You’re already an Active Trans member at heart. Become a member in action!

Dear Chainlinkers,


We know that you want safer streets in your community so you can cross the road without worrying about getting hit. You wish the Chicago region had more bike lanes and trails so you would feel more comfortable biking to work or visiting the park with your family. And you wish you had reliable and affordable transit options that were easy to get to and easy to use.


You already belong to our movement, and (even though you might not realize it), you’re already an Active Transportation Alliance member at heart. We invite you to solidify that commitment by joining us today in our fight for better transportation choices. It’s a painless commitment of just $1 or more, but every member we add puts more power behind our movement.


We have a bold vision for Chicagoland to substantially reduce crashes and increase trips made by biking, walking and transit. We are at a critical point on the road to making our vision a reality, and we need our supporters to come together to make it happen. Your support is the strength behind this movement!


There has never been a better time to become a member. Join Active Trans by Sept. 30 and a local donor will match your gift, doubling your impact! We’ll also enter you in a raffle for a $100 REI gift certificate. Sign up now with coupon code CHAINLINK to have your gift matched and to be entered in the raffle.


Sincerely,

Lee Crandell
Membership Director

Views: 113

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on September 28, 2010 at 10:28am
DUG wants a warzone he can safely cycle through.

Kevin Conway said:
DUG you're back, in all your cranky glory!

notoriousDUG said:
You don't know any of those things about me; in fact you don't know anything about me...
Permalink Reply by Gin on September 28, 2010 at 11:51am
Institutional cultures change slowly. More on the Complete Streets history can be found at http://www.bikelib.org/other-advocacy/idot-complete-streets-law/

Basically--it took some time for IDOT to revise its design guidelines and funding ratios. LIB, Active Trans, Break the Gridlock, CMAP and other groups worked with IDOT during this process. For example, there is now a better cost share for local communities to have sidewalks included in state funded road projects--used to be 50/50, now it is 80 state and 20 local.

Ooo--family is home and I have to run. Will try to come up with other examples later.
Permalink Reply by jennifer james on September 28, 2010 at 11:59am
Dug already has one! It's called traffic in Chicago. We need separated bike lanes!
And trams and high speed rail and....I wish there was a faster way to Chicago being part of the civilized world. I think recognizing how hard the work is to do is great but we need to look to the places where real cycling, trains and trams are a daily expectation and remember that taking half measures now will only make it more expensive to reach what is essentially the baseline for "active transportation".

I can see why Eddie is so angry about Milwaukee Ave because it is really a lost opportunity.

Why can the Mayor can spend massive amounts of public funds for what could have been pathways for modern tram systems - or an amazing separated bike lane system without removing parking - for planters literally all around the city? Why were these dollars not used to bring our city into this century? (In Europe the new trams are laid right into the streets - far less expensively than in the past.) We know that these real solutions are not radical at all. Cars are not the future. Think of a tram or a separated lane where you see a huge maintenance-demanding planter this week, and imagine where we could be by now. We have to imagine ourselves forward in a big way as an organization and city if we are even going to get close. Painting lanes on the road is a waste of money. Driver education is also plus minus. We need to advocate deep infrastructure changes which will sadly make people stuck in their cars feel angry and uncomfortable but is there any other choice?
Permalink Reply by Gin on September 28, 2010 at 1:33pm
Jen--Right on. I especially like "We need to advocate deep infrastructure changes which will sadly make people stuck in their cars feel angry and uncomfortable but is there any other choice?" There is a time for carrots and for sticks, a time for praise and a time for anger. For example, I totally get (and share) Eddie's frustration about Milwaukee Ave. The street should prioritize bikes! Anyone remember C.A.L.M: Cyclists' Alliance to Liberate Milwaukee?

But I don't agree that bike lanes have been a waste. I suspect they have been useful as an intermediate step to increase overall visibility of cycling. They and the maps have helped bring more cyclists out of the woodwork. . . who now want better facilities.

RSS

Groups

© 2008-2016   The Chainlink Community, L.L.C.   Powered by

Disclaimer  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service