A hula-hooping cyclist?s quest for more bike lanes?and more bus lanes, too Courtney Cobbs moved to Chicago six years ago from Little Rock, Arkansas, so she could more easily live and work in a city without a car. And she?s been wildly successful at that?for the past two years, she?s racked up more mileage on the city?s bike share system, Divvy, than 99 percent of all other users.

Now the hula-hooping Reiki master teacher and self-care coach has been named a bicycle ambassador for the city, channeling her energy and enthusiasm into improving transportation for all Chicagoans. Follow her at @PurpleFemmedigo for more curbside observations and join Cobbs as she weaves through Chicago?s transit system?surveying the infrastructure for inequities and calling out truck drivers who block the city?s bike lanes. Friday, May 24
I recently took a job with the City of Chicago?s Department of Transportation as a bicycle ambassador and one of my first working assignments is on the Southwest side in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. I take my bike with me on the train for the 60-plus minute trip from my home.
I?m traveling across the city, providing training on biking and walking safety, doing outreach to educate folks about bike lanes in Chicago, and educating drivers about how to drive safely. So after getting off the train, I purposely miss the bus to experience biking conditions on West 47th Street, a ?stroad??an extra wide street that?s more like a road?that sees a lot of tr...