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Emanuel's transition plan serious about active transportation

From our blog, copied/pasted below.

 

Thanks,
Ethan Spotts, Marketing & Communications, Active Trans

 

Submitted by Rburke on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 3:52pm

Emanuel's transition plan serious about active transportation

 

Yesterday, Mayor-Elect Emanuel unveiled his transition plan. The 71-page plan—which covers the full spectrum of city services and operations—offers no shortage of goals that relate to biking, walking and transit.

Overall, we find the plan very encouraging. We’re excited about the goal of building 25 miles of protected bike lanes each year. This will help create a cycling network that allows Chicagoans of all ages and abilities to feel safe riding on city streets.

Creating a robust public bike share system within Emanuel’s first year in office will offer more opportunities for getting around by bike—whether you own a bike or not.

The Bus Rapid Transit corridor mentioned in the plan, on either Western Ave. or Ashland Ave., would run the length of the city and have the potential to connect communities, destinations and train lines across the city. This would be a great step toward increasing transit opportunities quickly.

Finally, we are very pleased with the prospect of Chicago creating and implementing its first pedestrian plan, which will provide a roadmap for building and maintaining streets that are safer and more inviting for people who walk.

These are important steps that will allow Chicago to reclaim its place as a world-class city for active transportation. We’re excited to work with Mayor-elect Emanuel, the Chicago Department of Transportation and CTA to achieve these goals and go beyond them.

 

 

 

 

 

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jason W on May 13, 2011 at 9:22am

That article says all that needs to be said, with hard numbers from a reputable news source...  I'm not sure why you're attacking my post, but I don't believe most cyclists would find 5 tickets for dooring and the 3 foot rule in a 3 year period acceptable. Do you?


Duppie said:

I think you should give active Trans more credit.

Before you go kick down Garry McCarthy's door demanding more enforcement of the dooring ordinance, you better make sure you have some hard numbers to back up your claim that dooring is an issue that needs to be dealt with.

 

That is why Active Trans publicly shaming IDOT to start recording dooring crashes such a big deal. We can replace hearsay, opinions, and anecdotal evidence with hard facts. The next step will be, as Ethan says, using those facts to make changes in enforcement.

 

In the meantime, keep up the search for that link that details those thousands of tickets written to cyclists ;)

Permalink Reply by Dr. Doom on May 13, 2011 at 9:50am
I think the problem is more with your absurd claim that CPD has issued thousands of tickets to cyclists.

As to the five tickets thing, I don't have any real problem with that. Policing is all about allocating scarce resources. This is Chicago. Do you seriously think that violation of the three foot rule is among, say, the 500 most pressing problems a scandalously undermanned police department has to deal with? It's annoying, but cyclist injuries are rarely caused by passing drivers, enforcing the rights of the tiny, tiny minority of people who ride bicycles is rightly not a great priority in a city where a bad weekend can see a couple of dozen people shot, and ticketing random drivers wouldn't do anything to deal with the problem anyway.
Permalink Reply by Active Transportation Alliance on May 13, 2011 at 12:15pm

Absolutely, James. The current funding formula to support active transportation (bike, walk, transit) is highly inequitable and very little funding is available for maintenance.

 

We are always looking for ways to change this, but it's going to be a long-term push. We just tried to push through SB 1258 which would have made steps (baby steps) in creating  equity in transportation funding.

 

Thanks,

Ethan, with Active Trans

 


James Baum said:

How about just patching the sides of the streets?  It seems like the city streets get worse every year and the area where bikes tend to ride are the very worst.  Some of the crevasses seem like they go down all the way to the centre of the earth. 

 

25 miles of new protected bike lanes a year is nice but if 350 miles of bike lanes crumble every year and nothing is done about it we are going backward. 

Permalink Reply by Active Transportation Alliance on May 13, 2011 at 12:18pm

Good news, actually! I just found out that Sec. of State Jesse White put new questions in the drivers license exam that address the "must stop for pedestrians" and distracted driving issues.

 

Small steps, but good!

 

Thanks,

Ethan, with Active Trans


Jason W said:

It is great to hear you are committed to education and enforcement, not just infrastructure improvements. This idea sounds like a creative way to educate new drivers. Education is tough, as it is hard to get people to listen. It does need to be done though, and IMO probably the most important thing. Frankly we have some pretty good bike laws right now, but no one knows them.

 

I'm curious, when you guys got the "cars must stop for people in crosswalks" law passed there seemed to be a little enforcement immediately after. Was there any sort of sustained effort on CPD's part, and were you happy with their response?


Active Transportation Alliance said:

Oh, one additional note...we are working hard (we've had discussions with Ray Lahood and other major players) about overhauling drivers education so that it includes a week of education about biking, walking and transit. It's a long-term goal and shift in thinking, but something we are working on.

 

We have done some Drive with Care efforts in the past and have worked to secure a lot of distracted driving laws/ordinances but, it's true that without enforcement, they aren't effective.

 

We'll keep pushing on this, of course!

 

Thanks,

Ethan, with Active Trans

Permalink Reply by Chicago Ride of Silence on May 13, 2011 at 1:06pm

Has anyone invited our current Mayor or Mayor-Elect Emmanuel to participate in this year's Chicago Ride of Silence next Wednesday evening, May 18? We depart Daley Plaza at 7pm. For mayors committed to making cycling safe in Chicago, this ride speaks directly to that message.

www.rideofsilence.org/chicago

http://www.thechainlink.org/events/chicago-ride-of-silence

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on May 13, 2011 at 1:36pm

If only the city would follow up on contractors who make cuts in the roads for repair and additions to utilities.    Much of the maintenance hassle of the city roads is the damage done by these contractors and their poor patch jobs.  It's too bad that this city is so run by the people behind these contracts and the shoddy work they do (and the kickbacks) that we get stuck with the garbage leftovers from these patronage and kick-back mobster contractors.    If only the city inspecotrs would stand up to these crooked mob bosses and labor organizations instead of harassing poor landowners and small businesses over tiny infractions this city would be a much better place to live.

 

Oh, well.  That's a totally different subject.  Fact is the roads are falling apart from a million "cuts."

Permalink Reply by Davo on May 13, 2011 at 3:59pm
Its my understanding that the contractors don't have permission from the city to properly repave what they cut up.  I don't know much about the repaving process, but it seems to me that they (contractors) probably have the ability to repave what they tore out. They would be taking work from streets and san then and those guys would get up in arms. Which ever is the case it sux. Remember when Damen was going to be fixed mid april? 
Permalink Reply by yaj 7.4 on May 13, 2011 at 4:29pm

I just wanted to say I am impressed with the inclusion of cycling, pedestrian concerns and public space in the Chicago 2011 Transition Plan.

Active Trans, thank you for representing our community so well during the transition.

 

 

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on May 13, 2011 at 4:38pm
I have to admit it does look good on paper.  But then again many things do.

y a j said:

I just wanted to say I am impressed with the inclusion of cycling, pedestrian concerns and public space in the Chicago 2011 Transition Plan.

Active Trans, thank you for representing our community so well during the transition.

 

 

Permalink Reply by Active Transportation Alliance on May 13, 2011 at 4:57pm

You are welcome, thanks for being part of such an involved community...we need to get guidance from everyone and are glad to represent when possible!

 

All of us at Active Trans, via Ethan
y a j said:

I just wanted to say I am impressed with the inclusion of cycling, pedestrian concerns and public space in the Chicago 2011 Transition Plan.

Active Trans, thank you for representing our community so well during the transition.

 

 

Permalink Reply by Duppie on May 13, 2011 at 6:26pm

Jason,


I am not attacking your post. I am just getting a chuckle out of your textbook case of bad reasoning.

Your entire argument for increasing enforcement seems centered around the fact that CPD wrote only 5 tickets.  You then try to increase the validity of of your argument by making up some claim about thousands of tickets being written to cyclists.

But even Active Trans acknowledges that they currently lack the data to prove the severity of the dooring issue. (And don't take my word for it. In the article that you linked, Ethan is quoted as saying exactly that.) It is also why Active Trans petitioned IDOT to start recording dooring crashes. Once a good amount of data exists, and analysis shows that dooring is indeed a mjaor cause of crashes, then we should consider increasing enforcement and awareness efforts. Not because one news article mentions that only five tickets were issued.


Jason W said:

That article says all that needs to be said, with hard numbers from a reputable news source...  I'm not sure why you're attacking my post, but I don't believe most cyclists would find 5 tickets for dooring and the 3 foot rule in a 3 year period acceptable. Do you?


Duppie said:

I think you should give active Trans more credit.

Before you go kick down Garry McCarthy's door demanding more enforcement of the dooring ordinance, you better make sure you have some hard numbers to back up your claim that dooring is an issue that needs to be dealt with.

 

That is why Active Trans publicly shaming IDOT to start recording dooring crashes such a big deal. We can replace hearsay, opinions, and anecdotal evidence with hard facts. The next step will be, as Ethan says, using those facts to make changes in enforcement.

 

In the meantime, keep up the search for that link that details those thousands of tickets written to cyclists ;)

Permalink Reply by leyzdoo on May 15, 2011 at 11:28pm

This may very well has been addressed on this board before, but I haven't seen it in my reading.  Has much thought or effort been put into addressing the existing dangers of the Lakeshore Path during summer months?  It is heavily used from April - Sept and is very hazardous when you mix cyclists, rollerbladers, pets all of whom are wearing headphones (even the dogs)?

 

Signage would be great, an expansion of the actual path (two paths? wider paths?) would be better.  I understand that costs would be significant but hate that I avoid the path during these months because I feel safer on the street.  Thanks to Active Trans for the work that you do continuously for us riders!

 

Thoughts, comments or redirects to previous posts are all appreciated.  Thanks.

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