Promoted

Tragically, a hit-and-run van driver fatally struck a man last Monday afternoon at a shopping plaza in the Morgan Park community.

An old editor of mine at the Chicago Reader gave me a good writing tip: "Let chronology work for you." With that advice in mind, let me share some info about the 18th Street protected bike lane debacle on the Near South Side, in the order that it's been revealed.

Yesterday, Rogers Park resident Bradford Roberts shared a Facebook post stating the "Glenwood Alfresco" pedestrianized block north of Morse Avenue, opened in spring 2022, would be given back to cars on New Year's Eve. This part of Glenwood is on the west side of a Red Line embankment.

As far as I'm concerned, today's presentation by Regional Transportation Authority Executive Director Leanne Redden at the agency's monthly board meeting was this week's second biggest news story about an Australia native. The biggest headline was country musician and Nicole Kidman ex-husband Keith Urban's puzzling performance of Chappell Roan's LGBTQ anthem "Pink Pony Club" for Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago compound.

The Southland Development Authority describes itself as "a non-profit business organization designed to grow the economy of the south suburbs." It helps the 45 cities and villages the area with a range of initiatives, including workforce development, building development, and business promotion. One of its projects is semi-regular bus tours that give residents, stakeholders, and elected officials an overview of SDA's work. Streetsblog Chicago sat down with SDA CEO Bo Kemp to discuss tours, what the organization has learned from these trips, and which initiatives he’s currently excited about. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

On November 7, a week after the "Halloween Miracle" of the Illinois General Assembly passing a robust transit reform/funding bill in the wee hours of October 31, SBC had a fun conversation with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.

On the other hand, IPI's LyLena Estabine wrote a very solid piece on the transit bill's "People Over Parking" measure.

Earlier this month, two of Chicago's Black-led sustainable transportation groups joined forces for one last event to mark the end of the warm-weather cycling season. The sixth annual Chicago Bike Collective Ride was cohosted by the mobility justice nonprofit Equiticity and SouthSide Critical Mass, the south-of-Madison-Street sibling of the monthly Daley Plaza event.