Permitted activities that may affect your use of the Lakefront Trail August 27-29
Friday, August 27
No activities recorded but the set up for the Chicago Triathlon has begun between Randolph and Monroe
Saturday, August 28
The Peapod Project Walk Run Help, Lincoln Park-Diversey Harbor, 11am-7pm
Kids Fleet Feet Sports Super Sprint Triathlon, Lincoln Park-Foster/Simonds Dr., 7am-3pm
North Avenue Beach Ball, North Avenue Beach, 9:30am-8pm
Bears vs. Cardinals, Soldier Field, kick off is 7:30pm
Sunday, August 29
AVP Chicago Open, Oak Street Beach, 7am-7pm
The Chicago Triathlon, Lower Hutchinson/Monroe & DuSable Harbors, 6am-3pm
Boulevard Lakefront Tour, register at http://boulevardtour.org/
Greetings!
I am thrilled to be able to introduce myself as Active Trans’ new Executive Director. I say that because I am proud of this organization’s work and its community of supporters, and because I am excited about our potential for the future.
I come to Active Trans from the non-profit Union of Concerned Scientists, where I started and directed its Midwest Office. Before that I served as Associate Director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and Deputy Executive Director at the American Lung Association in Chicago. Most of my career has focused on advancing environmental policy, which has allowed me to work with Active Trans (recently and when it was the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation). In the 1990s, for example, I worked with CBF to direct millions of federal transportation dollars to bike, pedestrian and transit projects.
Lucky for me, Active Trans has grown even stronger in recent years. That, of course, is due in large part to its base of committed members and supporters. Together, we successfully pushed for important laws that make our streets safer - a ban on texting, a ban on using your cell phone in a school zone and a measure that requires drivers to stop for pedestrians. We have been in communities throughout the region, educating thousands of children about pedestrian and bicycling safety, and we are writing bicycle and pedestrian plans with the City of Chicago and dozens of suburbs, like Evanston, Oak Forest and Mount Prospect. We are truly leading the charge to make bicycle, pedestrian and transit options convenient and safe in every Chicagoland community.
You’ve probably known it for a long time, but many business and community leaders are just catching on to the idea that that transportation options not only make our communities better places to live but are also vital to the region’s economy. A recent Chicago Tribune poll found that suburban residents support transit funding over highway spending.
Momentum is building in many Chicagoland communities around livable, walkable and bikeable communities. As a region, though, transportation options are severely limited for many residents. That is bad for our wallets, our air quality and our health.
Active Trans’ board wisely expanded the organization’s mission into transit and pedestrian advocacy in 2008. There is enormous opportunity to affect the landscape of the region’s transportation with that expansion. Over the next few months, we will begin to ramp up a new initiative to support transit and transit riders. At the same time, we remain as committed as ever to improving bicycling, which has been our bread and butter for 25 years.
I have lived Active Trans’ mission for a long, long time. My typical commute is a bike ride to the Green Line and the Green Line to work. My family and I walk and bike for everyday errands. I know you live the mission too, but many people don’t even have that option.
Your support helps Active Trans ensure that that those who don’t want, can’t afford, aren’t old enough, or aren’t able to drive a car still have safe and convenient options to get around. I am excited to get to know you as we continue to rely on your support and expertise in order to advance biking, walking and transit in every Chicagoland community.
I am very interested to hear from you, too! Stop by the Active Trans tent at the Boulevard Lakefront Tour this Sunday on the UIC campus. Haven’t signed up? Hurry!
Thanks again for your support.
Ron Burke, Executive Director
Last week, in a blog posting we alerted you to pending cuts by Illinois Department of Transportation to popular grant programs for active transportation.
Active Transportation Alliance and several partners requested that IDOT spare the Transportation Enhancements, Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality, and Recreational Trails programs from future cuts.
Great news! We just heard that IDOT Secretary Gary Hannig is pledging no more cuts.
There is a current round of funding available for Transportation Enhancements. Applications are due on Aug. 31. Active Trans is working with many municipalities to show IDOT the importance of this program by submitting high-quality applications for bike and ped projects.
A beautiful assortment of Active Trans volunteers and staff helped us count bikes, pedestrians, and other wheeled devices on the Lakefront Trail yesterday and it was so much fun! Wow, it is a little bit of everybody who comes to enjoy our crown jewel and we had a great time counting everyone. We will back on the trail tomorrow. Wave if you see us!
Active Trans and Friends of the Parks are presenting another free lecture Sept. 9 as part of the Chicago Cultural Center’s Creative Living in the City lecture series. The topic is "Trails, Trails, Trails: Completing the South Lakefront Park System and Connecting to the Southland Region." Come learn about plans to complete Chicago’s south lakefront park and trail system from 79th to 95th streets and the growing connections to our regional trail system beyond Chicago. Speakers: Joanne Bauer, Friends of the Parks, and Steve Buchtel, Active Transportation Alliance. Sept. 9, 12:15 to 1:15 p.m., at Claudia Cassidy Theater, Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington Blvd., Chicago. Free and open to the public.
Last week, Congress passed a bill requiring state departments of transportation to cut $2.2 billion in spending this year. IDOT has discretion how to make these cuts from several programs that fund construction of roadways.
IDOT is considering cuts to make some of its $76.4 million in recissions from the Illinois Transportation Enhancements Program. TE has helped hundreds of communities make their environments more safe, healthy and environmentally-friendly with bike and ped amenities.
Today, Active Transportation Alliance and League of Illinois Bicyclists sent an open letter to IDOT Secretary Gary Hannig asking him to spare the Transportation Enhancements program from unfair cuts.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| Signed Ltr.pdf | 187.86 KB |
Permitted Activities that may affect your use of the Lakefront Trail August 20-22
Friday, August 20
No activities reported
Saturday, August 21
Zion CDC Bike/Walk-A-Thon, Grant Park-Arvey Field, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Jaden's Walk, Jackson Park-Grove 19A, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The Champions Run, Lincoln Park-Grove 16, 8:00 a.m. to Noon
North Avenue Beach Ball, North Avenue Beach, 9:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Bears v. Raiders, Museum Campus-Soldier Field, Kick off at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, August 22
Lymphomathon, Montrose Harbor, 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
WTTW Fun and Run, Lincoln Park-South Field, 9:00 a.m. to Noon
Active Trans is wishing the very best to Sarah Miller as she takes her leave from West Town Bikes. Sarah's work as associate director over the past several years has helped them grow and expand their youth outreach, move to a new space and open the Ciclo Urbano bike shop.
West Town is hosting a "Fond Farewell" BBQ with some refreshments this Friday starting at 6 p.m. Please bring something to grill, something to share and your choice of refreshments.
Best wishes, Sarah, from all of us at Active Trans!
Volunteers needed!
The Active Transportation Alliance is looking for volunteers to help with a trail users count on the Chicago Lakefront Trail. The Chicago Park District wants accurate counts of trail users so that they can assess future needs and show funders how busy it is. We need people to count cyclists, pedestrians, and other Lakefront Trail users. The project will take place between August 21st and 27th, 2010. Three shifts are available; Saturday 12pm-4pm, Tuesday 5am-9am and 3pm-7pm.
Minimum time requirement is 4 hours (1 for training and materials, 3 hours per survey period).
Interested? Contact Carolyn Helmke at carolyn@activetrans.org.
Billionaire Warren Buffett is pestering his peers to give half of their money to charity. When an interviewer suggested that a meeting between Buffett and other billiionaires would mean a fleet of armored cars outside a fancy restaurant Buffett said "That's the way people picture it, but we'll probably get there on our bicycles."
I doubt he was joking.
To me, one of the best benefits of being super rich would be the unlimited options. You can eat prime rib with a $500 bottle of wine or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a glass of fresh milk.You know that sometimes that peanut butter and jelly sandwich is the only thing that will hit the spot.
The same is true with our transportation options. While someone like Warren Buffett can choose any car and driver he wants, he knows that sometimes a bike ride is the best way to get around. You get exercise, great views, and you can easily stop if you feel like it to pet a dog or chat with a friend.
If Warren Buffett read "Carjacked," a recently published book that outlines the personal and societal costs of automobiles, he would probably agree with it and maybe even give a copy to his progeny. This book reminds us just how much cars really cost and how easy one can get stuck in a cycle of poverty if they are dependant on them. While someone like Buffett probably rides a bike because he wants to, I doubt the economic benefits are lost on him.
So, be like a billionaire and ride your bike. Most of the time, it is your best option!
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