Ride Illinois

Bike/walk/transit advocacy – like any advocacy - is ceaseless and often complicated work. As an advocate on climate, energy and transportation matters for over 20 years, Bay-area-based Carter Lavin knows this well. So well, in fact, that he’s written a handbook on the subject entitled "If You Want to Win, You’ve Got to Fight." For the book, Lavin drew on his extensive experience campaigning at the local and state levels, and interviewed fellow advocates from across the country about their challenges, triumphs, and tactics to improve transportation infrastructure and safety in their communities.

Last winter, the Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways create the O'Hare Area Bike Network Study to examine ways to create a more connected bikeway network in the communities surrounding the airport. The people working on the project include a steering committee and advocacy groups. Read Streetsblog's previous coverage of the project here.

The Active Transportation Alliance and Ride Illinois held a Suburban Advocacy Connect session over Zoom on Wednesday, October 8th. Besides the updates on ATA and Ride Illinois, this latest meeting also included a market research presentation about gathering and expanding support for transit.

Last winter, the Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways (DoTH) launched the O'Hare Area Bike Network Study, looking at opportunities to build a cohesive cycling system in the area around the airport.

Advocates say industry is moving faster than regulations, creating safety concerns.

•"A decade ago, the city committed to eliminating traffic deaths by 2026. It's not even close" (Sun-Times)

The 2025 Illinois Bike & Walk Summit, billed as "the state’s most important conference related to biking and walking," was held this past week in Springfield, the state capital. It was organized by Ride Illinois, the statewide cycling advocacy organization.

There was also discussion of ATA volunteering opportunities for National Bike Month and the Week Without Driving.

McCoy Cantwell was born and raised in Chicago and now live in Los Angeles, where he's pursing a master's degree urban and regional planning at Cal Poly Pomona. He wrote this piece as a class assignment to discuss a current planning issue.