About the Active Transportation...
Transcript of About the Active Transportation...
www.activetrans.org
About the Active Transportation Alliance
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• Chicagoland’s voice for better biking,
walking and transit
• Founded 1985
• 7,000 members, ~33 full time staff
• Serve Chicago metro region
www.activetrans.org Chicagoland’s voice for better biking, walking and transit.
More Cars, More Driving in Illinois
1982 – 2012
•Population.............................. 13% Increase
•Motor Vehicle Registrations…42% increase
•Vehicle Miles Traveled……….63% increase
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www.activetrans.org Chicagoland’s voice for better biking, walking and transit.
Travel to Work Mode Share (2012)
City of Chicago
• Biking: 1.6%
• Walking: 6.9% 34.8% non-auto: NYC 67%, DC 55%, Boston 52%
• Transit: 26.3%
• Cars/other: 65.2%
Metro Chicago
• Bike: 0.7 percent
• Walk 3.3 percent
• Transit 11.1 percent
• Cars/other 84.9 percent
US Census Bureau 2012
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Metro Chicago Mode Share All Trips (2008)
• Car: 79.5%
• Walk: 10.4%
• Bike: 1.0%
• Transit: 6.9% • CTA Bus: 3.3%
• CTA Rail: 1.8%
• Pace: 0.5%
• Metra: 1.2%
• Private Bus: 0.1%
• Taxi/other: 0.5%
CMAP, Chicago Regional Household Travel Inventory (2010)
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Over-dependence on cars is part of a
sedentary, unhealthy lifestyle
“Walking, Cycling and Obesity Rates in Europe, North America and Australia” - Journal of
Physical Activity and Health, 2008
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Fatalities/Injuries in Illinois Urban Areas:
• City Streets: 54%/65%
• State Highways: 32%/29%
• Interstate/Expressway: 14%/6%
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Bike and Pedestrian Crashes
• Chicago: 41% of traffic fatalities bike/ped; 34% ped
• Cook County: 33% of traffic fatalities bike/ped; 28% ped
• 6 other counties:13% of traffic fatalities bike/ped; 11% ped
• In Chicago alone, an avg. of 60 people injured or killed
every day in traffic crashes; 12 are biking or walking
• Nearly 1 bike/ped fatality every 3 days in metro Chicago
• 19 bike/ped injuries per day in Metro Chicago
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Transportation & Equity
• 1/3 of poor minorities lack access to a car (12% for poor whites)
• Minority pedestrian death rates are up to 70% higher than those of whites
• 560,000 people with disabilities never leave their homes due to transportation difficulties
• Older adults who no longer drive make fewer trips for health care, shopping, visiting family
The Leadership Conference: http://www.civilrights.org/transportation/
Transportation Equity Network: www.transportationequity.org
Policy Link Transportation Equity Initiative: www.policylink.org/
Transportation for American (T 4 America) Equity Caucus: www.t4america.org/equitycaucus
National Complete Streets Coalition: www.completethestreets.org
“Dangerous By Design”, Transportation for America
www.activetrans.org Chicagoland’s voice for better biking, walking and transit.
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Benefits of Active Transportation • Healthy
• Green
• Enhances community safety
with more ‘eyes on the street’
• Encourages socialization
• Builds neighborhood
cohesion
• Transportation for people
who cannot/choose not to
own cars
• Reduces congestion and
enhances economy
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But barriers exist in the built environment...
“Living in [car dependent
communities] limits the opportunities to incorporate physical activity into daily life. Residents must drive to work, school, and services.”*
American Public Health Association: “At the Intersection of Public Health and
Transportation: Promoting Healthy Transportation Policy”
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Travel distance (connectivity)
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Geographic distance (land use)
‘Suburban
sprawl’:
Isolated land use
Lack of connectivity between roads
Less density
Civic anchors (schools, shopping, workplaces) sited on fringe of town
Few amenities within walking distance
Traditional urban
design: Mixed land use
Well-connected road network
More density
Civic anchors located centrally
Many amenities within walking distance
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Lack of safe, accessible facilities
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Social environment barriers
• Time and convenience
• Inclement weather
• Social norming
• Status of car ownership
• Lack of political will
*Driving will and should be
an option for getting
around........but not the
only option!
www.activetrans.org Chicagoland’s voice for better biking, walking and transit.
Regional Transit System Underperforms
Among six largest “legacy” (older) transit systems (Boston, Chicago, New
York, Philly, DC, and San Francisco) and Los Angeles, the Chicago
region is:
• Last in ridership growth
• Last in system expansion
• Last in transit-friendly development
• Next-to-last to LA for per capita transit spending
In addition:
• Region allocates 25 percent less money on transit capital than 20 years
ago despite 20% population increase
• Only 23 percent of the region’s residents (12 percent in the suburbs)
can use transit to reach a typical job in under 90 minutes
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www.activetrans.org Chicagoland’s voice for better biking, walking and transit.
The Recipe for Change
1.Mix of destinations
and land uses with walkable/
bikable distances around transit.
2. Good network of safe,
convenient and accessible
pedestrian, bicycle and
transit facilities (sidewalks,
safe crossings, bike lanes
and paths, expanded
transit network)
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Strategies
1. Policies: change the rules to make healthy design
the norm (local most important)
2. Planning: establish vision and priorities
3. Projects: build actual infrastructure that supports
active transportation
4. Programs: change behaviors to increase walking,
biking and transit trips
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Complete Streets in Chicago
Chicago Dept. of
Transportation
•Adopted a Complete
Streets policy
•Reorganized
personnel around
Complete Streets
•Developed new design
guidelines
•Adopted ‘pedestrian
first’ mode heirarchy
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Plans
Recent Chicago plans:
– Make Way for Play
– Streets for Cycling 2020
– Chicago Pedestrian Plan
– Make Way for People
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Projects
• Sidewalks and street crossings
• On-street bike facilities
• Off-street paths
• Pedestrian/bike bridges and tunnels
• Lighting, benches, trees, drinking fountains
• Traffic calming measures (refuge islands, speed humps, curb extensions)
• Universal design (ADA)
• Transit stop and station improvements
• New transit service
• Divvy
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Projects – road diet
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Programs – traffic safety education
Chicago’s Safe Routes and Bicycling Ambassadors
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Programs – public awareness campaigns
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Programs – traffic enforcement
• Must stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk
• No talking/texting while driving
• Unsafe pedestrian/bicycle behaviors
• Speeding
• Running red lights
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Challenges
Challenges: • Built environment change takes time and $$!
• Federal transportation spending flat at best
• Local and state fiscal woes
• Balanced streets sometimes requires reprogramming car spaces
• Transit system that doesn’t work for most people
• Regional development not happening near transit (i.e. no ‘smart
growth’ mandate, transit/jobs disconnect)
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Opportunities
Opportunities: • Overall support for active transportation is growing; political will in
Chicago is strong
• Divvy expansion into neighborhoods, including underserved areas
• High-profile projects in queue (Bloomingdale Trail, Navy Pier Flyover, next-gen bike lanes)
• Loop and Ashland Ave. Bus Rapid Transit
• Participatory budgeting (aldermanic menu funding, TIF)
• Transit Future campaign to secure new transit funding for Cook County