Matt McCabe

The level of ambition here is really sad. It's such a big site so close to transit. I mocked up a plan in 15 minutes just to illustrate how much space we're talking about. There's even still space in the rear for a large surface lot or parking structure. TJ's footprint is the same.

Oooof. God it would be great if there were some incentive locally to deliver with smaller vehicles in Chicago. Vehicle weight tax for deliveries, max length during daytime hours, additional tax per foot above X length. Idk something

🙏🙏🙏

😩 I wonder how they're doing it at North Lincoln or Ontario locations, both seem pretty tight... or Diversey for that matter?

Aerial shot of the proposed new Trader Joes location with mockup of where housing could do, where the entrance/exit would be least disruptive and add some trees.

Here's my 30-second attempt. Someone with much more skill (and vision!) have a better mockup? Admittedly not super ambitious but my assumption is that there is no world they're going to give up much of the parking lot...

And we must protect you, @milwaukeeavbike.bsky.social, at all costs!!

The plan for the Trader Joe's parking lot entrance/exit needs to be the most Dutch-level urban planning ever. Signalized intersection with light priority for cyclists? Retractable bollards? One way entrance, one way exit?

A very slow motion train wreck.

Someone make (or already have??) this chart for Chicago? Any news org do this analysis already? We know CPD enforcement for moving violations fell off a cliff, we know speed cameras increased a bit. Are we back to 2014 levels?

There’s been a huge surge in S.F. traffic tickets — and police aren’t the reason Though San Francisco’s speed cameras only began issuing fines in the final five months of 2025, they brought traffic tickets issued in the city to levels not seen in more than a decade.

I'll say it again:

It's journalistic malpractice to publish a story about automatic enforcement that puts the number of tickets in the headline without mentioning safer streets.

It's important to note that despite the recent growth, the area around this proposed tower is not even remotely close to its historic population.

With household sizes and consumer preferences what they are today, we'd have to build 32-story towers on every single block to even come close.

Wait until they hear how much the Kennedy repaving cost...

Want to walk more without trying? Move here Researchers found that walkable city design—not personal motivation—was the key factor behind people taking 1,100 more steps per day

Want to walk more without trying? Move here buff.ly/4We3iZ8

Really interesting charts/graphs showing effects of moving between more and less walkable places.

A man with a salt-and-pepper goatee and glasses kneels confidently next to a custom lowrider-style bicycle in front of a vibrant, geometric graffiti mural. He wears a black hoodie featuring a white Chicago skyline graphic, with black pants and black sneakers. His bicycle is a long, light blue cruiser with a sparkle finish and a low-slung, curved frame. The bike features high-rise black handlebars, a thick black fork, and black rims with thick tires, including a small orange card tucked into the front spokes.

A closer shot of the same man, sitting on his bike with his hands on the handlebars, smiling gently.

“I've ridden all over Chicago. We're fortunate, we're empty nesters, my wife and I, so we bike all over. We’ve biked in Las Vegas, and in New Mexico we did a bike ride to see hot air balloons take off. We’ve ridden in San Diego, LA, Toronto, Indianapolis, Detroit, Milwaukee...” 🧵

100% or even better, celebrate it with social campaign that challenges Chicagoans to see if they can beat the top 10 of CTA leadership for number of rides for the year (which would, of course, require them to do something like the WMATA wrapped campaign celebrating ridership)

Can’t build higher than four floors because “think of the traffic!” but adding 368 more cars to Wrigleyville 81 times a year gets rubber-stamped without a second thought, okay

It'd be incredibly easy to do this in the suburbs, no AI required: the vast majority of suburban traffic signals have pre-emption devices triggered by strobes on police and fire vehicles, including ambulances. Throw an infrared strobe on the front of every Pace bus and give them the green every time

Wild that MBJ appointed an interim from his mayoral staff- who *also* wouldn't take out a high-interest short-term loan. Further wild that MBJ seems to have blackballed Dr. King- his appointee! -from the permanent CEO search as a result. And now, the search firm is bailing because of the dysfunction

Chicago school board parts ways with search firm tasked with finding new CEO Six elected members of the board blasted the firm's departure, blaming the mayor’s office and his allies for mucking up the process.

Chicago school board parts ways with search firm tasked with finding new CEO buff.ly/BeXrlHn

What an incredible mess. Insane that MBJ tried to force the district to take a high-interest short-term loan (and failed). Insane that MBJ pushed Pedro Martinez out (because he wouldn't take out the loan)

Find the EV.

Cycle infrastructure in the Netherlands.

The cycleway continues across the side road, clearly signalling that drivers must give way. At the roundabout, both the cycleway and pedestrian crossings have priority, so motorists yield again.

Simple design, clear rules, safer streets.

Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac on five years at Wrexham: ‘We’ve just got started’ The co-owners reflected on their five years in charge of Wrexham — and the importance of building a sustainable future

Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac on five years at Wrexham: ‘We’ve just got started’

I mean... if the past few years are any indication, this group of investors has to think they could get to a pretty good deal negotiating with current ownership... wadaya say, we'll trade you a controlling interest in the Amarillo Sod Poodles, and we'll throw in the Frisco Kia dealership, deal?

Crash map for Archer ave showing 8,204 dots - one for every crash, including 9 fatalities, 1500+ injuries. 2,368 hit and runs. 2016-2026

This is the historical Archer Ave performance that some would like to preserve. In the last 10 years...
+ 8200 crashes
+ 2200 hit and run
+ 1500 injuries
+ 9 fatalities.

They want you to believe better isn't possible, or that this is a wedge issue. It's not.

Safer streets now.

A worthwhile follow-up! Burnett's question seemed to be getting at, it would be helpful as we make future zoning decisions to know where bike lanes will eventually go (which, if in good faith, seems logical to me)

I am loving Ald. Burnett's line of questioning re: issues with gaps in network of bike lanes, his exact phrase was, "bike lanes just start and stop," creating issues.

Also, makes excellent point that there should be a forward-looking master plan for where the bike lanes will eventually create grid

Chicago Crash Dashboard — Strong Towns Chicago Explore traffic crash data across Chicago. Understand patterns, identify dangerous intersections, and advocate for safer streets.

Crash data c/o www.strongtownschicago.org/chicago-cras... (thx @strongtownschicago.bsky.social @mclean.bsky.social )

... when we install bike lanes more people feel safe biking, so more people bike. The end result of both is fewer cars creating traffic and crashes, safer streets for the people who live in communities. Which, to your question, results in more business for business owners."

"We are working towards building a world as it can be, not just as it already has been. Ald. Curtis in the past 10 years, there have been more than 21,000 crashes in your ward. 5900 hit and runs. 4600 injuries. 33 deaths. When we install bus lanes, buses go faster, more people take the bus....

The answer isn't "we look forward to working with you, each is case by case, and maybe we could walk it back, parking is so important"

How about....

Only been able to watch for a minute but so far the responses from CDOT during this committee hearing are so underwhelming. www.chicityclerk.com/committee-pe...

This is an opportunity to educate and inform Alds when you have their attention answering their questions about parking.