About the Active Transportation...

www.activetrans.org

About the Active Transportation Alliance

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• Chicagoland’s voice for better biking,

walking and transit

• Founded 1985

• 7,000 members, ~33 full time staff

• Serve Chicago metro region

www.activetrans.org Chicagoland’s voice for better biking, walking and transit.

More Cars, More Driving in Illinois

1982 – 2012

•Population.............................. 13% Increase

•Motor Vehicle Registrations…42% increase

•Vehicle Miles Traveled……….63% increase

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Travel to Work Mode Share (2012)

City of Chicago

• Biking: 1.6%

• Walking: 6.9% 34.8% non-auto: NYC 67%, DC 55%, Boston 52%

• Transit: 26.3%

• Cars/other: 65.2%

Metro Chicago

• Bike: 0.7 percent

• Walk 3.3 percent

• Transit 11.1 percent

• Cars/other 84.9 percent

US Census Bureau 2012

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Metro Chicago Mode Share All Trips (2008)

• Car: 79.5%

• Walk: 10.4%

• Bike: 1.0%

• Transit: 6.9% • CTA Bus: 3.3%

• CTA Rail: 1.8%

• Pace: 0.5%

• Metra: 1.2%

• Private Bus: 0.1%

• Taxi/other: 0.5%

CMAP, Chicago Regional Household Travel Inventory (2010)

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Over-dependence on cars is part of a

sedentary, unhealthy lifestyle

“Walking, Cycling and Obesity Rates in Europe, North America and Australia” - Journal of

Physical Activity and Health, 2008


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Fatalities/Injuries in Illinois Urban Areas:

• City Streets: 54%/65%

• State Highways: 32%/29%

• Interstate/Expressway: 14%/6%


Bike and Pedestrian Crashes

• Chicago: 41% of traffic fatalities bike/ped; 34% ped

• Cook County: 33% of traffic fatalities bike/ped; 28% ped

• 6 other counties:13% of traffic fatalities bike/ped; 11% ped

• In Chicago alone, an avg. of 60 people injured or killed

every day in traffic crashes; 12 are biking or walking

• Nearly 1 bike/ped fatality every 3 days in metro Chicago

• 19 bike/ped injuries per day in Metro Chicago

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Transportation & Equity

• 1/3 of poor minorities lack access to a car (12% for poor whites)

• Minority pedestrian death rates are up to 70% higher than those of whites

• 560,000 people with disabilities never leave their homes due to transportation difficulties

• Older adults who no longer drive make fewer trips for health care, shopping, visiting family

The Leadership Conference: http://www.civilrights.org/transportation/

Transportation Equity Network: www.transportationequity.org

Policy Link Transportation Equity Initiative: www.policylink.org/

Transportation for American (T 4 America) Equity Caucus: www.t4america.org/equitycaucus

National Complete Streets Coalition: www.completethestreets.org

“Dangerous By Design”, Transportation for America

http://www.completethestreets.org/


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Benefits of Active Transportation • Healthy

• Green

• Enhances community safety

with more ‘eyes on the street’

• Encourages socialization

• Builds neighborhood

cohesion

• Transportation for people

who cannot/choose not to

own cars

• Reduces congestion and

enhances economy


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But barriers exist in the built environment...

“Living in [car dependent

communities] limits the opportunities to incorporate physical activity into daily life. Residents must drive to work, school, and services.”*

American Public Health Association: “At the Intersection of Public Health and

Transportation: Promoting Healthy Transportation Policy”


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Travel distance (connectivity)


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Geographic distance (land use)

‘Suburban

sprawl’:

Isolated land use

Lack of connectivity between roads

Less density

Civic anchors (schools, shopping, workplaces) sited on fringe of town

Few amenities within walking distance

Traditional urban

design: Mixed land use

Well-connected road network

More density

Civic anchors located centrally

Many amenities within walking distance


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Lack of safe, accessible facilities


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Social environment barriers

• Time and convenience

• Inclement weather

• Social norming

• Status of car ownership

• Lack of political will

*Driving will and should be

an option for getting

around........but not the

only option!


Regional Transit System Underperforms

Among six largest “legacy” (older) transit systems (Boston, Chicago, New

York, Philly, DC, and San Francisco) and Los Angeles, the Chicago

region is:

• Last in ridership growth

• Last in system expansion

• Last in transit-friendly development

• Next-to-last to LA for per capita transit spending

In addition:

• Region allocates 25 percent less money on transit capital than 20 years

ago despite 20% population increase

• Only 23 percent of the region’s residents (12 percent in the suburbs)

can use transit to reach a typical job in under 90 minutes

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The Recipe for Change

1.Mix of destinations

and land uses with walkable/

bikable distances around transit.

2. Good network of safe,

convenient and accessible

pedestrian, bicycle and

transit facilities (sidewalks,

safe crossings, bike lanes

and paths, expanded

transit network)

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Strategies

1. Policies: change the rules to make healthy design

the norm (local most important)

2. Planning: establish vision and priorities

3. Projects: build actual infrastructure that supports

active transportation

4. Programs: change behaviors to increase walking,

biking and transit trips


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Complete Streets in Chicago

Chicago Dept. of

Transportation

•Adopted a Complete

Streets policy

•Reorganized

personnel around

Complete Streets

•Developed new design

guidelines

•Adopted ‘pedestrian

first’ mode heirarchy


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Plans

Recent Chicago plans:

– Make Way for Play

– Streets for Cycling 2020

– Chicago Pedestrian Plan

– Make Way for People


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Projects

• Sidewalks and street crossings

• On-street bike facilities

• Off-street paths

• Pedestrian/bike bridges and tunnels

• Lighting, benches, trees, drinking fountains

• Traffic calming measures (refuge islands, speed humps, curb extensions)

• Universal design (ADA)

• Transit stop and station improvements

• New transit service

• Divvy


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Projects – road diet


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Programs – traffic safety education

Chicago’s Safe Routes and Bicycling Ambassadors


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Programs – public awareness campaigns


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Programs – traffic enforcement

• Must stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk

• No talking/texting while driving

• Unsafe pedestrian/bicycle behaviors

• Speeding

• Running red lights


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Challenges

Challenges: • Built environment change takes time and $$!

• Federal transportation spending flat at best

• Local and state fiscal woes

• Balanced streets sometimes requires reprogramming car spaces

• Transit system that doesn’t work for most people

• Regional development not happening near transit (i.e. no ‘smart

growth’ mandate, transit/jobs disconnect)


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Opportunities

Opportunities: • Overall support for active transportation is growing; political will in

Chicago is strong

• Divvy expansion into neighborhoods, including underserved areas

• High-profile projects in queue (Bloomingdale Trail, Navy Pier Flyover, next-gen bike lanes)

• Loop and Ashland Ave. Bus Rapid Transit

• Participatory budgeting (aldermanic menu funding, TIF)

• Transit Future campaign to secure new transit funding for Cook County

About the Active Transportation...

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