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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
STREETSBLOG CHICAGO

Lily Shambrook’s family hopes lawsuit against city will help keep others safe on bikes

By John Greenfield | Jan 19, 2023 | No Comments
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. 
Before the June 13 Safe Streets for all rally in memory of Rafi Cardenas, 2, and Lily Shambrook, 3, children drew on the Eastwood/Leavitt intersection, where a driver fatally struck Rafi on a scooter on June 2. Photo: Anne Alt
STREETSBLOG CHICAGO

Passage of bike lane towing ordinance honors children lost to traffic violence this year

By John Greenfield | Dec 16, 2022 | No Comments
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.
Photo: Streetsblog.
STREETSBLOG CHICAGO

Education, infrastructure, and holding drivers accountable > bike helmets for cyclist safety

By John Greenfield | Jul 27, 2022 | No Comments
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.
Four of the at least 23 people killed by drivers this year while on foot or bike in Chicago: Angel Thomas, 35; Nick Parlingayan, 22; Richard Heljean, 57; and Miriam Grande, 70.
STREETSBLOG CHICAGO

ProPublica Helps Lawmakers Who Want to Let Motorists Drive at Deadly Speeds

By John Greenfield | Jul 11, 2022 | No Comments
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.
Image: Charles Edward Miller, CC
STREETSBLOG CHICAGO

Awful WBEZ speed cam piece disregards safety data, ignores traffic violence victims

By John Greenfield | Jun 28, 2022 | No Comments
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.
Clockwise from upper-left: Helmut Jahn, Adé Hogue, Paresh Chhtrala, Gerardo Marciales
STREETSBLOG CHICAGO

Advocates Discuss Significance of ‘Ride of Silence’

By John Greenfield | May 16, 2022 | No Comments
It’s been a rough past year for Chicagoans who ride bikes
The driver of a monster pickup truck stops for a family using one of the new pedestrian islands in Columbus Park. Photo: John Greenfield
STREETSBLOG CHICAGO

Neighbors Say Road Diet Causes ‘Traffic Nightmare,’ but Data Tell a Different Story

By John Greenfield | May 12, 2022 | No Comments
In reality, plenty of people benefit from such projects. But the media often highlight the loudest, least-informed voices.
STREETSBLOG CHICAGO

Gas Giveaways Harm People. Don’t Let Rich Politicians do Them.

By John Greenfield | Mar 21, 2022 | No Comments
Gas giveaways don't just benefit some residents while ignoring others, they negatively impact vulnerable people by slowing down buses and creating more emissions.
"Little girl, you should wear reflective safety gear so that grownups in cars won't kill you when you walk in the street at night because there are no sidewalks." Image: National Road Safety Foundation, Chicago Auto Show
STREETSBLOG CHICAGO

Chicago Auto Show producers sponsor contest that produces awful victim-blaming PSAs

By John Greenfield | Mar 11, 2022 | No Comments
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 […]
Eben Weiss. Photo: Elliott Weiss
STREETSBLOG CHICAGO

Podcast: John talks with Eben Weiss, aka Bike Snob NYC, about legalizing the Idaho stop

By John Greenfield | Feb 22, 2022 | No Comments
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.
Photo illustration
STREETSBLOG CHICAGO

Illinois lawmakers killed an “Idaho stop” bill this week, but one could pass in the future

By John Greenfield | Feb 18, 2022 | No Comments
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.
Image: Christian Gooden via Creative Commons
STREETSBLOG CHICAGO

Talk on Traffic Cameras

By John Greenfield | Feb 15, 2022 | No Comments
Researchers discuss potential equity issues with the program, as well as sharing the nitty-gritty of their methodology.
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