Active Transportation Alliance

The Active Transportation Alliance or Active Trans is a member-based, non-profit advocacy organization based in Chicago, Illinois, USA, that works to improve conditions for bicycling, walking and transit and engage people in healthy and active ways to get around northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana. The mission of the Active Transportation Alliance is "to make bicycling, walking and public transit so safe, convenient and fun that we will achieve a significant shift from environmentally harmful, sedentary travel to clean, active travel. We advocate for transportation that encourages and promotes safety, physical activity, health, recreation, social interaction, equity, environmental stewardship and resource conservation."
The Active Transportation Alliance aims to reach two goals for the region by 2026:
*current level of crashes are cut by half
*50 percent of all trips in the region are made by walking, biking and transit.
History
The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation was established in 1985 as a non-profit advocacy organization working to improve the bicycling environment and thereby the quality of life in the Northeastern Illinois region.
Based in Chicago, Illinois, the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation organised Bikes on Metra, the Illinois Complete Streets law , the Boulevard Lakefront Tour , Sunday Parkways and Bike the Drive .
In 2005, the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation addressed the need for comprehensive work on the larger transportation culture, expanding its mission to include: “The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation recognizes the synergies between promoting bicycling and promoting walking and public transit. We align our advocacy with social equity and community improvement and we embrace the power of a broad multi-modal coalition to achieve our mission.”
In 2008, the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation formally expanded its mission to reflect its work as bicycle, pedestrian and transit advocates and changed its name to the Active Transportation Alliance.
Its new mission is “to make bicycling, walking and public transit so safe, convenient and fun that we will achieve a significant shift from environmentally harmful, sedentary travel to clean, active travel. We advocate for transportation that encourages and promotes safety, physical activity, health, recreation, social interaction, equity, environmental stewardship and resource conservation.”
Partners
The Active Transportation Alliance staff works as consultants to the Chicago Department of Transportation’s bicycle and pedestrian programs. The organization also staffs planners and engineers to create on-street infrastructure improvements and biking and walking plans for municipalities. It advocated for Illinois' Complete Streets law, passed in 2007, that requires road construction and improvements to accommodate all road users at every phase.
The Active Transportation Alliance is supported by 35 full-time staff, more than 6,000 members and more than 1,000 volunteers.
Events
The Active Transportation Alliance hosts the annual Bike The Drive, where 20,000 bicyclists ride on a car-free Lake Shore Drive.
Other events the Active Transportation Alliance organizes are Sunday Parkways, Bicycle Commuter Challenge, the Boulevard Lakefront Tour and the Veggie Bike and Dine.

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