"Children have been robbed of childhood by cars"

Sharing a concerning recent quote from Rep Sam Graves, Chair of the House committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, regarding the Transportation Reauthorization bill 😧🗣️ @bikeleague.org is hosting a webinar on Thursday on this topic. Register at bikeleague-org.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

‼️ As the holidays approach, devices with electric motors - including e-motos - are the wish lists of many children and teens. This message is to all parents, grandparents, fun uncles, and others who are buying gifts – DO NOT purchase an e-moto for a child or teen ‼️🚫

Unbelievably tragic piece about all the crossing guards injured or killed on the job in the US. One school district in South Carolina has had 4(!) crossing guards hit or killed on the job. These are people trying to fix the problems caused caused by traffic engineers, and are dying doing it.

Starting the morning on a positive note by reading a bit of the newly-released ‘Life After Cars’ from @thewaroncars.bsky.social and some tasty coffee from Maple Leaf Coffee Roasters - a Bicycle Friendly Business and Ride Illinois Corporate Member 😊 How’s your Friday looking?

"Unlike the vacuum cleaner, the radio, or the bicycle, which retain their use value when everyone has one, the car... is only desirable and useful insofar as the masses don’t have one."

London is proud to host Japan's Grand Sumo Tournament this week - it's fantastic to see the the teams using our cycling infrastructure to get around.

The new book 'If You Want to Win, You’ve Got to Fight: A Guide to Effective Transportation Advocacy' (by carterlavin.bsky.social) provides a roadmap for transforming passion into political power to win transit, bike, and street safety changes for your community islandpress.org/books/if-you...

Our BikeSafetyQuiz Mini-Grant program reached a record number of students in Illinois schools in the 2024-2025 school year: 72,744. Over 344,000 quiz sessions have been completed through the BSQ Mini-Grant program since it launched in 2018 🤩 Learn more at rideillinois.org/safety/bsqgr...

Proud to announce the release of our 2025 Legislative Scorecard. This comprehensive report highlights four years of advocacy (2021–2025), providing a clear record of how Illinois legislators voted on key bills that impact bicycle safety and infrastructure. rideillinois.org/advocacy/leg...

Ride Illinois members received a printed copy of our fall newsletter, Upshift. A digital version is available for lapsed members, and future members, and the public. Dive in to learn more about Ride Illinois and our efforts to make Illinois better through biking! rideillinois.org/newsletters/

Ride Illinois served as a panelist for the Summit on E-Bike/E-Scooter/E-Moto Ordinances hosted by the Northwest Municipal Conference. Ride Illinois has identified the need to clearly differentiate between legal classes of e-bikes and e-motos as a top priority. www.dailyherald.com/20250922/new...

Sharing an article from @peopleforbikes.bsky.social that aligns with the concerns that Ride Illinois has been expressing this year regarding e-motos. Widely varying, overly-restrictive local ordinances are only adding to the problem and the public's confusion. www.peopleforbikes.org/news/the-e-b...

Equiticity's recent "Claiming Our Space" event highlighted the importance of mobility justice issues, and how much the attendees value the nonprofit's crucial advocacy work. @equiticity.bsky.social @peopleforbikes.bsky.social @rideillinois.bsky.social @transitcenter.bsky.social

The new batch of Bike Law Wallet Cards includes the updated Definition of a Bicycle. Ride Illinois advocated for the updated definition with assistance from partner orgs, our members, and others. We appreciate all who voiced support for SB2285 👏🏿👏🏽👏🏻 Request form: rideillinois.org/safety/reque...

Cars 1.35 million!

Sadly, a 76-year old man riding his bicycle was struck and killed by the driver of an SUV on Friday night in Milmine. This case is being investigated by Illinois State Police, the Piatt County Sheriff’s Department and the Piatt County Coroner’s Office. www.wcia.com/news/piatt-c...

The bike bus programs globally are living proof that environmental awareness, public health, and community-building can all be achieved simultaneously. They represent a commitment to cultivating a more sustainable and healthier future for the children ❤️🤟 momentummag.com/how-to-start...

‘Twas a productive weekend as we collaborated with Kindle Point Inc. on a photo shoot to enhance BikeSafetyQuiz content and images 📸😎 Many thanks to Ride Riverside, Cycle Brookfield, and Maywood Rolling Wheels Club for sharing part of their weekend with us as the subject in hundreds of photos ☺️🤗

Sharing info and an invitation to attend some meaningful events, hosted by our friends at @equiticity.bsky.social, on September 12-13. Ride Illinois will be attending the Friday evening session to hear from and learn from several impressive, accomplished individuals. www.equiticity.org/second

The recording of our recent e-bike/e-moto webinar is available on Ride Illinois' YouTube channel (and also our Guidance for Municipalities page). Thanks to all who attended and added to the timely discussion. The beat goes on... youtu.be/p3vgTzXLi9Q?...

“Bikes will rule the road this Sunday on DuSable Lake Shore Drive.” — NBC Chicago 🚴‍♂️ Get ready for #BikeTheDrive! Watch our Executive Director Amy Rynell share tips for the big day. 🔗 www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/b...

Have you seen our billboards promoting BikeSafetyQuiz and encouraging motorists to drive safely near people on bicycles. The ads have been running on Clear Channel digital billboards in NE Illinois 👉👉 Everyone deserves to reach their destination safely, regardless of the mode they choose!

Saturday was a lovely day! @rideillinois attended two community events to chat about the importance of nonprofit bike advocacy and to share resources and swag. There was LOTS of interest in the bike-friendly bills that - due to our advocacy efforts - were recently signed into law by the governor

On Friday, August 22 at noon, @rideillinois.bsky.social and @atalliance.bsky.social will host an online discussion on municipal e-bike and “e-moto” ordinances. Register at bit.ly/e-motos to join Friday’s webinar.

"From 2010 to 2020... total road deaths rose 18% in the US but declined 22% in Canada. That finding is even more jarring when considering that Canada’s population grew faster during the decade." Via @davidzipper.bsky.social

Electric cargo bikes are car replacers. It’s so great to see how many families can get to soccer practice this way (enabled by Minneapolis’ protected bike infrastructure).

Sharing the latest article in our effort to distinguish between legal classes of e-bikes (class 1, 2, and 3) and e-motos – the working term for devices with greater than a 750 watt motor capable of going more than 20mph without pedaling. www.axios.com/local/chicag...

SB2285 was signed into law as Public Act 104-0141. Trike riders now have the same legal protections as riders of two-wheel bicycles in Illinois! Thanks to all who followed through on our Action Alerts and contacted their elected officials to support this bill. ilga.gov/legislation/...

Dave Simmons, Exec Dir for @rideillinois.bsky.social, was terrific on Chicago Today offering tips on how people on bikes and drivers can share the road better. It is about the people, not the things!

The villain.

😳

Appreciate the opportunity to chat on today’s episode of Reset on @wbez.org. Municipal ordinances vary widely from one town to the next. The focus should be on e-motos - devices that have motors >750W and can go faster than 20mph without pedaling - not legal e-bikes www.wbez.org/reset-with-s...

By now, we’ve all seen the headlines. Cities are cracking down on e-bikes. Lawmakers are holding emergency hearings. Parents are demanding bans. “Something must be done,” they cry at local city council meetings before driving back home in 5,000 lb SUVs. electrek.co/2025/07/20/i...

Ride Illinois appreciates the opportunity to chat with @fox32chicago.bsky.social about e-bikes, OCEVs, and the flurry of local ordinances that have been passed in several Chicagoland communities. www.fox32chicago.com/video/1676208

Cars are such an inefficient way to get around within a city.

Good job sensationalizing the issue while ignoring the real problem – dangerous driving 🤦 abc7chicago.com/post/elk-gro...

A heartbreaking tragedy... Ride Illinois shares information about fatal crashes involving bicyclists to inform the public, to encourage vigilance when biking, and to increase awareness when driving that people moving about outside of motor vehicles are particularly vulnerable ❤️💔

Guest post by Nik Hunder: A travelogue of Ben O'Malley's group bike ride to visit all 77 Chicago Community Areas in a single day. @nikhunder.com @bikegridnow.org @atalliance.bsky.social @rideillinois.bsky.social @swcollectivechi.bsky.social @stevevance.net @chiwho.bike @ericallixrogers.com

Ride Illinois recently spoke with Illinois Public Media about the bike-related bills considered during the spring legislative session. The full interview is available at the link below. Many thanks to our members who support nonprofit bike advocacy in Illinois 😍 ipmnewsroom.org/what-to-know...

There's an argument that the US economy is fueled by Americans' love of driving. But does the data support the narrative that cars connect us to opportunities to make and spend more money — or has our country's car-powered productivity revolution stalled out? usa.streetsblog.org/2025/07/01/d...

Our attempt to capture the logic behind several ordinances recently adopted in the Chicagoland area...🤔

Even drivers agree: there are too many cars.

A recap of the 2025 Illinois Bike & Walk Summit that took place in Springfield last month @atalliance.bsky.social @apail.bsky.social @equiticity.bsky.social @illinoisdot.bsky.social @ilenviro.bsky.social @metroplanning.bsky.social @sharedusecenter.bsky.social rideillinois.org/ilbws25-recap/

Here's a step toward safer roads: thanks to legislation we helped pass with @rideillinois.bsky.social‬, the @illinoisdot.bsky.social‬ is now required to conduct a traffic study after people walking are killed by drivers at state road intersections. www.dailyherald.com/20250611/lif...

A truly senseless tragedy occurred yesterday. A 12-year-old boy riding a bicycle has died after being struck by an intoxicated driver of a Dodge Charger on Sunday afternoon in Decatur 💔 www.wandtv.com/news/crime/1...

Sending a little love to all the Dads. Happy Father’s Day from your friends at Ride Illinois 🥰 🚲 #fathersday #dadsonbikes #bikeridewithdad #rideillinois #qualitytime

The 2025 Grand Illinois Bike Tour - @rideillinois.bsky.social’s largest annual fundraiser - kicks off on Sunday! Proceeds from this event fund our advocacy, education, and awareness work year-round. Oh, and we’re pretty pumped about our t-shirts this year 🤩

Here is a 🧵on what I think the ideal cycleway should look like, based on many years of me cycling on Dutch cycle infrastructure all over the country 👇

It's Wold Bicycle Day! World Health Organization (WHO) actively promotes cycling for its myriad benefits to health and the environment, including increasing physical activity, reducing noncommunicable diseases such as cancer and diabetes, and decreasing air and noise pollution 👏👏👏