Making strides: the Chicago Pedestrian Plan

By John Greenfield

[This piece also appears in Newcity.]

This June evening is too pretty for the subway, so I bicycle south to the Pink Line’s California station to meet up with the Active Transportation Alliance’s Tony Giron. He’s leading a march across the largely Mexican-American neighborhood of Little Village to Farragut High School for the first of seven public inputhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif meetings on the Chicago Pedestrian Plan.

Similar to the Bike 2015 Plan, this Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) document will be a roadmap for making the city a safer and easier place to walk. The goal is to reduce pedestrian injuries by half and fatalities by one hundred percent. “Chicago is a great city for walking,” says Giron. “But along with park paths and tree-lined streets, we still have roads that are difficult to cross, dangerous intersections and places that are inaccessible to people walking.”

Fellow green transportation journalist Steven Vance (stevencanplan.com) and I recently launched Grid Chicago, a new blog about walking, biking and transit in Chicago and beyond. Read the rest of this story at gridchicago.com.

Ron Burke, new director of Active Trans

By John Greenfield

[This interview also runs at www.timeoutchicago.com.]

On August 17 Ron Burke took the reigns of Active Transportation Alliance (formerly Chicagoland Bicycle Federation), the nonprofit that advocates for better conditions for walking, bicycling and transit. He’s filling the shoes of Rob Sadowsky, who left ATA in June to lead Bicycle Transportation Alliance in bike-crazy Portland, Oregon. Burke, an expert in environmental policy, comes to Active Trans, the region’s advocate for better walking, biking and transit, from a job with the Union of Concerned Scientists. Before that he worked for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

I caught up with Burke on his second week at ATA to discuss his background in promoting healthy travel options, his qualifications for leading one of the Chicago region’s key advocacy organizations, and the challenges of promoting green transportation in a sprawling, car-dependent metropolis, and why he thinks six-dollar-a-gallon gas may be the push it takes to bring about a revolution in transportation policy.

Tell me about your background promoting green transportation.

Let me give you my quick bio. Before Active Trans I was the Midwest office director with the Union of Concerned Scientists [a nonprofit which uses scientific research to lobby for policy changes to address pressing environmental and social problems]. Prior to that I was associate director with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Prior to that I was deputy director at the American Lung Association of metropolitan Chicago. And before that I was with the United States EPA.

I have primarily worked on environmental policy throughout my career, although that overlaps quite a bit with transportation policy. And in the 1990s in particular I worked very closely with Chicagoland Bicycle Federation while I was at the American Lung Association on a number of initiatives. [ATA co-founder and longtime executive director] Randy Neufeld and I spent a lot of time at CATS [Chicago Area Transportation Study, now Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, an agency which helps select local transportation projects to receive federal grant money] working on implementation of the first ISTEA [Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act] bill in 1991, which included for the first time federal CMAQ [Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality] grant dollars.

As you might imagine, Randy and I thought it was very important to spend that CMAQ money on transportation options that might enable people to get around without a car – bicycling, walking and transit. The CMAQ committee at CATS had a different perspective for the most part. They were more inclined to put the lion’s share of that money into highway projects that they argued would relieve traffic congestion and therefore reduce air pollution.

So Randy and I spend a lot of time educating them and advocating for the merits of non-motorized modes for mitigating congestion and reducing emissions. Those were the main criteria for CMAQ dollars so we had to make the argument in that context. We talked about how when you build a road you eventually just get more traffic so you wind up with the same level of congestion that you had before, just on more lane miles – not really good for air quality.

We were successful in helping to steer millions and millions of dollars into non-motorized transportation projects. One of the first CMAQ-funded projects was the installation of many, many bike parking racks in Chicago. That really set the precedent for spending CMAQ dollars largely on non-motorized transportation projects, a precedent that’s held up to this day.

Why did you apply for this job?

I have always been passionate about bicycling, walking and transit, at least since I came to Chicago in 1990, and the benefits of those modes. My wife [former ATA Near West Suburban Coordinator Pamela Brookstein] worked at CBF/Active Trans for 12 years, so I was very familiar with the organization in that respect. She left just recently, coincidentally, to take a new job [at a new Cook County Department of Health anti-obesity initiative called Communities Putting Prevention to Work]. I’ve had a lot of respect for the organization for many years, so I’m very committed to the mission.

I’m also excited to see that the public has come around, more and more, to the Active Trans mission. There’s far more support nowadays for livable communities that are bike-able, walk-able and transit-friendly. There’s more awareness of the value of having communities like that, and the importance of those options for the regional economy. It’s become increasingly clear to the public and to the business community that we cannot continue sprawling, car-dependent development. It’s not efficient, it’s not good for the economy, and it’s especially problematic when you’ve got five- or six-dollar-a-gallon gasoline just over the horizon.

Active Trans members have realized for a long time that bicycling, walking and transit have many, many benefits to communities and the regional economy, but I think you’re seeing more and more converts to our way of thinking. People have seen road projects that were supposed to relieve congestion not succeed, and businesses find it increasingly difficult to get the workers they need in some cases because they can’t get to work, because there often aren’t safe, affordable options for people who don’t own cars.

In 2008 vehicle miles traveled in this country went down for the first time since 1984, when the FHWA [Federal Highway Administration] first started keeping track, in large part because of four-dollar gasoline and the economic downturn. But I think we got a taste of what’s on the horizon back then. The business community woke up to the reality that we just cannot be as car dependent as we are today and still have a thriving economy. We need to be ready for six-dollar-a-gallon gasoline.

You and I see the value of these transportation options, for a lot of different reasons, but sometimes dollars-and-cents arguments are what it takes for some people to wake up and see the reality, and I think that’s what happened back in ’08. Six-dollar gasoline is going to drive a lot of people out of their cars and looking for options, options that unfortunately don’t exist in a convenient and affordable way for a lot of people. So it’s a good time to be taking over the leadership of Active Trans.

What strengths do you bring to the executive director position?

I have a good deal of senior-level management experience including at the not-for-profit level. The programs at Active Trans are very similar to the types of programs that I’ve managed over the years. We do policy and advocacy, community education, transportation planning – those are all types of projects I’ve done over the years. Advocacy and education, and outreach and organization, are what I’ve done for the most part. I have a bit of a learning curve when it comes to learning some of the programmatic content, since I haven’t worked on transportation planning as much as I have on environmental issues. But I’m certainly not starting from square one, due to my own personal experience with Active Trans and transportation planning.

What are the greatest challenges for Active Trans in the next few years?

We continue to be challenged by the fact that our region is still overly sprawling and car dependent, and there are still too many obstacles to using bicycling, walking and transit. Often those options are not safe, or affordable or convenient. The good news is we’re seeing some progress for sure. But we have a long ways to go. Land use and infrastructure is not as conducive to bicycling, walking and transit as it needs to be, and obviously the long-term goal of changing that is at the heart of Active Trans’ mission.

Another obstacle is that government funding is in short supply because of the economic downturn, especially at the state and local level. There’s just not as much money around to fund some of the projects we’d like to see implemented. Those are a couple of big challenges.

What upcoming Active Trans projects excite you the most?

To be honest I’m still getting up to speed – this is my second week on the job. I’m still evaluating what’s on our plate. Having said that, I’m not coming across any program that we’re doing that I’m not excited about. The staff’s really amazing, doing a ton of good work. I’m excited about some of the legislative successes that happened this past session to make our roadways safer for all users and not just drivers, like a new law requiring drivers to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks.

I’m really excited about strengthening our base, which is of course bicycling and pedestrian projects through advocacy and education. Bicycle use is growing significantly and that’s exciting. I’m excited to continuing growing in that area, since bicycling has been the heart and soul of our organization for a long time. I’m also excited about branching into a new area, which is transit. When the organization broadened its mission a couple of years ago and changed the name, that mission expansion included transit. The challenge I have from the board is to figure out how we can be most effective in representing transit riders and ensuring that transit is safe, affordable and convenient for as many people in the Chicago area as possible.

What kind of transportation mix does your family use?

We live in Oak Park and we walk and bicycle a lot around town. We do have a car we use primarily for carpooling and longer family trips and vacations. I bike to a Green Line station and take the train to the Loop for work. Pamela’s new office is only a few blocks from our house in Oak Park so she walks. We walk and bike to go the park, go to the grocery store, go to a restaurant, things like that. You name it we use it.

The mayoral candidates talk green transportation

By John Greenfield

[This piece also runs in Time Out Chicago, www.timeoutchicago.com.]

In December a coalition of eight transportation and environmental non-profits sent letters to all of Chicago’s mayoral candidates asking them to endorse a Sustainable Transportation Platform, with strategies to make car-free travel in the city and region safer, more accessible and more appealing.

“As road congestion increases and gas prices rise, in order for Chicagoland to continue to be a vibrant metropolis we’re going to need to create more accommodations for biking walking and transit,” explains Ron Burke, executive director of Active Transportation Alliance, which is spearheading the lobbying effort. Although, as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the alliance can’t endorse a particular candidate, Burke says the goal is to educate the candidates on the issues.

The coalition also includes Center for Neighborhood Technology, Environmental Law & Policy Center, Illinois PIRG, Metropolitan Planning Council, Midwest High Speed Rail Association, Natural Resources Defense Council and Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago.

The plan, online at activetrans.org/platform, urges the hopefuls to support increased funding for non-motorized transportation, plus new initiatives like transit-oriented development, bus rapid transit, bike-and-ped-friendly “complete streets,” and a Midwest high-speed rail system with Chicago as the hub.

The platform calls for better infrastructure for non-motorized transportation in the region, bankrolling these projects by securing a bigger slice of the funding pie. For example, Chicagoland represents 70 percent of the state’s population but only receives 45 percent of the Illinois Department of Transportation budget. The document also calls for raising the state gas tax, one of the lowest in the country, in order to fund transit and bike facilities.

The plan also recommends increasing CTA and Metra service; adding dedicated “bus rapid transit” travel lanes, and making Chicago the center of a Midwest high speed rail system. Other ideas include promoting “complete streets” that are safe for all users; expanding the use of car sharing over private ownership; improving the congested Lakefront Trail and providing incentives for transit oriented development.

Active Transportation Alliance has posted a sign-on form at www.activetrans.org/2011elections so citizens can lobby the politicians to endorse the platform – so far over 200 people have signed on.

We contacted the four front-runners’ campaigns for statements about whether they will be supporting the platform, and how they would promote green transportation if elected.

Carol Moseley Braun

"I absolutely endorse the goals of the Sustainable Transportation Platform, especially those for public transportation,” says former U.S. Senator Carol Moseley Braun in a statement. “It will decrease carbon emissions and thereby improve public health and also help relieve our dependence on fossil fuels. Public transportation makes Chicago work, and we can and must do a better job of making walking, biking and riding the bus or taking a train more attractive, convenient and affordable."

Gery Chico

"Improving our transportation system is critical to the future prosperity of Chicago,” responds former Chicago School Board President Gery Chico’s spokeswoman Brooke Anderson. “As mayor, Gery will work with these groups and others to develop a more sustainable transportation system that is accessible to people in all of Chicago's diverse neighborhoods. Gery is pleased that these groups are proposing substantive ideas to advance the dialogue on this important issue."

Miguel del Valle

"Without specifically responding to every suggestion in the Chicago’s Sustainable Transportation Platform, I agree that we must aggressively advocate for local, regional, state, and federal plans and funding to increase public transportation and make Chicago friendlier to bicycles and pedestrians,” says Chicago City Clerk Miguel del Valle in a statement. “Transportation is Chicago’s second largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions. Investing in the future of the environment has the added benefit of creating more jobs.”

“A first step is to ensure we are not leaving any federal transportation money on the table through negligence or lack of foresight,” says del Valle. “An estimated $385 billion in federal, state, and local funds will be available for regional transportation investments over the next 30 years.

“Chicago should also seek a larger share of existing transportation funding by effectively advocating for a fair distribution of state money,” says del Valle. “The Chicago area gets 45% and downstate gets 55% even though the Chicago region represents 70% of the state’s population and 78% of the state’s economy. Another area of imbalance is the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA); we are not getting our fair share of funding. 82% of Chicago-area transit riders use the CTA, but it only receives 59% of operating subsidies from the RTA. On the other hand, METRA gets only 12% of the area's riders, but receives 27% of the funding. My administration will advocate for changes in these allocations.”

“Finally, contrary to our goals of sustainability, our state allocations of transportation funds focus too much on roads over other more sustainable forms of transportation," del Valle says.

Rahm Emanuel

“The greatest investment we can make in our infrastructure, our economy and our environment is by focusing transportation resources on our public transit system,” says former White Hous Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel in a statement. “Cities around the world have made this commitment and Chicago will be out-competed if we don't catch up. That's why I secured nearly $250 million for the Brown line redevelopment, and why we earmarked an unprecedented amount of funds in the recovery act for transportation investments.”

“But there's a lot more to do,” says Emanuel. “I'll be laying out a comprehensive transportation agenda before the election so that voters have a clear sense of my commitment to transit, biking and pedestrian infrastructure. With the right leadership and the right priorities, Chicago can improve the transportation infrastructure we currently have, save money, and significantly expand options for every neighborhood.”

Burke says Active Transportation Alliance has scheduled a meeting with Moseley Braun for early January, a meeting with Emanuel is also likely, and they’re waiting to hear back from other candidates. “We want to make sure the next mayor has these issues on the radar screen the minute he or she steps into that fifth-floor office at City Hall,” he says.

Give a Minute wants your car-free travel ideas

By John Greenfield

Ever wish you could stick a Post-it note on the computer screen of an influential city planner with your idea about how to make it easier to walk, bike or use transit in Chicago? The Give a Minute campaign gives you a chance to do just that.

Launched in Chicago on November 2 by CEOs for Cities, an urban planning think tank, the campaign allows citizens to share their ideas for improving car-free travel with the public as well as key leaders in the city’s green transportation scene. These suggestions appear as colorful notes on the website www.giveaminute.info. You can post your ideas on the website or text them to 312-380-0436 until December 10.

A quick look at the Post-its on the website provides fast food for thought, ideas for better biking, walking and transit in a format that makes Twitter seem long-winded. “Make sure heaters are working at all stations,” says one post. “Chicago winters are brutal.” “Free or reduced-price bike maintenance and basic repair classes,” says another. I posted, “Better-marked crosswalks, and more enforcement of laws requiring drivers to stop for pedestrians in the crosswalks.”

On December 8-10, CEOs for Cities and the Chicago Architecture Foundation will host the Connectivity Challenge, a conference bringing together national urban planning experts and local transportation and planning agencies to discuss the best of the car-free transportation ideas harvested from the website. According to the organizers, the goal of the symposium is to produce new ideas and “quick start” strategies that will be promoted in book form, through a promotional tour and as a national policy platform.

I called CEOs for Cities communication director Natalie Campbell for details about the project.

What is the campaign all about?

We worked with a company out of New York called Local Projects to develop this campaign. The idea was public engagement through technology. The campaign is launching in Chicago and we’ll take it to other cities as well, including Memphis, San Jose and New York.

In Chicago the idea is to start a public dialogue about how we can make it easier to get around the city without a car. The CTA is a sponsor of the campaign, so we have about car card ads in CTA buses and trains. We’re promoting the campaigning the campaign throughout the city, asking, “Hey Chicago, what would encourage you to walk, bike or take CTA more often?”

We worked with Terry Peterson, the chairman of the CTA, Ron Burke with Active Transportation Alliance and Stan Day with SRAM [a Chicago-based bike parts manufacturer] to be our faces of the campaign, our “response leaders.” They’re the people asking that question to citizens.

So we launched the campaign about two weeks ago and so far we’ve had over 500 responses and they’ve all been really good responses. We’re pretty excited about the campaign. We’re compiling all these recommendations and saying, what are the common themes here? Then we’re holding an event December 8th through the 10th called the Connectivity Challenge.

That event will together nine national experts on transit mobility and accessibility and a group of local stakeholders which includes some of the local stakeholders: the CTA, Active Transportation Alliance, the Regional Transportation Authority, CMAP [Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, Metra, the Chicago Department of Transportation. It will bring all those people together to explore this ambition of a future where Chicago residents can get around more easily without a car.


So you’re collecting all these ideas, all these electronic Post-it notes. How will these ideas guide the recommendations of the Connectivity Challenge?

The format of this event is the local stakeholder teams are going to present existing projects and goals for the future. This national team is coming to town with a fresh eye and a different perspective. They’re going to be working hard and working fast over two and a half days to explore what we call “twelve big ideas.” We’ll take the citizens’ responses and narrow them into the categories of biking, walking and CTA.

So if someone is saying “more bike lanes” we’re letting the local and national experts know this is what we’re hearing from the people. We’ll think about how we can turn these recommendations into big ideas, whether it’s infrastructure or policy recommendations.

What is a “quick start strategy”?

A quick start strategy could be something small, like Chicago businesses setting up bike training programs for their employees. For example, Active Transportation alliance has people who go into companies and say, “Don’t be afraid to ride your bike to work – here’s some easy tips on how to navigate around the city.” Because a lot more people are biking now but it’s still a segmented audience. So if you can reach out to other people and make them not as wary of riding their bikes, then you’re expanding ridership.

I was at a meeting where we were discussing other quick start ideas and one of them was making sure people have bike racks at their offices because a lot of people have trouble parking their bikes when they get to work. Or at the el stops, making sure that there are bike racks there. Because when we’re talking about connectivity it’s not just not just biking or walking. You can ride your bike to an el stop, jump on the train and get to work, but you need to have a bike rack at the el station.

So what are you guys hoping to achieve with this campaign?

The big ambition is to create a future where it’s easy to get around Chicago without owning a car. In the short term, people are always looking for ways to be engaged and this program is a way for citizens to talk back to their city and having them feel like they have a say in it. We really are connecting them with change-making leaders. Terry and Ron and Stan are responding directly to some of the best recommendations. And there really are a lot of great recommendations on the site.

So we’re bringing those ideas to our national, or international, expert team. We have Jan Gehl from Denmark who’s one of the world’s foremost urban planners and architects. So you really do have a say. And that’s the challenge people have, feeling that they really are able to help create change, so programs like this help people feel like they can make a difference.

Jane Healy discusses Active Trans' new director

Jealy Healy with her daughter

by John Greenfield

[This interview also runs on Gapers Block, www.gapersblock.com.]

After a long search process, Active Transportation Alliance recently selected Ron Burke as its new executive director, replacing Rob Sadowsky who left in June to lead the Bicycle Transportation Alliance in Portland, Oregon. Burke, an expert in environmental policy, comes to Active Trans, the region’s advocate for better walking, biking and transit, from a job with the Union of Concerned Scientists. Before that he worked for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

Ron started work at Active Trans this week. Last week Active Trans board president Jane Healy, who has spearheaded Safe Routes to School initiatives in her hometown of Blue Island and is a familiar face on Chicago Critical Mass rides, agreed to talk about the appointment. She discussed why the board chose Burke from a field of more than 75 candidates, the concerns that his marriage to a current Active Trans employee might be a conflict of interest, and Healy’s hopes for the future of the organization under its new E.D.


Can you tell me about Ron’s background in promoting green transportation and active living initiatives?

When he worked for the American Lung Association, Ron was really key in pushing for CATS [Chicago Area Transportation Study, now called Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, an agency which helps award grants to local transportation projects] to use some of the federal CMAQ [Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality] dollars for bike, pedestrian and transit projects, not just for car infrastructure.

[Active Trans co-founder and longtime executive director] Randy Neufeld was part of the second round of interviews. Randy had worked with Ron on the CMAQ stuff and said that was one of the high points of Randy’s career, and that Ron had been really key for a lot of that progressive thinking. Before that people had assumed that CMAQ money was going to be used for car projects [like timing traffic lights so that cars would spend less time idling at red lights, theoretically reducing emissions.] They really had to challenge the status quo and make people think in different ways.

Any other involvement with transportation issues?

Until recently he was working at the Union of Concerned Scientists [an organization which uses scientific research to lobby for government policy changes to address pressing environmental and social problems] and he’s done a lot of things to promote carbon neutrality. Some of that involves transit issues because that’s a really good way to improve things on that level.


Ron Burke, left, at an environmental demonstration

Can you tell me anything about the other candidates?

We had over 75 applications, including lots of really impressive candidates. It wasn’t just [former Chicago Department of Transportation commissioner and current Active Trans board member] Cheri Heramb and myself who were vetting the candidates. We hired an outside consultant [David Erickson Pearson from Colorado] and he told us he was really surprised how good the depth of field was. He was very impressed that we had so many and that we also had a lot of diversity. We had a lot of women applying, and although you can’t ask questions about [race] I would say we had quite a bit of diversity among applicants.

We narrowed it down to about 15 really stellar candidates, based on their resumes. And then we narrowed that down a little and interviewed ten people in depth. That was a phone interview process but it was a long phone interview process. Of the standout candidates there were two people who really came out as top candidates and four who came out as really good, strong candidates. For those people we pulled together the largest search committee from the board and spent several hours interviewing them.

What qualities were you looking for?

Lots of them. We were looking for someone who had developed a budget and had some experience on the fiscal end. We were looking for someone who really got our mission and our vision and who we felt would be a really good role model, who could live the life and represent the organization. We wanted someone who would be comfortable speaking before the media whether it was on the radio or on camera. We wanted someone who was a very good communicator, who could get our message out with key players and help to make change and promote our mission and our vision. Our strategic plan’s really mapped out, so we wanted someone who could tie into that strategic plan and help us get to next level. Obviously someone with management skills. We’ve got a great staff and we don’t want to lose people. We want someone who’s personable and works well with others, that basic, fundamental skill that managers have to have.

What do you think Rob Sadowsky’s greatest strengths were as head of Active Trans, and his greatest achievements?

Rob was an amazing strategic thinker. He was really good at looking at the long range and looking at the steps that we’d need to take to get to that long range. I think that was an amazing strength that he had.

What were some of the highlights of his tenure?

We were able to bring on a ton more staff to help achieve our goals, from 20 to 40 people. We went for some legislative wins that were really impressive, not the least of which just happened this year. They totally expanded the Safe Routes to School program, which I think was really impressive.

Ron is married to [Active Trans’ Near West Suburban Coordinator] Pamela Brookstein, who’s been on staff for 12 years. Were there any concerns about that being a conflict of interest? Or was that a positive thing to hire someone who’s been involved with the organization by marriage for a long time?

We definitely took it very seriously and we were concerned about a conflict of interest. We thought it would be a very awkward situation to have an executive director who was overseeing a staff member who was his spouse. Ron did actually say, “I don’t want to supervise my wife,” and we didn’t want him doing that. So we did put some things in place to address that issue. As it happened Pamela wound up taking another job [working with a new Cook County Department of Health anti-obesity initiative called Communities Putting Prevention to Work] so it’s a non-issue.

We also felt that it was a positive because he really does understand our mission. Pamela has been extremely successful on the West Side, working to put a lot of things in place and reaching out to communities. And Ron really gets bicycle and pedestrian and transit issues since Pamela’s been working on them for years. He understood about Open Streets [a program that shut down a street network for car-free recreation], he knew about the expansion of our mission, he really understood that.

What are the challenges ahead as Ron takes this job, and what are your goals for the future of the organization?

I don’t have a lot of worries. I think Ron is eminently qualified. He came through with amazing recommendations, he was so impressive in the interview process and he’s a very personable person.

We have a very clearly-defined strategic plan – it’s aggressive. So I think my only fear is that he’s going to come in and be overwhelmed by how aggressive that strategic plan is. But I think he’s up to the challenge. We need someone who’s really willing to take the bull by the horns and make change and Ron’s that guy. He’s going to hit the ground running. He’s already had a ton of experience with other organizations and I think he’s really ready to push us to that next level.

What are a few of the highlights of the strategic plan for the next few years?

Our goal is that we’re going to make major strides in changing how people get around the Chicago region. I hope we can get that 50 % pedestrian, bicycle and transit mode share, I hope we can get that 50 % reduction in crashes that the plan calls for. It’s a public health issue that needs to be addressed.

Anything else you’d like to tell me?

I really think we got a phenomenal candidate and I was so pleased that we were able to find such a qualified person to step up to the plate. We’re a non-profit so there’s not big bucks in this. And there’s always the fear that you’re not going to get qualified people because you’re not offering some huge salary. I was so impressed with the applications we got, so it was really nice to feel like you were making a discernment between highly-qualified candidates.

I really think Ron is going to be a superb leader. We have a very exciting mission – we’re very ambitious with where we’re going and I really want to see it happen. I think Ron’s the guy to do it.

OK to bike on the Lakefront Trail after 11 pm?

[Image courtesy of www.bikecommuters.com.]

By John Greenfield

[This piece also runs in Time Out Chicago, www.timeoutchicago.com.]

Q: If Chicago’s parks and beaches are public property, then why can police kick people out at 11pm? Is there some sort of loophole that will let me use the parks after closing time?

A: The Chicago Park District’s legal code says beaches and parks are off-limits from 11 pm to 6 am, with exceptions made for events like the vampire-friendly L.A.T.E. Ride. “Those hours are set for the safety of patrons,” explains park district spokeswoman Marta Juaniza. To prevent drug dealing, prostitution and violent crime? “Whatever can happen in the dark,” Juaniza says.

Friends of the Parks’ Erma Tranter supports the curfew, noting New York has similar rules. “If there’s a basketball game going on after midnight, that’s a problem for people who need to sleep.” But if you want to use the Lakefront Trail for a late-night jog or to pedal home after last call, you’re in luck. Tranter says cops generally don’t ticket trail users. “They use common sense and don’t bother people who are recreating,” she says.

“Responsible users are not being hassled,” agrees Active Transportation Alliance’s Adolfo Hernandez, adding his group wants to see this de facto policy made official. “People rely on the Lakefront Trail for their commute during all hours of the day.”

Biking to work on Inauguration Day

Kathy Schubert and Steve Timble

By John Greenfield

Each year Active Transportation Alliance (formerly Chicagoland Bicycle Federation) holds Winter Bike to Work Day on January 20, marking the anniversary of Chicago’s coldest day in modern history. This year the date happened to coincide with the most memorable inauguration in modern history, when Chicago’s own Barack Obama became our nation’s first African-American president.

The alliance commemorates that frosty day in 1985 - when temperatures at O’Hare Airport hit 27 below zero with wind chills as low as 93 below - and celebrates cold-weather commuting by serving breakfast to bicyclists at Daley Plaza. This year dozens of folks showed up for a healthy combo of cocoa and cheesecake, mingling on the plaza’s incredibly cold granite surface for as long as their feet could stand it.

I interviewed the cyclists about the significance of biking to work in freezing weather on the day of Obama's inauguration. They also told me whether they believe the progressive new president will have a positive impact on walking, biking and transit in the U.S.

Randy Neufeld

“Winter Bike to Work Day is a fun way to get people thinking about biking in the toughest conditions they can imagine,” said Randy Neufeld, Chief Strategy Officer for the advocacy group, at 8:30 am. “We also happen to have only about two and a half hours left of George Bush.”

Neufeld said the most significant aspect of the new regime for transportation is that Democrats will dominate Congress. “A new transportation funding bill is coming up this year and [Minnesota congressman] Jim Oberstar is in charge of the process,” he said. “He’s a friend of mine and a friend of cycling. That coupled with an administration that is going to be open to some major changes means we’re likely to win big.”

He said his biggest hope for the bill is that major financial incentives can be put in place for state and municipal governments to promote non-noxious travel modes as a way to fight climate change. “If you put a carrot out there that encourages [local governments] to reduce emissions, they’re going to go for that money.”

Cyclist Jeff Bar said he bikes to work every day, so riding on Inauguration Day has no special significance for him. “I hope there will be some positive changes for biking but I’m a little cynical,” he said. “At least we’ll have the right guy in office.”

Jeff Bar

Steve Timble, Associate Publisher of the Chicago Reader dropped by the plaza before checking on employees passing out copies of the paper’s special inauguration issue on State Street. A longtime bike commuter, he had opted for the El train that morning.

“This is a very special day to be biking or taking transit to work,” he said. But he cautioned that while having a progressive president in office will help with transportation change, work has to be done on a micro level as well. “For example, if you want to get a bike bridge built in your community you need to work with your alderman, mayor or congressman.”

He said the upside of the down economy is that this is a great time to be advocating for appropriate transportation. “CTA ridership is at an all-time high – that’s what I’m jazzed about.”

Bike activist Kathy Schubert said that with a failing economy and two wars to deal with, Obama shouldn’t be expected to solve all the nation’s transportation woes as well. “He’s got so much on his plate he can’t possibly get to everything.”

William James

William James, who immigrated from England 35 years ago, confessed that the free breakfast coaxed him back on his bike for the first time in a month and a half. Dressed in thin layers, he said he said he was toasty warm despite the brisk weather. “The secret is a bottom layer of cashmere.”

“I think there is some symbolism here,” said James. “We’re hoping that the new president will be a lot more proactive on green initiatives. I think there’s going to be a general elevation in the public consciousness about saving energy and reducing one’s carbon footprint. Personally, I’m hoping for a revolution.”

Stacey Meekins

Asked whether Obama can make a difference in encouraging healthy travel modes, transportation planner Stacey Meekins said, “God, I hope so. It’s still an uphill battle but we have a better shot now with someone who will listen. But it doesn’t come down to just one person.”

“I’m super stoked,” said traffic engineer Dave Miller. “I think Obama shows the kind of priorities we want to see. But we need to keep pressing elected officials to improve cycling.”

Lauren Sailor, far left; Dave Miller, far right

“The most important thing is your personal transportation choices,” said Lauren Sailor. She had just passed out about 20 homemade balaclavas on behalf of Bike Winter, a grassroots group that promotes all-season cycling. “Change starts with the individual.”

CBF becomes ATA: change for the better?

by John Greenfield
[This piece also runs in the current Momentum magazine, www.momentumplanet.com.]


Would a safe-roads group by any other name still sound as sweet? The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation (CBF) – Chicago metro area’s cycling voice since 1985 and the largest bike advocacy organization in the US – hopes so.

For years, the Federation has promoted cycling both for recreation and local transportation; lobbied the City of Chicago to provide lanes, paths, and racks; encouraged suburban municipalities to create bike plans, and organized cycling events like Bike the Drive which bans cars each year on Chicago’s lakefront superhighway to make way for over 20,000 pedallers.

In recent years the organization has also become Chicago’s de facto pedestrian and transit advocacy group, providing consultants for the City’s Safe Routes to School program, winning bike access on all three local transit systems, drawing attention to pedestrian safety with its Drive With Care media campaign, and organizing the city’s first Ciclovia, Sunday Parkways. Footprints, a new program in the south suburbs modeled after Australia’s TravelSmart initiative, is giving folks the tools to switch car trips to healthier modes.

This last November, at the CBF’s annual membership meeting, the board announced they had changed the name to Active Transportation Alliance to better reflect the group’s expanded mission. With the transformation, the organization follows the lead of New York’s Transportation Alternatives, which has historically been the nation’s leading multi-modal advocacy group.

Spokewoman Margo O’Hara says the change will make the group stronger by broadening its base. For example, two cyclists were recently killed by cars within months of each other at the same intersection in Chicago’s Logan Square neighbourhood. The alliance is working with locals to brainstorm ways to improve safety at that intersection for pedestrians and transit users as well as for cyclists. “By talking to residents who may not be cyclists, we’re opening the door to new partners and bigger successes,” she says.

The name change may also help the organization apply for more health-related grants from foundations and community organizations – funding that might not be available to a bikes-only group, O’Hara says.

Longtime bike activist Payton Chung applauds the change. “Bike-friendly communities are also pedestrian and transit friendly, with nearby destinations, lots of route choices, and calm streets,” he says. “So the new name advances the Bike Federation’s longtime goals while bringing new constituencies to the party.”