The Illinois Bike Transportation Plan has the potential to impact the design of state roads in the purview of the Illinois Department of Transportation: 2,775 miles, or nine percent of the total mileage, of road in the Chigagoland region.
John Greenfield reports on the release of the Illinois Bike Transportation Plan, which is being touted by bike and pedestrian advocates as a new direction for the Illinois Department of Transportation.
“The bike plan focuses on the design and management of state roads, as well as the distribution of federal and state transportation money to Illinois municipalities. Improving state roads could go a long way towards making biking and walking safer, since these highways are often overly wide, with multiple lanes and high-speed traffic,” writes Greenfield.
In addition, “IDOT design manuals will be updated to reflect modern standards for accommodating biking and walking, which should increase the quantity and quality of bike facilities incorporated into state road projects. And the plan calls for hiring a full-time bike and pedestrian coordinator to work within the agency to ensure these modes are accommodated.”
Already, “the Active Transportation Alliance heralded the release of the bike plan…as a sign of IDOT’s growing commitment to improving conditions for non-motorized transportation.”
FULL STORY: Could IDOT Bike Plan Represent a Turning Point for the Car-Centric Agency?

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
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