My earliest memories of bicycling focus on the freedom that my Schwinn Stingray gave me. Together with my buddy Dave, we tooled around town with abandon, thinking it was so cool to have the town to ourselves. We could go wherever we wanted to go. Every day ended with... where can we go tomorrow?
My parents didn’t EVER drive me to school - I rode the bike, at least until I got to an age that it wasn’t cool to ride. Unfortunately true... and really too bad that our peers have to think and be that way.
Those early experiences certainly whet my appetite for exploring and travel, but also for doing what I can to enable current and future generations to be able to experience getting around on foot, on bicycle, or in a wheelchair if that’s their mode of travel.
The one thing that flips my switch more than anything is seeing a roadway without a sidewalk, and someone relegated to walking in the gutter because there isn’t any place else to walk.
The great thing about Alta is that we think alike. We think that people ought to be able to walk or bicycle along a roadway, or to get wherever they want to go on their own power, and we’re passionate about helping communities take big steps to make that happen.
Today, we live in downtown Chicago, which is an amazingly bikeable and walkable city. As proof, we live in an area of the city that has a WalkScore of 98 (out of 100). “Walker’s Paradise,” they say. Nirvana. Everyone should have that option. That’s our goal.
Craig Williams brings more than 30 years of diverse experience in transportation planning, engineering and program management, both with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and in the private sector. Over the past two decades, a primary focus has been facilitating livable, pedestrian-friendly communities, such that residents and visitors are offered the opportunity to ‘leave your keys at home’, and walk, stroll or roll to life’s everyday destinations.
Craig’s areas of expertise include project studies and management, non-motorized (bicycle and pedestrian) planning and design, Complete Streets and Context Sensitive Design, legislation, financing, and grant programs. His transportation background includes experience with highways, public transit and railroads, historic transportation corridor studies, building rehabilitation projects, environmental analysis, public involvement, and intergovernmental coordination.
Highlighted Projects
South Lakefront (Bicycle/Pedestrian) Access Study (13 miles), City of Chicago
Lakefront Path - Lincoln Park, Chicago Park District
LaGrange Road Non-motorized & Transit Transportation Corridor Plan (6 miles), Orland Park IL
Soles and Spokes (Bicycle & Pedestrian) Plan for Northeastern Illinois (6 counties)
US 41 and Old Elm Road Grade Crossing Feasibility Study, Lake Forest IL
South Lake Shore Drive reconstruction (bikeway/pedestrian elements), I-55 to 67th St (6 miles), Chicago (representing IDOT & later Edwards & Kelcey)
I-355 Tollway Extension Environmental Impact Statement (Bikeway elements) – I-55 to I-80, Cook & Will Counties IL (for IDOT)
Brady Street Bike/Ped Bridge & Trail Design over Lincoln Memorial Dr, Milwaukee Co Dept of Public Works, Milwaukee WI
Illinois & Michigan Canal Bicycle Trail – I-55 to Brandon Road west of Joliet (5.6 miles), Will County, Illinois
Minneapolis Pedestrian Master Plan
Great Western Trail Bridges Feasibility Study, Lombard IL
Mn DOT Bicycle Facility Planning and Design Guidelines Update
IL DOT Bicycle & Pedestrian Design Chapter (for Design & Environment Manual)
Bicycle, Pedestrian and ADA/PROWAG training for FHWA, APBP & other agencies across the nation - from California to Florida
Various Funding Research projects
The Next Mile – America’s List of Ready to Go Bicycle/Pedestrian Projects
