While speaking to the City Club of Chicago in JanuaryCTA Acting President Nora Leerhsen probably surprised a few people in the audience when she mentioned her experience participating in a recent Second City comedy show called “Save Chicago Transit.” The comedy show included a series of skits looking at the local transit system’s looming fiscal clifffollowed by a […]

When Illinois passed the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) Act last fallmany credited former State Representative Elaine Nekritz as one of the main reasons the legislation made it across the finish line. Her political acumenstrategic thinkingand years of experience navigating the Capitol were indispensable. Without hersome saythe bill might have taken a far weaker form […]

For many people who love to bikewinter is the perfect season to dream up new ways to get more riders in the saddle. If you enjoy planning events that encourage others to discover the joy of bikingMay’s Bike Month is the ideal time to bring your ideas to life. Throughout Bike Monthpassionate grassroots organizations and local municipalities […]

Update 12/22/253:00 PM RecentlyActive Transportation Alliance and our allies met with the Mayor’s Office and Chicago Department of Transportation regarding changes in local bond funding for safe streets projects in Chicago. During this meetingthe administration acknowledged that bond funding levels beyond 2027 are reduced in the 2025-2029 Capital Improvement Planbut that this reflects a change in […]

Active Transportation Alliance had plenty to celebrate at our recent member party. In addition to turning 40 this yearwe experienced a monumental win for the state’s transit system. Indeedone month ago our coalition passed a comprehensive transit funding and reform package. We fixed it and we funded it – to the tune of over $1.5 billion annually! Not […]

The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) has made major progress transforming Chicago’s streets into safermore accessible places for people of all ages and abilities. The city’s infrastructure bond has been essential to this work — funding repairs to roads and bridgesconstructing new sidewalksand expanding the network of bike lanes that connect our neighborhoods.  Across the citythese […]

After finishing a three-decade career at the Daily HeraldI decided to combine my work and play by creating the website Suburban Chicago Bicycling. My job at the newspaper — which covers the northwest and west suburbs of Chicago — involved editing and presenting the top news of the daybut once or twice a yearI was asked to […]

It was a huge win when the Illinois General Assembly recently passed the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) Act—a landmark law delivering $1.5 billion in annual investments to strengthenmodernizeand expand our state’s public transit system. This victory didn’t happen by accident—it happened because of the coordinated effort of advocates like you working together with a coalition that we […]

Today marks a huge step forward for our communities and the future of transit in Illinois. Early this morningthe Illinois General Assembly approved the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) Act—a landmark measure providing a $1.5 billion annual investment to strengthenmodernizeand expand public transit across the region. The Active Transportation Alliance is thrilled to celebrate this moment with […]

As the Illinois legislature kicked off its fall veto session this weekdozens of advocates joined together in Springfieldspeaking with lawmakerswaving signsand lifting up voices that too often go unheard. Their message: Lawmakers must act now—securing the needed $1.7 billion—to keep buses and trains reliable and affordable for millionsincluding working familiesseniorsand people with disabilities. […]