Active Transportation Alliance

10/17/2026

As a member organization, we count on bringing in more voices to the fight to ensure we can advocate for better transportation options in Illinois.

Your support helps us stay ready for the extensive work behind a legislative win: organizing advocates, building coalitions, working directly with lawmakers, and crafting practical policy solutions. Every person deserves to get home safely—whether they are driving, walking, biking, or using a mobility device. With your support, we can make Illinois streets safer for everyone.

Tap below to join or renew your membership:
https://activetransportation.org/about-us/get-involved/join-or-renew/

10/16/2026

📢 Help shape the future of transit in Chicagoland!

NITA is developing its first regional budget and wants to hear which transit improvements are most important to you. Your feedback will help inform regional budget planning and future investments across CTA, Metra, and Pace.

🗓️ Take the survey by October 16 — now available in English and Spanish: https://polco.us/n/res/vote/northern-illinois-transit/what-moves-you-help-shape-the-2027-nita-budget

10/16/2026

"The first phase of Metra’s two-part plan can be attained with little additional investment, according to the report. By adding more frequent service on the current lines, Metra could get trains running every 30-60 minutes with few changes to tracks or new trains.

Metra could get there by dividing some train service into “inner” and “outer” zones, depending on their distance from the Loop. Inner zone trains would turn back before reaching the end of the line. Outer zone trains would run express closer to downtown, occasionally stopping at some inner zone stops. The overall effect is more frequent service in more heavily used areas close to the Loop, and quicker service from more distant areas."

The plan for regional rail, on par with the world's best transit systems, would create crosstown service by running trains through Chicago Union Station.

10/15/2026

Nearly 400 people came out to the Northern Illinois Transit Authority - NITA open house yesterday!

Great to see so many people coming out and providing feedback on ways to improve our system.

10/15/2026

“We support the proposed expansion of the Smart Streets ordinance,” said ATA’s W. Robert Schultz III during the presser. “Many times, when I’m a rider on the Chicago CTA bus number 66, it’s especially frustrating to be delayed when [drivers] park illegally in clearly marked red bus lanes. The Smart Streets program can help buses move faster in designated lanes and protect people biking from [having to make] potentially deadly maneuvers around vehicles parked in bike lanes.”

Our streets just got smarter! 🤓

Victory! Ald. Vasquez’s office and CDOT confirmed the Smart Streets expansion for citywide, permanent camera enforcement of bus/bike lanes and bus stops is a done deal.

10/15/2026

10/14/2026

Smart Streets means Chicagoans can move faster and more safely: buses stay on time, people with disabilities can count on transit, and cyclists stay in bike lanes instead of merging into heavy vehicle traffic. The Smart Streets program will save lives, and we urge the city council to make the program permanent.

10/14/2026

Join the North Park community on Sunday, October 18, to celebrate the new protected Bryn Mawr bike lane while also enjoying the final North Park Community Market of the season!

Meet at the market at the Peterson Elementary School field at Bryn Mawr and Kimball. The leisurely ride will roll out at 11am. Ride the full length of the lane from the North Channel Trail (east) to the Valley Trail/Weber Spur Trail (west). Enjoy the 3-mile loop as many times as you like, but make sure to take a break at the market and enjoy some delicious snacks and other delightful offerings from market vendors.

Let them know you'll be there by filling out this Google Form: https://bit.ly/brynmawrbikeparty
Invite your friends, bring your family!

10/13/2026

"In Chicago, we rarely ever rebuild residential streets, and Menu simply isn’t set up to do so. It treats different projects as separate and piecemeal. Costs are based on linear feet of asphalt or concrete, regardless of context or location. Different construction crews – some public, some private – don’t coordinate schedules or share staff or materials. So there is no cost saving – and therefore no incentive – for an alder to pay to rebuild your curb at the same time as they repave your street. There also is no cost saving for larger projects: resurfacing three blocks in a row doesn’t save the alder any money over resurfacing three separate blocks spread out across the ward. Breaking up infrastructure maintenance into separate projects means Chicago loses out on the opportunity to stretch public dollars further."

Some fixes for Chicago’s broken Aldermanic Menu program

10/09/2026

“Chicago is primed and ready to benefit from bus rapid transit on Western Avenue,” says Amy Rynell, executive president of the Active Transportation Alliance. “BRT creates a train-like transit experience for a fraction of the cost of heavy rail. Dedicated lanes, pre-paid boarding, train-like stations and smart traffic signals all combine to speed up the bus and provide a fast, reliable and affordable alternative to driving.”

As Chicago's new transit agency overseeing CTA, Metra and Pace finalizes its 2027 budget, the Sun-Times wants to hear how you want the agency to spend its nearly $1.5 billion in extra cash.