John Greenfield
In addition to editing Streetsblog Chicago, John writes the transportation column for the Chicago Reader weekly paper. A Chicagoan since 1989, he enjoys exploring the city on foot, bike, bus, and 'L' train.
Recent Posts
Does Illinois Need to Legalize the 'Idaho Stop'?
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Treating stop signs like yield signs is nearly universal among bike riders, and Idaho stop laws have been shown to reduce bike injuries. Rep. Janet Yang Roh explained why her bill didn't pass – this time.
Podcast: Researchers Unpack Racial Disparities in Chicago's Speed Camera Program
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During the conversation, the UIC researchers discussed potential equity issues with the program, as well as sharing the nitty-gritty of their methodology.
No, Chicago Biking Isn’t Worse Than Jacksonville or Omaha...But It's Not Perfect
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Yes, Chicago got screwed by People for Bikes' flawed rating system. But we still have lots of work to do need to make cycling as safe, enjoyable, and normalized as it is in truly great cycling cities.
What should we do about racial discrepancies in Chicago’s life-saving traffic cam program?
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There's no question that the cams are preventing injury and fatality crashes, but Black and Latino motorists and racking up more tickets and suffering financing hardship. Should we reform or abolish it.
Study: Speed Cams Save Lives, But Communities of Color Get More Tix
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City officials say they plan to use the report to improve the program.
Who Should We Be Building Bikeways For?
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A discussion of whether or not "door zone" lanes lanes are terrible yielded an essential truth: To dramatically build bike mode-share, what we need a network of 8-to-80 facilities.
Chicago Study Shows Speed Cameras are Saving Lives
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The new report compared the changes in crash numbers near speed cameras and citywide between 2012-13 and 2018-2019 and confirmed that collision numbers have stayed relatively low near the cams.
To Address the Operator Shortages, We Need to Keep Transit Workers Fafe
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Whether the answer is Transit Ambassadors, or other solutions that don't involve adding more guns to the system, something needs to be done.
Reality Check: You Can’t Solve Congestion by Widening Roads
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Yes, driving to work in Chicagoland is terrible, but more lanes aren't the answer. We need faster, more frequent, and more reliable CTA and Metra service.
Why We Need Transit Ambassadors
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Everyone on the CTA deserves to feel and be safe, especially the transit employees who help keep the city moving.
Why Was This NFL Star And 3-Time DUI Offender Allowed to Get a 4th?
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In a just world, if you've previously committed three DUIs, you wouldn't even have the opportunity to rack up a fourth one.
Chicago Needs to Make Vision Zero a Priority
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Alderman LaSpata discussed his "crash not accident" ordinance: "There is no intention behind an accident. There is intention behind the actions that lead to traffic crashes and injuries."