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
Lily Shambrook’s family hopes lawsuit against city will help keep others safe on bikes
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Hopefully one outcome of this lawsuit will be corporations, commercial drivers, and city officials prioritizing cyclist safety. That would help ensure that Lily's passing will not have been in vain.
Passage of bike lane towing ordinance honors children lost to traffic violence this year
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Hopefully it's some comfort to the families of kids who were lost to traffic violence this year, that their stories helped bring about change that could prevent others from experiencing that kind of heartbreak.
Education, infrastructure, and holding drivers accountable > bike helmets for cyclist safety
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Stopping drivers from killing cyclists shouldn't be a matter of good fortune and a couple inches of Styrofoam and plastic. We need education, infrastructure, and laws to prevent crashes from happening in the first place.
ProPublica Helps Lawmakers Who Want to Let Motorists Drive at Deadly Speeds
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it's frustrating to see ProPublica, a news outlet that's supposed to be working for the public good, come out with yet another windshield-POV piece on Chicago's automatic enforcement program.
Awful WBEZ speed cam piece disregards safety data, ignores traffic violence victims
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It's not surprising when right-wing publications run garbage articles about traffic cameras. But it's disappointing when progressive news outlets approach this issue with a windshield POV.
Advocates Discuss Significance of ‘Ride of Silence’
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It’s been a rough past year for Chicagoans who ride bikes
Neighbors Say Road Diet Causes ‘Traffic Nightmare,’ but Data Tell a Different Story
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In reality, plenty of people benefit from such projects. But the media often highlight the loudest, least-informed voices.
Gas Giveaways Harm People. Don’t Let Rich Politicians do Them.
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Gas giveaways don't just benefit some residents while ignoring others, they negatively impact vulnerable people by slowing down buses and creating more emissions.
Chicago Auto Show producers sponsor contest that produces awful victim-blaming PSAs
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Recently Streetsblog contributor A.J. LaTrace discussed the absurdly large SUVs and pickup trucks on display at the Chicago Auto Show. These machines have massive blind spots that make it difficult to detect a child in front of the vehicle, and their absurdly high grilles that basically ensure that a struck pedestrian or bike rider will […]
Podcast: John talks with Eben Weiss, aka Bike Snob NYC, about legalizing the Idaho stop
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We also discussed why ultimately U.S. cities should be building citywide networks of connected, protected bikeways with logical traffic light timing, so Idaho stop laws become unnecessary.
Illinois lawmakers killed an “Idaho stop” bill this week, but one could pass in the future
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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.
Talk on Traffic Cameras
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Researchers discuss potential equity issues with the program, as well as sharing the nitty-gritty of their methodology.