Double plays and MVPs bring major wins

By Margo O’Hara and Dan Persky

That’s it (for now), sports fans!

We have just wrapped up an epic legislative session that was filled with excitement, drama, and – in the end – huge wins.

Here is an instant replay of the last few months:

In November we announced our roster: legislation on pedestrian safety (HB 43), Safe Routes to School funding (SB75), school transportation reforms (HJR 6) and distracted driving (HB 71 and HB 72).

We came out strong in January and February, picking up big wins along the way:

SB 75, which allows school districts to use revenue from speeding violations for Safe Routes to School activities, flew through the House and Senate.

HB 43, which would require drivers to stop – instead of yield – for pedestrians narrowly passed the House with a 60-54 vote. We were surprised to see such controversy around this important bill and would soon find out that the struggle wasn’t over.

It was time to bring in the big hitters.

We enlisted our members’ support for HB 43 and mobilized them to urge their officials to support it. The new Active Trans Centurion Network launched a massive phone bank in dozens of key legislative districts. The calls resulted in largely bi-partisan support for the bill throughout the state.

Dr. Kyran Quinlan (a pediatrician working to cut crashes in the Woodlawn neighborhood), David Hirsch (whose daughter, Maya, was killed when a car hit her in 2006), and Falon Mihalic (Active Trans’ safety expert) lobbied in Springfield for HB 43.

The seventh inning stretch.

The General Assembly returned from its spring break in April and promptly took up several bills to advance active transportation. Both chambers passed HB 2245, which will provide bicyclists and pedestrians access to a crime victims compensation fund when they are injured in hit-and-runs. The legislature also approved a bill (SB 577) that requires Metra to accept credit cards for payment. SB 236, a bill clarifying that riders of electric bikes are to be treated as bicyclists, not drivers, was also enacted.

Meanwhile, HB 43 was waiting its turn for a vote.

Several downstate senators joined our team and made the case that pedestrian safety is an important issue in their communities: More than 60 pedestrians are killed each year downstate and an additional 115 are killed in the Chicago area. Once HB 43 made it out of the Senate Transportation Committee, a vigorous debate was held on the Senate floor. Fortunately, no one was ejected from the game.

With the go-ahead run at the plate, we had one week left before the legislature adjourned. The fans got on their feet, again making thousands of phone calls to their senators – this time at Bike the Drive.

Like any good game, it has come down to the final pitch.

A couple of solid base hits won us a ban on texting while driving (HB 71) and a ban on talking on cell phones while in a school or construction zone (HB 72). On the last day of session, the General Assembly also approved HJR 6, creating a task force to study Illinois’ school transportation programs.

As of press time, HB 43 was headed into extra innings. We still need key votes, and we are not giving up. Stay tuned to read the final score on our blog.

The fans make all the difference, and your calls to your representatives and senators had a huge impact. We look forward to Gov. Quinn signing these bills into law. Watch our website for updates on these laws.

Margo O’Hara is Active Trans’ director of communications. Dan Persky is Active Trans’ legislative director.