ATA Flies Differently.
Acronyms can be useful getting the organization’s name across succintly to their audience – hell, look at our links to the right and you see that we’ve got a hodgepodge of acronyms that make sense to the very few.

The CBF has long had an acronym relatable to the endeavors of the cycling community as the pillar of cycling advocacy in the City of Chicago. It is now known as ATA – which unfortunately, sounds like some airline flying out of Midway. However, it is what it is and now the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation is now known as the Active Transportation Alliance which in turn encompasses the multi-faceted public transportation situation in Chicago. Cyclists, Pedestrians, and Public Transportation riders can and should benefit from this increased scope of advocacy. There is a terrific charge to encompass the needs of those who do not wish to drive themselves from point A to point B and do so on their own steam or through the use of public transportation.

There is a symbiance that exists among cyclists, pedestrians, and public transportation users – and there is a balance that can be achieved to meet the needs of us as cyclists, to increase our ability to get further and possibly faster across the city when the new Actice Transportation Alliance uses its deeper resources to come up with new solutions. Open roads on Sundays with no cars? Sure, why not! Better transportation on the CTA for bike riders to get more destinations? Sure, why not.

Since we at The Bonebell advocate trail riding and dirt shenanigans – its important to us that we can get our buds to the dirt trails easier too – there is a need to allow for better transportation access for cyclists.

It may be a while before people disassociate ATA Air from ATA aka CBF – but heads up for excellent direction for change.

Dirt Rag and Plainfield, IL
Don’t forget to pick up this months edition of Dirt Rag – the Plainfield Dirt Bike Park is featured and is a great story and insight into how the dedicated few kept the fight on to bring a dirt bike park back to Chicago. There was a time that the Chicago Cross Cup had races at Challenge Park in Joliet, IL. That park was a freeriders and dirt jumpers haven before it was shut down – and it was shut down by a landowner not willing to work with local riders and true advocacy groups. The park’s other business at Challenge Park, paintball, won out to take over the entire acreage. It was one of my favorite cross courses because it was a true MTB course that scared the dickens out of typical cross riders – and it was the most flats ever experienced in the race due to true MTB course conditions.

Plainfield Bike Park exists because of persistence but quality advocacy using resources from IMBA and CAMBr.

The Garden
Next ’save’ on the list is something the Bonebell will be preaching hard – the fate of the Lane Tech Dirt Jumps aka The Garden are in peril and in need of advocacy. If you ever BMX’d or dirt jumped, or just loved playing on the dirt – hear us out on this and we’ll get the people highlighted who are fronting this brave effort to keep a real dirt jump park in the City of Chicago limits.