QUIGLEY’S “MIKE ON THE MOVE” TOUR HIGHLIGHTS DIVVY BICYCLE RIDE-SHARING SYSTEM
CHICAGO – (RealEstateRama) — U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD), took his “Mike on the Move” transportation initiative to Divvy, a city wide bicycle ride-sharing system. His visit highlighted the trends of public transit and biking that the city is adapting in order to create a more transportation friendly and safer environment for bicyclists in the City of Chicago.
“Reliable, safe and affordable transportation options are essential to ensuring our continued prosperity both nationally and here at home in Chicago,” said Rep. Quigley. “Renewing and reinvigorating America’s transportation infrastructure will require forward-thinking investments in our nation’s roads, trails and rails, and Divvy Bikes is a leader in this initiative. Long-term investments in infrastructure and safety measures specifically aimed towards biking will produce a long-lasting impact on our communities and cities, furthering Chicago’s efforts to remain a bike-friendly city.”
“Having Representative Quigley swing by Divvy Headquarters was a real treat for our team,” said Elliot Greenberger, General Manager of Divvy. “We not only had the chance to talk about what’s needed to make cities more bike-friendly, but we also had the chance to show him our behind-the-scenes operations.”
“As Chicago’s newest transit system, Divvy is a great success story, providing a healthy, affordable way for Chicagoans to get to jobs and schools while exercising and having fun,” Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) Commissioner Rebekah Scheinfeld said. “With our latest expansion, Divvy now covers more than 100 square miles in the City of Chicago and is the geographically largest bike share system in North America.”
During his tour, Rep. Quigley met with Divvy leadership and toured their facility on W. Hubbard. He joined mechanics on repairs and joined staff with rebalancing a Divvy bike station. He also met with Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) officials to discuss program growth and what Congress can do to improve infrastructure and safety measures to continue making Chicago a bike-friendly city.
Divvy is Chicagoland’s bike share system with thousands of bikes available at more than 580 stations across the region and is a program of the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT), which owns the city’s bikes, stations and vehicles. Divvy provides residents and visitors with a convenient, fast, fun, and affordable transportation option for getting from Point A to Point B. The bike sharing system consists of a fleet of specially designed, heavy-duty, very durable bikes that are locked into a network of docking stations located throughout a city. Divvy bikes can be rented from and returned to any station in the system, creating an efficient network with many possible combinations of start and end points. With thousands of bikes at hundreds of stations, Divvy is available for use 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
This summer, CDOT officials and the City of Chicago also launched the Vision Zero Chicago Initiative, aimed at eliminating traffic fatalities for all road users, including bicycles. The initiative uses crash data in planning engineering improvements for education and enforcement support for reducing crashes.
Rep. Quigley’s “Mike on the Move” initiative emphasizes how the federal government can support transportation and infrastructure investments. Previous “Mike on the Move” events highlighted CTA Red and Purple Line renovation sites, the 606 bike and pedestrian trail during construction and shortly after it opened, Chicago’s Metra system’s century old switching tower and Amerail passenger car rehabilitation project, innovative bike and pedestrian trails around the city, large road construction projects, and Chicago’s notorious rail congestion.
As Illinois’ only member on the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Quigley has pushed for a long-term surface transportation bill and prioritized Chicago-area infrastructure investments as a member of the Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD). He has helped secure $35 million in Core Capacity grants to benefit CTA and over $100 million for projects to ease flooding in Cook County. Most recently he fought for increased funding for the TIGER grant program to benefit both highways and pedestrian projects.
Source: U.S. Representative Mike Quigley
