In 2005, Chicago had 315 miles of bicycle lanes in the city – the same as Portland, Ore. in 2010.

Bike commuting in Chicago

Bike commuting is on the rise in cities across the nation and Chicago is no different.  Last month, 478 companies in the Chicagoland area participated in the Active Transportation Alliance 2010 Bike to Work Week event, up 48 percent from 2009.  Realizing the positive effects that bike commuting has on employee and environmental health, some companies, such as The Burke Group, have taken strides to encourage bike commuting year round.  The civil engineering firm based in Rosemont, Ill., offers a cash incentive of 75 cents for every mile, in addition to quarterly and annual giveaways for employees with the most miles commuted by bike.  Four company bikes are also available to employees for the commute from the office to their nearest transit station.

Mayor Richard M. Daley, a bike enthusiast, announced during Bike to Work Week the launch of a bike-sharing pilot program in Chicago beginning in July.  The pilot program, Chicago B-cycle, will start with 100 bikes at six stations.  Participants can purchase a daily membership card for $10 or a 90-day pass to access a bike and lock.  Hourly rates are also available: after leaving the bike station, the first half hour is free and each additional half hour is $2.50.  Depending on the success of the program, Chicago B-cycle could be expanded to other key destinations and transit stations throughout the city.

Similar bike-sharing systems already exist across the country.  The Federal Highway Administration and Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Minnesota Center for Prevention sponsored Nice Ride, a bike-sharing system in Minneapolis, which recorded 10,000 trips just 20 days after the program started. In Denver, Colo., 8,000 registered bike-share users can check an iPhone application to find out if bikes are available at designated stations.  Washington, DC, Boston, Mass., Miami, Fla., and Philadelphia, Penn., are all also in various stages of their bicycle sharing programs.

Not only is bicycling a cleaner, greener way of traveling, it’s also healthy and a lot of fun. Unfortunately, less than 2 percent of federal transportation funding goes toward bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure such as bike lanes and sidewalk improvements. As more cities begin to realize the benefits of bike-friendly communities, pressure is building to increase that percentage.

For Additional Information:

• Bicycle Commuter Act – National Center for Biking and Walking
• Top cities for bicycling in the U.S. – Bicycle Magazine

 

NEWS

Local News

Suburban residents now favor more transit spending, poll shows – Chicago Tribune “Reflecting the increasing strain of gridlocked traffic, a majority of Chicago-area residents think improving bus and train service is so important to the region that repairing and expanding expressways and toll roads should take a back seat, a Tribune/WGN poll shows.”

Durbin upbeat on high-speed rail in Illinois – State Journal-Register “Sen. Dick Durbin said Friday that giving the Union Pacific Railroad $98.3 million in federal money for track improvements without an agreement in place to allow high-speed passenger rail is still a good idea.”

USDOT, Illinois DOT ink TIGER grant pact for five CREATE projects – Progressive RailRoading “Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced it finalized a grant agreement with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) regarding five CREATE projects.”

Quinn announces $500 million in mass-transit funding – Chicago Tribune “The money is part of the state's huge public works construction program, which is funded by an increase in driver's license fees and liquor taxes and the legalization of video poker, which has yet to begin.”

CTA installs mag vending machines in some stations – Chicago Tribune “The CTA is installing magazine vending machines at several rail stations. The machines are from Time Inc. and dispense magazines such as People, Entertainment Weekly and Sports Illustrated.”

High-speed rail work to begin in September – State Journal Register “Work will begin in September on a high-speed rail line between Chicago and St. Louis, Gov. Pat Quinn announced Tuesday.”

New Tollway chief looking ahead – Chicago Sun-Times “The new head of the Illinois Tollway believes that her job is not just about building and maintaining ribbons of concrete, but thinking about other ways to fight congestion, such as express buses and charging higher tolls for certain lanes at certain times.”

Bridge rebuilding will mean changes for Metra commuters – Chicago Tribune “A major program to rebuild nearly two dozen century-old railroad bridges on Metra's Union Pacific North line is expected to start next month and will mean schedule changes for thousands of commuters.”

Transit projects expected to get economy moving – Daily Herald “In the Chicago suburbs, there's no shortage of ideas for new road and transit concepts that supporters envision will not only improve how people get around but drive economic growth.”

To cut gridlock, drivers should pay for fast lane, new study says – Chicago Tribune “A new federally funded study by the Metropolitan Planning Council and the Illinois Tollway suggests that it's time for Chicago to embrace the concept known as ‘congestion pricing.’”

World News

San Francisco Spends $25 Million To Test 'Goldilocks' Parking – NPR “San Francisco is launching a high-tech project with the aim to set parking prices just right. The range in prices will be huge: from 25 cents an hour to a maximum of $6 an hour, according to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority.”

Cities tackle traffic head-on with commuter options – USA Today “Congestion is a fact of life in large urban areas, but roads don't have to be congested all day. The best way to deal with congestion is smart traffic management.”

Bing hints U.S. is backing Woodward light-rail project – Detroit Free Press “Detroit Mayor Dave Bing strongly hinted Thursday that the federal government is on board with a proposed $400-million light-rail project on Woodward from downtown to 8 Mile, which aims to stimulate a transit system that has long eluded the city.”

Sen. Lautenberg's newly minted FREIGHT Act seeks to 'transform' U.S. transportation policy – Progressive RailRoading “Sen. Frank Lautenberg introduced the Focusing Resources, Economic Investment and Guidance to Help Transportation Act of 2010, or FREIGHT Act, which supporters believe will help transform the nation’s transportation policy and generate more federal investment in the U.S. freight network.”

L.A. officials to mark 20th anniversary of Metro Rail system – Los Angeles Times “Rather than bolster ridership, some transportation experts say, the emphasis on rail has come at the expense of the MTA's vast network of buses and may have cost the agency at least 1.5 billion passenger boardings from 1986 to 2006.”

Resources

• National State of Good Repair Assessment 2010 – FTA
• American THINKS 2010 Tolling Fact Sheet – HNTB
• A Guide for Planning and Operating Flexible Public Transportation Services – Transportation Research Board

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