I grew up car-free in Chicago, first discovering my neighborhood by foot and then the city by transit. As a young adult, I continued to rely on transit to reach my jobs teaching adult literacy at Head Start programs throughout the city. The day I bought a bicycle changed my life. The city suddenly felt smaller and more accessible. Trips that had been slow and unpredictable were now quick, invigorating and sometimes adventurous. I have been happily “bicycle-dependent” ever since. My love of cycling and commitment to car-free living has inspired me to dedicate volunteer and professional energy to transportation planning and advocacy. In my varied roles, I have helped sell the idea that cycling is a viable form of transportation—even during Chicago’s winters. My background and experiences in education help me communicate with diverse audiences about the hows and whys of bicycle and pedestrian planning. The work we do feels personally more urgent as I now have a five year old son who took off the training wheels last summer.
Gin Kilgore brings more than 10 years of experience in bicycle and pedestrian planning and advocacy. Her areas of expertise include non-motorized (bicycle and pedestrian) planning and design, Complete Streets, public involvement, and writing. As both a planner and an educator, Gin has excelled at securing funding for projects and communicating progress to a variety of stakeholders. She has worked on many projects that promote active transportation and reduce car usage, including co-founding Bike Winter, which equips and inspires people to ride year round. In 2011, she was honored by Chicago’s Bicycle Advisory Council for her leadership and commitment.
Recent Projects
- Complete Streets in Illinois, League of Illinois Bicyclists
With input from local advocates, we evaluate existing and proposed road projects to see how well they meet the needs of cyclists and pedestrians. We communicate the results to and serve as a planning resource for municipalities and transportation agencies. - Walkable Communities, Chicago Area Transportation Study
Secured funding for and managed the Walkable Communities Project which brought in national experts to work with communities throughout northeastern Illinois to identify challenges and opportunities to improve the pedestrian environment. - Soles and Spokes (Bicycle & Pedestrian) Plan for Northeastern Illinois, Chicago Area Transportation Study (CATS)
Client for the creation of a Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan for the six-county Chicago region. The plan’s objectives included setting planning and establishing performance measures for regional goals and policies for bicycle and pedestrian transportation, updating and analyzing the regional bikeway inventory, and developing policy tools to meet regional bicycle and pedestrian transportation system development goals. - Chicago Safe Park Access Plan and Policies for Chicago
Alta is leading efforts to produce a planning guide for improving the safety of bicycling and walking access to the City’s 500+ parks. - Chicago Streets for Cycling 2020 Update
Alta is a key partner in the 2020 update of Chicago’s highly regarded 2015 bicycle plan. - Minnesota DOT Bicycle Policy Plan Update
Alta is a key partner in the update of Minnesota’s Bicycle Policy.
