Next Sunday, May 29, the Active Transportation Alliance will transform Lake Shore Drive into a bicycle nirvana. Don't miss this once-a-year chance to experience the joys of a carfree lakefront. Kick off your summer with tens of thousands of other cyclists enjoying a leisurely ride with great views of the lake and skyline. The forecast is even predicting perfect weather for the day. Registering for Bike the Drive also supports important advocacy to improve conditions for biking, walking and transit in the region.

Register today at http://www.bikethedrive.org . Carfree Chicago readers can save $5 with coupon code SMASHING5.

Greetings, Carfree Chicago!

Hooray! Tomorrow, Wednesday Sept 22, is World Car Free Day. Break the Gridlock is celebrating with a rally and bike ride tomorrow night. The ride leaves at 6pm sharp from Daley Plaza and ends at 7pm at the Bike Winter kick-off meeting at the Billy Goat on Madison (1535 W.)

The idea is that we spread love and thanks for walkers, bikers, skaters, bladers, transit users, etc. downtown... and encourage the drivers hitting the highway ramps to join us next time. If you are feeling creative and/or loud, come prepared with your best car-freedom costumes and slogans.

Also, please take the Active Trans' car-free pledge. Even if you are already car-free, it is good to be counted. When you take the pledge, you show support for a less car-dependent future. http://www.activetrans.org/carfree.

You want safer streets in your community so you can cross the road without worrying about getting hit. You wish the Chicago region had more bike lanes and trails so you would feel more comfortable biking to work or visiting the park with your family. And you wish you had reliable and affordable transit options that were easy to get to and easy to use.

Even though you might not realize it, you're probably already an Active Transportation Alliance member at heart. And Active Trans is already working on your behalf to improve conditions for biking, walking and transit. But by becoming a member in action, you can put more power behind their vision of a Chicagoland with half as many crashes and where half of all trips are made by biking, walking and transit. Active Trans is at a critical point on the road to making its vision a reality, and they need support from people like you to make it happen. Your support is the strength behind the movement!