Chicagoan, enthusiastic pedestrian, cyclist, transit user, mom, knitter, traveler, transportation director at Metropolitan Planning Council. tweets are my own.
Chicago
Joined May 2011
- Tweets2.1K
- Following684
- Followers1.3K
- Likes4.3K
Audrey Wennink retweeted
If walking costs you $1, we all pay $0.01. If biking costs you $1, we all pay $0.08. If bussing costs you $1, we all pay $1.50. If driving costs you $1, we all pay $9.20. Via study that still underestimates climate cost.
This isn’t about choice. It’s about who pays for your choice.
#citymakingmath
Audrey Wennink retweeted
There will be a memorial for CDOT Planner Riley O'Neil tonight, gathering 6:30 and leaving at 7 PM at Palmisano Park, 2700 S. Halsted St.
bsky.app/profile/bikegridnow…
Group ride to Bridgeport tonight at 6 PM, leaving from Daley Plaza, 50 W. Washington St.
bsky.app/profile/acannon.bsk…
Audrey Wennink retweeted
Right now, fundraising for nonprofit journalism is a long road. Big thanks to returning sponsors helping us get to the other side!
@SHOFUR
Boulevard Bikes
@rideillinois
@RVBikes
We're at $19,452 w/ $30,548 to go. Please consider giving here. Thank you!
chi.streetsblog.org/about/do…
The environmentalists have arrived in Springfield to talk transit and energy. @ilenviro @activetrans @Metroplanners
Audrey Wennink retweeted
In the late 80s, San Francisco's Embarcadero Freeway carried 100,000 vehicles per day as a sort of traffic sewer, blocking the city from the expansive waterfront.
But in 1989, the Loma Prieta earthquake rocked the city during the World Series, dropping sections of the freeway.
Remember, it carried 100,000 vehicles per day. After the earthquake, traffic had to be distributed to surface streets. What to do, what to do. Rebuild the sewer? Tear down the remaining freeway? There was of course a fight by the status quo to rebuild the old freeway/traffic sewer, but some interesting things happened while debate raged...
✅ The local streets absorbed the traffic
✅ Transit ridership shot up
✅ Housing soared
✅New jobs opened
✅ Redevelopment projects transformed the waterfront
Think about that for a second.
After part of a downtown freeway collapsed, the area began to thrive and turned into a highly sought after destination.
🤔
We have to fix Illinois transit funding and reform now! nbcchicago.com/news/local/ra…
Rallying for full funding of transit in Chicago today. Here is what has been accomplished and what lies ahead metroplanning.org/transit-re…
Audrey Wennink retweeted
Block Club: "Failed Crosstown Expressway Could Become Bike Trail Connecting Bucktown To Botanic Gardens."
blockclubchicago.org/2025/06… @mollydevore1
Want to add my deep respect for @DelgadoRep during this whole process. She has been an excellent leader for many months working on this issue. Appreciate you both as true transit champions and for all the long hours of hard work. Optimistic we will get this done.
We ended the spring session tonight without passing a fix for the transit fiscal cliff. That’s disappointing. But I’m not discouraged and we are definitely not done.
The crisis is still here. The buses and trains still need to run. And so do the lives of the people who depend on and operate them. Working people. Students. Seniors. Our essential workers. The people who can’t afford for us to punt on this.
I want to give flowers to my colleague @DelgadoRep. She has done an incredible job steering this effort—balancing input from labor, advocates, operators, the service boards, and the public with clarity and conviction. She led with strength and steadiness, and she should be proud. I’m proud to stand with her and I’ll keep standing with her every step of the way.
I want to also thank @SpeakerWelchIL for his vision and leadership; not just on this issue, but across the board. He continues to guide this body with principle, purpose, and heart.
We know what the stakes are. This isn’t just about funding and fixing transit; it’s about opportunity, access, and equity. The clock is still ticking. And so are we.
Thanks for this great reporting on an exciting new transit governance proposal
Lawmakers just released a bill overhauling Chicagoland public transit that would effectively replace the RTA and make CTA, Metra, and Pace focused on operations — but no word yet on much-needed revenues @wttw news.wttw.com/2025/05/28/law…
Hear what is at stake for Chicago’s public transit — which is in need of both reform and revenue — as we near the end of the legislative session podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas…
The City of Chicago supports transit reform and increased funding! See the resolution city council passed:
Matter - Office of the City Clerk chicityclerkelms.chicago.gov…
Audrey Wennink retweeted
Chicagoland faces a $770M total transit fiscal cliff, which would result in austerity measures – extreme service cuts – in 2026. That is, unless Illinois legislators take decisive action by the end of this May to address the budget gap.
chi.streetsblog.org/2025/04/… @JBPritzker
Chicago Family Biking is offering a free virtual Bike Bus Leader Training on Thursday, April 17th from 7-8pm. Learn how to get a bike bus started at your school. For more information, bike bus resources and to register for the training, visit chicagofamilybiking.org/bike…
Yesterday I testified in the IL House Transportation Committee about the need for transit governance reform so we can deliver seamless transit service that meets riders’ needs throughout the region. Support the Metropolitan Mobility Act (SB 05/HB1833). @Metroplanners
Audrey Wennink retweeted
It is imperative that we continue to improve public transit to ensure that it works for all of our residents and that the system is accountable to the taxpayers. Learn more here: bit.ly/4heIpzK
From two women with years of experience with transit and government: "The boldest and most impactful recommendation is the one the state should embrace — unifying our current fragmented system into one truly integrated transit network." chicagobusiness.com/opinion/…
