing drivers for going 6 MPH over the speed limit
While doing so might be a win for traffic safety in the short term, the strategy raises some economic and racial equity concerns, and would surely lead to renewed calls to abolish the cams.
October 27, 2020
