Schaumburg stands as a model for other suburban communities when it comes to biking. Along with being the first community in Illinois to be recognized by the League of American Bicyclists as a Bicycle Friendly Community and the first community in Illinois to require bicycle parking at many of its new developments, the village now has 90 miles of bike paths and 1,000 bike parking racks and locker spaces.

Schaumburg’s bike-related accomplishments didn’t slow a bit in 2012. Take a look at some of the past year’s highlights:

• Installing a village-wide bike signage system indicating directions, distances and destinations.
• Installing 168 new bike parking spaces at destinations throughout the village.
• Repealing an existing ordinance that required cyclists to use off-road paths when they are available. (Since Schaumburg offers an extensive array of safe cycling facilities, many cyclists prefer or need to use on-road facilities).
• Reintroducing the village’s Summer Bike Patrol program.
• New bike path projects, including the construction of a new segment of bike path along Irving Park Road giving cyclists another route to a Metra Station and the expansion of the Atcher Park multi-use path to 10 feet.

Hooray for Schaumburg! We look forward to seeing more exciting developments in 2013.

Read more about Schaumburg’s innovative bike program and its recent accomplishments in sustainable transportation.

What did it feel like biking on Dearborn Street before the protected bike lane, and what does it feel like now? The difference is stark. Take a look at the dramatic impact that comes about when we rethink our streets to make biking safer and easier. The before and after video and photos below will give you a sense of Dearborn's transformation!

Dearborn Protected Bike Lane - Before and After from Active Trans on Vimeo.

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On Friday, December 7, I was lucky to attend a transportation expo held by students at Volta Elementary in Chicago's Albany Park neighborhood.

The 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th grade students are a part of the after-school program run by Family Focus, a local non-profit. From late October until early December, approximately 45 students explored active transportation issues in their community.

The project fit well with the program's mission to promote the well-being of children and connect families to assets in their communities. The program wrapped up with an event in the school cafeteria where student groups showed their projects on display boards, shared details of their experiences and answered questions for those in attendance.

Students' questions guided the program and research. The students wrote transportation surveys and gave them to community members (including parents, teachers, neighbors, and other students).

They used their math knowledge to compile the survey data, and also performed “field research” by walking around the neighborhood to observe conditions affecting transportation. Students gained insight into issues of active transportation through visits by representatives of both Active Trans and Bikes n Roses, a youth bike program run through the Albany Park Neighborhood Council.

The final transportation expo allowed students to share their findings and insights with the larger community, including parents and other students. One major finding was that most people walk to and from school—one of the many benefits of attending a neighborhood public school. Students were also excited to study and talk about skateboards and scooters—something many of them find interesting but had not previously thought of as a transportation.

A special thank you to all the students and staff who developed and carried out this program. It was great to hear so many students discuss the benefits of active transportation and identify barriers in their community. Programs like these will continue to build the movement of active transportation users and advocates for many years to come.

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We know that people want safer streets for biking. A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration survey found that 71 percent of Americans would like to bike more, but fewer than half feel their community is safe for bikes.

While controversy often tends to be what attracts attention, there's also no shortage of press coverage demonstrating the strong public support for new bike lanes in Chicago. Over the past week, there's been a strong showing of support in the form of an op-ed in Crain's Chicago from Donald Wilson of DRW Trading Group, a front-page story in the Chicago Tribune that gave Active Trans the last word, a column by Greg Hinz in Crain's, and even an editorial from the Chicago Sun-Times stating that "The opening Friday of the Loop’s first protected bicycle lane is a reminder there’s a better way to design the city’s transportation system."

Below are some highlights of supportive press coverage since Chicago's first protected bike lane was installed. Share links to your favorite positive news and commentary in the comments. 

The photo features a neighbor of the new protected bike lane on Dearborn giving a thumbs up for the project. 

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