Promoted

Despite its status as the most populous city in the Midwest, Chicago infamously does not have a BRT system. So last month, I traveled to Madison to spend a day in Wisconsin's capital city to experience what it might be like to live in a midwestern city with a bus rapid transit system.

On Tuesday, January 7, hundreds of Illinois residents headed to Springfield for 2025 Climate Day at the Capitol. They were pushing for sustainable, affordable, and equitable transportation through proposed legislation like the IL CleanJobs Platform and the Clean and Equitable Transportation Act.

Thanks in part to the efforts of the Southwest Collective, progress is being made on making dangerous South Pulaski Road safer.

"Electeds often don’t want to hear more from 'bike activists' and it is our job to make sure they feel like the advocacy is coming from the community," CBGN! stated.

It's that time of year again. On Friday, the 47th Ward, the North Side district represented by Ald. Matt Martin, launched its annual participatory budgeting voting process. PB elections let residents help determine how to spend a ward's $1.5 million a year in discretionary "menu" money for infrastructure projects.

Last month, a delegation of Illinois state representatives visited Germany to tour transit systems in and between two major cities. The trip was inspired by an action plan issued by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, which cited Berlin and Munich as successful case studies for a Chicagoland transit system currently facing an existential crises. Local ridership suffered during COVID-19, and ridership has yet to return to 2019 levels. The CTA, Metra, and Pace are facing a staggering $730 million total budget shortfall next year, when federal pandemic relief funding will run out.

Wednesday morning, the Chicago Department of Transportation shared some good news about how popular shared sustainable transportation devices have become in our city. "Over 10 million trips were taken on shared bikes and e-scooters in 2024, a new annual record," the agency said in a press release. "This milestone reflects a growing demand for sustainable and convenient transportation options, supported by CDOT’s investments in micromobility infrastructure and the continued expansion of the Divvy bike-share system."

After the recent presidential election, Streetsblog Chicago checked in with local sustainable transportation advocates about what could done to help safeguard the future of walk/bike/transit in our region before Donald Trump takes office again.

The proposal, being considered by local alders, would provide more affordable housing units, customers for local businesses, tax revenue, and CTA ridership.