Um, 2, 3, 4, 5.
Okay. They're mostly from public Pop.
The meeting of the committee, you, the meeting
of the Committee on Pedestrian
and Traffic Safety is now called to order
for February 9th, 2026.
We will now have a roll call to establish Quorum.
Chairman Laup. Present. Vice Chair Cruz Alderman Hopkins.
Alderman Robinson. Alderman Yancy. Alderman Chico.
Alderman Quinn. Alderman Moore.
Alderman Curtis Derman. Burnett Derman.
Alderman Moore. Alderman Moore is Virtual Hudson
Derman Lawson.
Alderman Martin Alderwoman. Manal Haworth.
We have eight members present. We have a quorum.
Al Cruz, Robinson
and Moore have requested
to participate in the meeting remotely pursuant
to Rule 59 Auman Moore.
You with us, sir? I, I am. Thank you. Thank you, sir.
Uh, vice Chair Cruz.
Here, chairman, Good to have you both.
Um, may I have a motion to allow Alders Cruz
and more to participate remotely?
Alderman Irvin. So moves all those in favor say aye.
All those opposed say nay in the opinion of the chair.
The ayes have it.
Alders crews and more are present here today
by video conference and will be counted
accordingly for the roll call at this time,
we will begin the public comment period.
Out of respect for everybody's time.
Each speaker is limited to three minutes.
Speakers in accordance
with rule 58 of the city Council.
Rules of order Please refrain from profane language,
obscene conduct, or disruptive comments.
Also noting non-member Alderman Lopez here with us as well.
Good to have you, sir. Our first
speaker is Eva Villalobos.
Uh, good morning everybody. Uh, my name is Eva Villalobos.
I'm a resident in Bryan Park Neighborhood.
Um, also part of the group that we have, uh,
called ourself the Archer Guardians, as a way of trying to
thank you as a way of trying to really gather more, uh,
attention with what's happening with these divisive
and intrusive, uh, sim uh,
concrete bike lanes in our neighborhood.
Um, we, uh, several of us, uh, did not know each other
before, uh, but we came through
and connected through these, uh, uh,
this bike lanes that are creating havoc, uh,
not just in our neighborhood,
but anyone who's passing through it as well.
Um, we attended, uh, separately
'cause we did not know each other, um,
meetings either in person or online.
And these meetings were not being inclusive.
Uh, they were not letting us see who was in this meetings.
They were not letting us see
what was the comments being done
by everybody attending this meeting.
And they were also, uh, not transparent with everything
that was being read out loud.
Uh, questions seem very lenient to towards in favor of this.
Um, and, uh, this is something that we did called out.
Um, I don't understand why.
If this is something that had needs the input
of the community, it's not considering our actual input.
Our elder woman keeps on saying,
this is something that came before her.
So why are you making these meetings if this is
something that came before her.
And why are you claiming
to include the community input when you are
not being transparent?
This bike lanes are also not being, uh, considerate
of individuals with low mobility.
Uh, they are practically making people be on a ditch.
Uh, we all know that this side, uh, the sidewalks were made
a little bit more elevated so that people are not having
to walk on where a lot of the water, a hold where a lot
of the, uh, uh, debris holds.
Um, and now moving it, you are forcing people
to have to walk through them.
People with low mobility cannot get on the sidewalk
sometimes, and they are forced to have to go around
to the point end of the block so that they can, uh,
go on the wheelchair or whatever the issue might be.
On top of that, they're claiming for environment.
This is costing more, uh, more, uh, uh,
exhaust from vehicles constantly stuck on traffic.
This is working against our community,
our working community, our families
who are really depending on going from point A, B, C
and back to point A with their kids for school, for clubs,
for medical appointments, for daycare.
We have a lot of parents
who are not making it in time to get to the daycare.
So this is not inclusive of everybody.
We did set, let's include our bikers for safety,
but this is not the answer, so please listen to us
and stop pointing fingers so
that someone else did it. Thank you.
Thank you. Our next speaker is Maria Montezuma.
Hello, my name is Maria Montezuma.
I'm a resident of Brighton Park.
I'm gonna read off my phone. So, um,
bright Park for 20 years
and a lifelong resident for the community
to formally express my strong opposition
to the currently installed concrete barrier bike lanes
along Archer Avenue.
Archer Avenue is not a side street.
It is the primary arterial court corridor
that feeds dozens of residential streets
and commercial establishments throughout Brighton Park.
It is the route parents use
to drop off their children at school.
Seniors use to access medical service workers use to commute
and families use
to patronize local restaurants and businesses.
Any material alteration to Arthur Avenue must be handled
with seriousness data
and community engagement that did not occur here.
Since the installation of the concrete barriers on Archer
Avenue have become engulfed in gridlock,
daily mobility in the neighborhood has deteriorated
to a point that routine travel now feels like navigating
a bottleneck highway.
Even more troubling is the closure on 38th Street in Archer.
That corner has been blocked without meaningful community
input and without transparent legislative action.
Where is the ordinance vacating
or modifying that public way?
The change of this magnitude should have been required,
a formal traffic study, engineering analyst,
and multi, multiple public hearings to determine its impact.
Residents deserve to be informed, consulted, and heard.
That did not happen.
Infrastructures must be installed safely
and responsibly during the recent storm.
The concrete barriers were obstructed by snow accumulation
with no accurate, accurate signage or advanced warnings.
Drivers struck the barriers because they were not visible.
Barricades were later added only after the fact.
That sequence alone demonstrates the failure in
planning and execution.
Public infrastructures cannot be implemented in a manner
that end day nears residents
bike infrastructures when thoughtfully designed
and placed in appropriate corridors have served a purpose.
However, imposing rigid concrete barriers on high volume
commercial roads without comprehensive studies,
stakeholders engagement
and legislative transparency is not sound public policy.
It's disruptive economically,
and the small businesses are suffering
because there's no parking delivery trucks cannot.
Thank you. Our next speaker is Ruben Ros,
also noting Alderman Martin with us
and Alderman Hopkins for purposes of quorum.
Hello? Yes. So I'm part of 12th Ward residents.
This is acquiring about the bike res
and laws that are not being enforced.
Politicians every year hit their chest saying
that we made a new law, but nobody enforces the law.
There's on the weekends on at nighttime,
people park at the bike lanes.
Nobody enforces the law.
I go to the 12th ward every month complaining about parking
enforcements, which is not enforced.
These bike lanes, which is unsafe.
I have a family member that's a ninth district,
and I have a godmother that works in ninth District.
There is, it's a, it's a fact that two snowplows of the city
of Chicago hit these bike lanes that got injured.
That's been that year. That's already documented.
I have a friend that works at the Little
Village, uh, firehouse.
They cannot go to people's residence fast enough
because of these bike lanes barriers.
We have videos of police coming on 35th
and Kedzie coming out of the squad.
Cars try to attend a, a police matter
because they couldn't go through traffic
because of the bike barriers.
And when you block the intersection, I live by Santa Fe,
railroads by the truck things.
You have three lanes coming off Kedzie merging into one
lane, and there you causing chaos.
I got trucks that block my intersection on Persian
and Kedzie, and that is against the law.
No one enforces that. I got trucks coming down, purging.
It says no five ton trucks. It shakes my house.
Nobody forces that. I went to the 12th ward.
She told me to go to the city or to the state.
She's passed the buck. She did not care about listening,
about trying to enforce the five ton regulation there.
So why do people make the laws and nobody forces,
but these guys are so quick to raise our taxes.
If you were to, if you were to maybe enforce
and make tickets, maybe you could, uh, help out their, uh,
revenue of the city.
I don't know. Maybe that's an ideal. I don't know.
I'm just a small person here.
But at the same time, when you, when you got,
you got people that are politicians that went
to the European states and they saw these bike lanes.
They're, oh, let's bring that here to Chicago.
What works for them may not work for me.
It's like I tell it to people, what works
for you doesn't work for me.
So when you tell people, oh,
how want to ride your bike here and there?
Oh, how about my kid doesn't have legs?
How you gonna ride a bike? Or, my wife is pregnant.
You gonna tell her to ride a bike? Zero degrees
outside, 20 degrees outside?
That makes no sense. You, oh, yeah. Nothing too.
When I went to the alderman's office every month,
I did not see her bike in her office.
She got SUVs, she got cars parked there, and I see one bike.
So why are you gonna force something You
don't even play by your own rules.
Uh, so let's, let's talk about that.
Let's talk about, um, you giving out the tickets
where people park in fire hydrants by my house every day,
every night down.
I'll give you five blocks. I even
got rent complaints every month.
I go there, I got rent complaints.
Every month I talk to her
and when they see me, they put their heads down.
So that's what I have to say.
I know my seconds are coming up. Thank you for your time.
Thank you very much. Uh, first may I ask a, uh,
rule 59, sorry.
Rule F uh, rule 59, motion for
Alderman Robinson to participate remotely.
So moved by Alderman Curtis. All in favor say, aye.
Also opposed say nay in the opinion of the chair.
The ayes have it. Alderman Robinson, thank you for being
with us by video conference.
We will count you towards Quorum, also noting non-member
Alderwoman Julio Ramirez with us.
Our next speaker is,
our next speaker is, uh, Julia.
H
I'm online. Marty, I
know you're looking for me. Thank you,
Julie. Noted. Thank you.
Um, hi. Uh, my name is Julia Hodge.
I'm here representing the Transportation Equity Network.
Um, we are, uh, wanting to speak to express, uh,
collective support for continued efforts by CDOT
to implement safer street
infrastructure throughout the city.
Um, so investments in complete Streets features have been
proven to be essential in improving safety for all users
through improved roadway design, including people rolling,
walking, biking, taking transit, and driving.
Additionally, having Complete Streets is an important
component to meeting Chicago
and regional climate goals by facilitating people
to use active modes of transportation where they can
that are not reliant on fossil fuels.
The latest data from the Chicago Traffic Crashes annual
report shows that by 2024,
CDOT has achieved a noticeable 30% reduction in traffic
fatalities and an 18% reduction in serious injuries from the
peak in 20 24, 20 21.
And this progress coincides
with increased investment in proven safety infrastructure
and the expansion of protected
and connected bikeways across the city.
Project level results further demonstrate
the effectiveness of this approach.
So on Long Avenue between Belmont Avenue
and Irving Park, the implementation of Complete Streets led
to a 97% increase in driver compliance with the speed limit.
And on Grandville Avenue, similar improvements resulted in
88% reduction in crash crashes.
So these outcomes reinforce the importance of continuing
to prioritize safety focused design
as a core transportation strategy.
However, we also encourage CDOT to remain focused.
Um, and while building on the progress
that the city has made, um, we encourage them to, uh, stand
behind, you know, robust community engagement processes
that accompany the projects, um,
and listening to the community
and urge the department to,
while continue advancing implementation of this
to meaningfully engage with the communities
and their concerns, even when politically
motivated pushback does arise.
So as more projects move from planning to implementation,
we support CDOs commitment to delivering on these plans.
Um, the data and the support from communities across the
city affirm the value of this work.
Um, the members of the Transportation Equity Network
that have signed onto this are
Active Transportation Alliance.
Awesome. Coming together, uh, center
for Neighborhood Technology, elevated Chicago on EO
Institute, the Ity Racial Equity Movement,
Garfield Park Community Council,
the Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation,
greater Englewood Chamber of Commerce,
the Greater Roseland Chamber of Commerce,
the Illinois Environmental Council,
little Village Environmental Justice Organization,
and the Metropolitan Planning Council.
Thank you. Uh, uh, also, may I ask a rule?
Uh, rule 59, motion for Alderwoman Julio Ramirez
to participate as a non-member.
So moved by Alman Quinn. All those in favor say aye.
All opposed, say nay in the opinion of the chair.
The ayes have it. Uh, Alderwoman Ramirez.
Again, thank you for joining us.
Our next speaker is Carmen Rodriguez.
Good afternoon, alderman.
Um, I am here, uh, basically as a concerned citizen.
Um, as a matter of fact, um, some of the, uh, people
that just spoke, they spoke about an issue that, uh,
affects the entire Southwest side,
not just the Brighton Park community.
So, um, all the examples that people cited today,
I witnessed them today for three hours.
I drove along Archer Avenue.
I'm a real estate broker, by the way.
And I went to these businesses along Archer Avenue
to remind them about this meeting.
And do you wanna know what they told me?
What they're suffering? Because they have no business,
because they have no parking.
There are not one, not two, not three blocks, four blocks,
five blocks, almost an entire mile without parking.
You have construction zone, concrete barriers.
You have bicycle lanes.
And guess how many cyclists I saw in a span of three hours?
And I was a former cyclist, just so you know, many,
many years ago, over 20 years ago.
But I believe in supporting the community first
and supporting the majority of the people,
not the less than 1% of the community that maybe travels
through Archer Avenue in Brighton Park
to take a leisure ride.
There are people in this community that are working,
that live in that community, that're try.
I I'm one of those people that I'm trying to support
that community because of, I know about the impacts of ice.
People can't go out, they're afraid.
I went inside a bakery, she had the doors locked.
I'm like, why do you have the doors locked?
She said, for security reasons.
I went there this morning to support businesses
and guess how many people I saw parked outside?
I had to put my hazard lights just to go inside
to make a purchase, to support a local business.
I am infuriated.
You're talking, you're raising our property taxes,
and you have a community.
Brighton Park, all of Archer Avenue.
Think of Archer Avenue on the southwest side in Brighton
Park, Archer Heights, McKinley Park.
Bridgeport Archer.
Archer Avenue is the equivalent of
Michigan Avenue in Chicago.
It is the bread and butter, the lifeline
of communities in the southwest side of Chicago.
So you need to remove those bike lanes if you want revenue.
If you want revenue, guess what?
You know, I saw one cyclist, one cyclist in three hours,
and he was going on the opposite side.
He was coming towards me.
As I'm heading westbound, I'm informing all
of these community members, these businesses,
please attend this meeting.
I'm just asking you, please remove the concrete barriers,
remove the, um, uh, the bike lanes.
It's a traffic jam, and you need the tax revenue.
If those businesses go out of businesses,
there are no jobs, no tax.
Thank you. Our next speaker,
and I apologize if I'm saying this wrong, Dennis White.
Hey, thank you.
Good afternoon. Can anybody hear me? Yeah. Okay.
How about now? Okay, here's the problem with the resident.
The reason why you come to these Alderman Ward once a month,
because they don't inform you all what's going
on in your community.
That's where the problem is.
The problem is when, when they, you don't,
don't barely, y'all barely know
when the committee meetings coming in
because they don't inform you.
Now, the alderman's re responsibility is to protect
the war, protect the constituent, protect your community
from everything that's their responsibility.
So if they don't tell you, you don't know,
but it's not your fault, it's their fault.
Because we pay their salaries.
We pay that salary to inform us.
We pay their salary to make sure we stay safe
through traffic, through against crime,
against everything.
And I see a lot of people drive their ve vehicle
past the speed limits.
They, I see them pass, you know,
riding bikes against traffic all the time.
I see them drive four wheelers up
and down on Roosevelt Avenue, but you barely see the police.
Wrong hand. But
besides the alderman, alderman's fault is the mayor fault
because he allowed it to happen.
So now he takes one of the tools out, which is shot spotter,
and then he put these traffic speed cameras up
that you can't even see.
You can't even see the, these speed cameras.
And the next thing you know, you get a ticket.
So they let people, they let them do
what they wanna do against the voters.
So if you really want the alderman's attention,
it take more than one man
and want one woman to go to the, uh, to the office.
It take the whole community.
If it take a village to raise a child,
it should take a village to get the alderman's attention
about what's going on in the community.
That's what you voters need to do.
You need to do it and get their attention.
If they don't give you what they, what you pay salary for
election cycle, vote them out.
That's what you do. And you all need
to understand they work for you.
You, you hire them during the election.
I guarantee you, you could fire them during the election.
Think about what I'm saying to you guys.
You all have the power of the votes.
And don't let them manipulate you. Saying it ain't my fault.
If they make the legislature, then they should tell you
what they, the legislature is all about.
Speaker is Mr. George Blakemore.
You deserve the government you get
and you get the government you deserve.
These one side doesn't fit all.
I I, I don't even wanna drive anymore. I guess I'm too old.
80, 80, uh, 83 years old.
Everywhere you go, you see these cycles and,
and all kind of concrete get rid of it.
I don't care if they've been cycling up in
New York and other places.
It's not working here. It's not working in your interest.
Get rid of it. And you know what you can do?
Get rid of these alts. Get rid of 'em.
This is a fire. This is a health hazard.
Everywhere you go, they'll see me. Oh, it's it's terrible.
One side. And these cycles are bullies
and theses are bullies.
You know what I do to the bully? I bully the bully.
I get rid of 'em.
That's why they don't wanna see me get to this mic.
I bully the bully. I'm the bully here.
So I'm telling each one of you,
I'm glad to see you out here.
We need more people in the black community
out this Hispanic got a lot of sense.
You can't park ba
get rid of these ultimates.
But now you are reacting.
You supposed to be proactive. I come down here all the time.
And, and another thing on this agenda,
it's talking about all these bridges at the same time
that it bottle this traffic, uh, uh, all of them out.
It's time to get rid of all of them.
All of them. Now, you spoke so eloquent.
You spoke so eloquent with
The f**k guy.
She here everywhere for taxes.
No. Get rid of them. Call streets and stand.
Clear 'em out. And if they don't wanna do that, you
bad to see y'all speaking up.
I need these everywhere. I'm
Get rid of all them.
Get rid of the, you tell them what to do.
They don't tell you what to do. Get rid of 'em, sir.
Good part there. The, they got sold.
Either they go, those go or
Thank you. Our
our next speaker is Jim Merrill.
Good afternoon. Uh, thank you, uh, chairman LaSpada
and members of the committee for the, uh, opportunity
to speak here today.
It's great to see, uh, so many folks here, um,
sharing their, their thoughts
and opinions, uh, with this, this committee.
Uh, my name is Jam Merrill.
I am the managing Director
of advocacy at the Active Transportation Alliance.
Um, I appreciate my colleague Julia,
sharing a important message earlier from our partners in the
Transportation Equity Network.
Uh, before I kind of jump into what I want, you know, I'm,
uh, I'm a resident of the 39th Ward on the northwest
side, the fighting 39th.
Um, I own a car. Uh, I ride the train.
I walk a lot. Um, you know, every day, uh,
when I take my daughter to our neighborhood school, uh,
I have to hold her hand
and often run across, uh, four kind
of uns stripped lanes on Montrose Avenue, uh, to get safely,
often holding my infant, my eight,
eight month old baby boy in my arms.
Um, because if Miss Gina, the crossing guard isn't there,
we're on our own.
Um, and, you know, at seven 30 in the morning, uh, dodging
cars who are swerving around each other, uh, just who knows.
You know, we all have places we're trying to get.
Um, but I, as a person walking across that street
with little kids, uh,
and infinitely more vulnerable, uh, than someone
speeding in their car because of how physics work, right?
And so, when we talk about complete streets, uh, a lot
of the work that's happening right now in the city is geared
towards slowing down cars.
Because when cars go fast, it's deadly. People die, okay?
People get their lives forever altered.
So I understand the frustration when people don't feel
included in the process, but please recognize that
over 150 people die in our city every year.
Thousands are seriously injured
because people are going too fast in their car.
And so if it takes 10 more minutes to get
where you're going, I think that's a trade off I'm happy
to make when I'm sitting on Milwaukee Avenue,
gonna pick up my son from daycare next
to a protected bike lane sitting in traffic,
and it takes me an extra 10 minutes.
I'm happy to do that. I'm happy to take my time.
So I wanna thank, uh, CDOT for being here
to talk about the Complete Streets work.
Uh, I wanna congratulate them on the 30% reduction in
fatal crashes we've had.
And I hope we see more, uh, progress the years ahead.
We have to keep investing, uh, our, our dollars.
You know, in 2022, this council made a really important
decision to invest local bond dollars
in our Complete Streets program.
Um, and that's important to keep that going
because it enables, uh, the good folks at CDOT
to do more high quality projects more quickly.
And that has a, I listen to you,
sir, I appreciate the same respect.
Those dollars make a huge difference in our ability to,
to deliver lifesaving projects.
Finally, as time runs out, even though I was interrupted,
it's important to remember
that transit is a part of Complete Streets.
So building protected, uh, bike lanes,
pedestrian infrastructure is important.
Bus lanes.
Thank you. Our next speaker is
Larry Namak.
Good afternoon. I own two bikes and one car.
So I don't want anybody telling me that I'm antibi, I'm not.
Bike riding is just something I do for me.
It is not a religion or a way of life.
Now, for my car, I have to get the city sticker, have
to get the annual state registration
so I can get the little sticker for the back of my,
uh, back plate.
And there's all sorts of other taxes, fees, fines.
And if I'm caught with one of those city's, uh, short, uh,
yellow lights, it could be $135 camera ticket.
Not for the bike. I don't pay anything.
And I don't feel like, since I'm not paying anything,
I don't feel it gives me any kind of right
to demand anything from the city, any type
of special accommodations.
Now, I commend the people in Brighton Park
for bringing this important issue to the forefront.
But it's not just a Brighton Park issue, it's the City
of Chicago issue.
Just that Chicago needs a advocacy group for, uh, drivers
like the Chicago Motor aaa, Chicago Motor Club.
What do they do? Traffic, uh, uh, they get, uh,
give you insurance, travel information, tow trucks,
but no advocacy.
Whereas the cyclists, they have well organized,
highly vocal, special interest groups
that give 'em influence far greater than
their numbers would indicate.
Now, it's been recently in the news about cars parking
and the non-protected bike lanes, and it's against the law.
And they say now that if any
of the cyclists take their picture
of such an offending vehicle, that
that person can get a ticket.
Now, sometimes it's a question
that a delivery vehicle has no place to park.
And it's not that they'll,
that these cyclists will be impeded.
He won't be impeded, just that he has to go
around the offending vehicles
and share the, share the pavement
with the motorized vehicles.
Now, I have seen in the 2,400 block
of North Milwaukee Avenue, where a FedEx truck had had
to make a quick delivery, and there was no
place for him to pull over.
He had to park right in the, in, in the st in the street.
And he impeded all the traffic behind him, all the traffic.
Now, that's the way the city o uh, operates.
And I can say that because if you go on the Belmont,
you got several bus stops where the bus stop means
that the bus will stop right in the middle of the street
and impeding the traffic behind them.
Now, what happens if you got an ambulance who's, uh, having
to respond to save, uh, a red light runner
who just didn't make it?
You know? So anyway, I hope that the, uh,
protected bike lanes will go the way of the old, uh,
state Street and mall from the eighties and nineties.
Another, uh, city mistakes. Thank you.
Our next speaker is Patricia Puente.
Uh, thank you for letting me speak here.
Uh, I have an issue with the bikes, the
automatic bikes.
I don't know how they're called,
but they're not even using the lanes for the bikes.
They go on the sidewalk, they go on the, uh,
uh, middle of the street.
It's like, and the police sees them,
and they're like, what can we do?
I'm like, are you kidding me? Give him a ticket.
They're on the sidewalk.
I was right there on, on Harold Washington College.
Students were coming out of school.
This man is coming out too.
And this motor bicycle on the sidewalk goes in,
hits the man.
What did he do? The man falls
and the bicycle, automatic bicycle gets on
his bike and runs.
I'm like, what's the purpose of having those lanes
for the bicycles?
If those people are not taking advantage of him
or say, this is what one of them told me,
this is not my country.
I could do whatever I want.
Please, you guys have
this position that the city has given you.
Do your homework. Find a way
to prevent accidents.
Thank you very much. And that's it.
Our next speaker is Laura Saltzman.
Uh, Sorry. Thank you for letting me speak today.
My name is Laura Saltzman
and I'm a transportation policy analyst for living.
I'm here to support complete streets
and encourage having a Department of Transportation
that is holistic in how it treats pan, uh,
and how it treats transportation.
As an advocate for the disability community, I would like
to stress how important transit, sidewalks,
and traffic safety infrastructure are
to en ensure disabled people can get around
and participate in society following historic
state investment in transit.
The city and its Department of Transportation need
to take transit seriously, which means we can't continue
to run behind cities like Indianapolis when it comes
to bus infrastructure and bus lanes.
Not everyone can drive. We need reliable and speedy buses,
and for that, we need better bus infrastructure
with accessible bus stops
and sidewalks to get there for traffic infrastructure.
Disabled people are disproportionately at risk
for dangerous driving, and there have been
horrific incidents here in the city.
As a consequence, the city needs to take all types
of transportation seriously.
And also for folks who mentioned disabled people, I hope
that you take disabled people getting around seriously.
And again, that means not just driving blind.
People cannot drive. We need alternative modes of transit.
We're not just talking points. Thank you.
Thank you. Our next speaker is Howard Coleman.
Uh, thank you for, uh, hearing me.
I'm a resident of the First Ward.
Um, I am here to see if I can get your help.
Alderman Ada for a year and a half.
I've been trying to get, um,
a choking point fixed on Fry Street,
the 1500 block by the chip in.
Um, there's a, I've requested CDOT to come out to
put in a no parking zone for two spots,
which would eliminate all the issues
that we have on the street.
It tightens up at one point.
Um, I've gone as far as going to cdot,
I have a phone number of a guy.
I know Mike, the sign guy is supposed
to go out year and a half.
I've also made some requests of your office
between Nick, um, as well.
And I need some help with that.
It shouldn't take a year
and a half to get something like that resolved.
Also, I do wanna address, um, a safety issue on, um,
Greenview and Chicago Avenue.
There's a two-way stop.
Um, it's 50 50 if people actually stop at the stop signs.
I think a simple way to resolve it would
to be put in a small six inch elevated crosswalk that acts
as a speed bump, um, on Friday and Saturday nights.
Cars fly through there.
I think it's a low cost,
low maintenance way to accomplish it.
Um, it's a, it also is adjacent
to Alderman Burnett, his ward.
You guys kinda split it.
I know he is not here, but I'd like to talk to you
after the meeting and see if we can get
that addressed. That's it.
Thank you, Mr. Coleman.
Our final speaker is Andrew Mack.
Hello, good afternoon.
Uh, I'm a resident of the 11th Ward.
I live just off of Archer Avenue.
Um, and, uh, I take Archer Avenue regularly to take,
take my, uh, son to CPS preschool in McKinley Park.
And I also travel to visit friends down in Gage Park
and, uh, and out towards Midway.
Um, my family only has one car and I do not drive it.
Usually it's my wife that uses the car.
And, uh, I use public transportation, walking and a bicycle.
I ride a bicycle with my 4-year-old and my 7-year-old.
Frequently to take them to places like the grocery store,
school friends', houses, um, et cetera, the library,
wherever, where we need to go.
Um, I would love to be able to take Archer Avenue.
It's the most direct route.
It's, um, incredibly dangerous though.
Um, it has extremely high traffic.
Thankfully, there was a speed camera recently installed
by my house, which has slowed people down,
but I don't want people
to necessarily get tickets for that stuff.
I think that if the street was designed to encourage, uh,
uh, calmer driving, then we wouldn't have
to have people paying for, uh, tickets
and, and speeding tickets.
Um, we have the Stevenson Expressway
that was built right next to Archer Avenue, um,
that was built as an alternative to Archer Avenue.
I think that in the 50 years since it was built, it's time
to, uh, return Archer Avenue to the neighborhoods so
that it is more friendly for people who are not in cars.
Um, right now, Archer is, uh, horribly inhospitable,
especially by me towards pedestrians.
I'll also say I blame partly I dot for this, uh,
the bus stop at troop and, uh, Archer that I use frequently.
Um, as I understand it, that section
of Archer is an I dot section of the street.
The sidewalk is never plowed in front of the JC Deco,
uh, bus shelter.
It's immaculate. There's no ice, there's no snow.
Um, but leading up to that from both directions
and all the way to the Orange Line station at Halstead,
the sidewalk is completely covered in ice and snow.
It's dangerous if I have to push a stroller
or pull a wagon with supplies.
It's very difficult to do that.
Um, I have participated for the last several years in many
of the moving Archer Forward forums and events.
I'm happy that they've been held.
I've heard about them from my neighbors,
from my Alder woman,
from the Alder woman in the 12th Ward as well.
Um, they have been well received and, uh,
and have lots of participation from
what I've been able to to see.
I've participated in those meetings
and I've also taken the surveys.
I share those. I encourage, um, everyone to continue
to put those out and give the community time to, uh,
to, to give feedback.
Cyclists are people too. I have children.
I deserve to be safe on the street also.
Thank you very much. Um,
this concludes the public comment period.
Our first order of business is the Rule 45 report from
January, which was sent out via email
and distributed to committee members.
Can I have a motion to approve the January Rule 45 report?
Alderman Lawson.
So moves all of those in favor of passing the report.
Say aye. All
of those opposed say nay in the opinion of the chair.
The ayes have it. We are going to go out of order to begin
with the routine items before the committee.
Starting with the direct introduction
ordinances on page two.
Can I have a motion to recommend approval
of all direct introduction ordinances on page two
by the same roll call vote as was applied
to determine quorum, uh, sorry.
Alderwoman mana Haworth. So moves, hearing no objection.
So ordered. Let us turn to pages three through 18
for the recommended portion of the agenda.
Can I have a motion to recommend approval
of all recommended items on pages three through 18?
But the same roll call vote as was supplied to,
to determining Quorum Alderman Martin.
So moves, hearing no objection. So ordered.
We will now turn to pages 19 through 21
for the no recommendation portion of the agenda,
which are items that received no recommendation
from city departments.
These ordinances were submitted
as overrides are on the agenda.
The request of the order person
or do not require departmental approval.
Items four and five.
On page 21, we received substitute ordinances
that make changes to the language per CDOs recommendation,
these substitutes were emailed and distributed today.
Can I have a motion to accept these substitute ordinances?
Alderman Martin. So moves, hearing no objections.
So ordered on item seven,
on page 21 will be held in committee.
Can I have a motion to recommend approval
of all no recommendation items on pages 19 through 21,
except item 21 on page seven.
And including the previously accepted substitutes
by the same roll call vote as was applied
to determine quorum, all the women man howorth.
So move, no objections. So ordered.
We will now move to item two on page one,
substitute ordinance 2024 dash
0 0 1 0 9 9 3.
Amendment of the municipal code chapter nine dash zero eight
by adding new section nine dash zero eight dash 0 25,
establishing a public enforcement pilot program
for residents to submit recorded evidence
of covered parking offenses.
After negotiations with the departments,
we have prepared a new substitute ordinance as amended
that was distributed via email and in person today.
This version of the substitute ordinance will lead
to increased enforcement of parking
and crosswalks, bike lanes and bus lanes in two phases.
Number one, in the first phase, the Department
of Finance will create a quote, street operations task force
that will create a group of parking enforcement aids,
primarily focused on issuing violations
for parking in crosswalks, bike
and bus lanes outside
of the current smart streets footprint.
For the second phase, the Department of Finance, along
with DTI and OEMC will develop a dispatch system
that will allow for 3 1 1 complaints of parking violations
to be immediately dispatched
to active parking enforcement needs, who will be able
to arrive immediately and issue a violation.
This dispatch system shall be established
before December 31st, 2026.
The program would still only apply to commercial vehicles
and further details would be established via
departmental rulemaking.
As with the previous substitute ordinance,
this would be a two year pilot.
There are also additional reporting requirements
By this July, the departments would be required
to provide updates to the committee on results
of the first phase of enforcement departments.
Would also be required to report
to the committee no later than six months
after the implementation of the dispatch system.
Before any questions?
Can I have a motion to accept the substitute ordinance
as amended Alderman Martin?
So moves, hearing no objections.
So ordered for any questions we have with us.
Andre Johnson, senior Policy Analyst with DTI.
Nick Lucius, chief Information Officer with DTI.
Randy Holtzman, senior Administrative Law Officer
with the Department of Administrative Hearings.
First deputy Director Joel Flores
from the Department of Finance.
Chuck Billows, deputy director for the, from the Department
of Finance, VIG Krishna Murthy,
managing de Deputy Commissioner for cdot.
Um, uh, do we have any questions from committee members?
Uh, I will then I will briefly say I I really appreciate
the efforts to compromise here, to come to a pathway
that is logistically feasible for departments
and is also going to lead to greater safety
for all Chicagoans.
And I think it in a way that is
really responsible and collaborative.
And I think I'm really grateful
for the work that went into it.
Is it okay? Is that a question? Derman? Oh, yes.
Uh, Derman Hopkins.
I have, uh, one area in my ward that comes
to mind immediately, uh, for a program like this.
Um, most people are familiar with it
because there's nightlife, restaurants, bars
that are attractions for, uh, the entire city,
not just the community I live in.
It's on well street, uh, and it's between North Avenue
and division on both sides of wells.
Uh, you have a wide variety of entertainment
and dining attractions.
What makes this area unique is there's no alley,
there's no loading docks.
There's no service areas behind these establishments,
either on the east side of wells or the west side of wells.
So in order for them to get the material delivered
that their customers order, whether it's beer, wine,
alcoholic beverages, food, whatever it happens to be, uh,
the trucks have to pull up on wells.
You have metered parking on wells, which as we all know, uh,
were very limited in our ability to remove meters, uh, due
to the, uh, ill-advised parking meter deal
from a number of years ago.
And we also now have two bike lanes, one on each side
of wells, uh, which unlike Archer, lots of bikes use wells.
You can stand out there at any time of day
and see a lot of bike traffic going north and south.
It's a real problem. And I know it's going
to happen under the terms of this ordinance
because the delivery trucks cause a lot
of inconvenience for a lot of people.
Cyclists and motorists as well, if not pedestrians.
So people are going to use this to try
to get some enforcement.
The problem is, right now, I have no place
to tell the trucks to go.
What am I supposed to, am I
supposed to close all the restaurants?
They're not gonna have beer, they're not gonna have wine.
They're not gonna have soft drinks.
They're not gonna have food 'cause they're
not gonna have deliveries.
We have to solve this problem, Mr.
Chairman, and passing a law,
even a well-intended law like this, that may actually
work in some areas of the city.
And I think it will. I I could see the
justification for this measure.
And, and I think it's a good idea
and I think some good things will come
of it, but not everywhere.
Just like bike lanes don't work everywhere.
A program like this won't work everywhere.
So my, my question, not necessarily to the sponsor,
but uh, uh, to cdot, where am I supposed
to tell the delivery trucks on wells to park Help me,
help me solve this problem.
Good afternoon, v Christian Medi,
If I may, if our, if our departmental
witnesses can come forward to the, the status here.
Alright, good afternoon, v Christian Murty,
managing Deputy Commissioner Ott.
Uh, thank you for your question and remarks.
Uh, alderman Hopkins. Uh, we're definitely have worked
with your team, Dave Smith
and, um, ourselves on solutions
for this very challenging area, which you described so well.
Uh, there are a number
of solutions we'll come to the table with.
Um, certainly loading zones are one,
but I know, as you mentioned, the there are challenges in
siting loading zones
and the competition for
that loading zone space when really everyone wants
their delivery at the same time.
Uh, so there will be some physical solutions like that,
space management, which is possible.
Uh, we'll also have to be creative as our city
with partners in business.
Thinking of other ways like operational strategies,
time of day deliveries.
Uh, you know, as we grow, as the density in your ward grows
and there's more activity in the same limited amount
of space between the buildings on one side of the street
and the buildings on the other side of the street,
we have seen, uh, in the industry promising trends.
Uh, for example, in New York City,
when they implemented their congestion pricing,
there were a lot of similar concerns.
Uh, we've heard about, you know,
how will commerce take place?
How will deliveries take place?
Um, many of them shifted to off hours, right?
And use operational strategies when space in the street is
more available when parking demand is lower to try
to accommodate those deliveries.
That does take a change.
Then, of course, partnership with business
and finding those hours that work.
So, um, there isn't a simple singular answer,
but I do believe with a combination of strategies,
partnerships, using space efficiently,
thinking about different times of day, uh,
we we can work to adjust.
And it, it's a long adjustment process for sure.
Uh, well, I appreciate that.
And I'd like to learn more about New York.
'cause I know, uh, their experience in, in many ways, uh,
is even more extreme than ours.
Deliveries in Manhattan present a whole u uh,
unique set of challenges.
But, um, talking about the need for
off hour deliveries, most of the, uh, deliveries are done
by union drivers and they don't wanna deliver beer at
2:00 AM and their contract says they don't have to.
So that's a problem too.
Um, and traditionally the delivery companies, uh,
you know, in a way they're competitors.
They're all in the same industry,
but they don't really have the incentive right now to work
collaboratively with their competition to schedule around
other people's needs, right?
So if that's going to happen,
and I think that has to be part of the solution, it's going
to have to be government that starts that conversation.
We're gonna have to get them all together in the same room
at the same time, have a summit
meeting, whatever it's going to take.
And we know who we're talking about.
We know the delivery companies that are most likely
to be blocking a bike lane, most likely
to be blocking a travel lane at peak hours.
Um, they're gonna have to be a part of this solution,
an active part, and they may not
willingly come to the table.
We're gonna have to bring them to the table.
This, uh, ordinance, if it's implemented, uh,
might certainly get their attention when they all start
getting significantly higher, uh, tickets
and fines that they're gonna have to pay for.
Um, maybe that's what it's gonna take, uh, to get them
to agree to make the necessary changes.
But I don't wanna start that conversation
until we have something more substantive to begin
as the opening salvo for the negotiation.
Right now, we don't have anything and,
and that's unacceptable.
We need to do our homework first,
and we need to have at least the outline
of a potential solution to start the conversation.
So I don't know if that's possible, Mr.
Chairman, to, to begin that.
When this, what's the implementation date for this?
Is it immediate?
So, I,
I would say the in the effective date is immediate.
The process of creating
the dispatch system will take several months.
Okay. So would you commit then, in those several months
before this goes live, that you'll begin that process
of laying out some potential solution
as a conversation starter for Well Street in particular?
Because by the way, if we could solve it for well street,
we could solve it anywhere in the city.
The conditions of well street are so extreme
that if we can fix the delivery bike lane obstruction
problem there, I think we can do it anywhere in the city.
So I, I'd like a commitment from,
from the experts here in this room, uh, that you'll,
you'll sharpen your pencils and get to work on that.
So when I start getting angry phone calls from Breakthrough
Beverage and, uh, you know, Southern Glazer
and, uh, you know, the Budweiser beer trucks
and the lobster companies
and all of that, they're gonna start really getting angry
when they get orange tickets piling up under
their windshield wipers.
I have to have something to tell them other
than get out your checkbook. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you Alderman Martin.
Thank you Chairman. Um, one thing I wanted to uplift
and thank CDOT for is some of the conversations
that Alderman Hopkins, um, is flagging a need for around,
uh, recently completed into a lesser extent ongoing work on
Clark Street and Western Avenue, um,
where we've had a mix of things.
Sometimes it's bike lanes,
sometimes it's pedestrian safety improvements.
But I think that ongoing commitment to talk with businesses,
literally door by door to see what their needs are,
both in terms of deliveries as well as customers,
has been very much appreciated.
A lot of this is a work in progress
and as Alderman Hopkins mentioned, I think some
of the pinch points that we're seeing in 47 is around, um,
uh, parking meter locations to say, well,
what are we gonna do around that?
'cause at the end of the day, you know,
we've got the deliveries has been discussed as well
as I think in some other areas.
And Alderman Lawson, I know, um,
has some unique sensitivities around, um, uh, Wrigleyville,
which is also, um, uh, specifically around rideshare.
And I think that as we see evolving uses, um,
of our streets occurring, we continue to need, uh, a nimble
collaborative and innovatively thinking, um, department.
So, uh, some of what Alderman Hopkins has been asking
for things that we've been a recent beneficiary of,
and I wanted to both uplift and, and thank you
and ask that you continue doing.
Thank you. Alman Lawson,
Thank you Chair. Um,
uh, Alman Martin is correct.
Uh, we do have restrictions
around Wrigley Field for loading.
Uh, you can't get a big truck in there two hours
before, during, and then two hours after.
Um, and what's that, what that has meant is
that those businesses have had to schedule with their beer,
beer suppliers largely, right?
There's some food in there too, um,
to be there first thing in the morning, uh,
to be there late.
You know, the, on a Thursday
before a weekend series, Clark Street is full.
Um, and it's full of double parked trucks.
It's full of trucks and loading zones.
It's full of trucks that are double parked
when the loading zone is open.
Um, I see a lot of that in my neighborhood,
and I, you, I've said it, uh, on the record several times,
and I think I'll, I'll put a point on it here.
We need to talk about loading zones globally as a city.
And we need to start looking at some pilot areas.
Maybe Clark Street and Well Street are good places to start
where we have shared loading zones
where we have requirements for loading zones.
Right now, a daycare requires a loading zone,
but a restaurant doing delivery does not.
And, and our code is, is archaic when it comes
to what is required.
The meter deal is, is it hamstrings us?
There are ways that we can work around that.
I know our, we have some friends in the rooms
that are always more than willing to help us work around
that if needed, um, on a, you know, case by case basis.
But, um, you know, I think the reason why you see a lot
of bad behavior right now is
because there is absolutely zero enforcement.
And I can block the bike lane or the crosswalk
and put my hazards on,
and I know in 15 minutes I won't get a ticket.
Um, I certainly know in five I'm not going to, or
however long it takes me to run and go somewhere.
So this is a tool that will help with enforcement, right?
I've said this before, why don't you speed in the suburbs
because you get a ticket?
Um, and if no enforcement is gonna happen,
we're gonna continue to see problems.
One of the biggest issues for me in this ordinance was
to include crosswalks.
They were not included initially,
and everyone's a pedestrian first
before they get on transit or ride a bike.
And so I, I get more complaints from pedestrians
who are obviously, like some of our speakers said,
the most vulnerable when they're, when they're on the street
and need to be the most protected, um,
as well when they're taking little ones.
So, um, I love the New York City model.
I love seeing those e-bikes, doing deliveries.
The little, like the mini UPS things.
I've had some conversations here.
Part of it will be that we have to legislate it
or we have to make it expensive for them to adapt,
because right now we're making it way too easy
for them to flaunt the rules.
Um, and there are plenty of good operators out there,
but I think this is part of a comprehensive approach we need
to take to delivery and loading
and pedestrian safety, which is a huge part of that.
So, um, I'm gonna be a yes vote.
I wanna thank everybody, uh, who put their work onto this
and know that we have more steps to take.
So thank you.
Thank you. Alderman Lawson, alderman Hopkins. Yes.
Yeah, I just wanted to, uh, commend Alderman Lawson
for raising the enforcement issue.
'cause that is key. And I didn't, uh, I didn't think of
that, but I want to add that to my request
to the CDOT staff here, is you try
to sketch out the beginning of what the conversation will be
with the trucking companies about
what they may be required to do.
If we're going to come up with some type
of shared loading space on the public way,
it will not work without good enforcement
because the minute you have that beckoning open space
for a truck that's 10 minutes away,
people are gonna park in there
and hope they get away with it, right?
So then the truck comes and they can't get there
and they wind up blocking the road again.
So enforcement is key.
We're going to have talk about automation.
We're going to have to talk about video based enforcement,
if we can do it with red light cameras.
And now we can do it with speed cameras
where you get a ticket for six miles
over the limit by a park.
We can certainly find a way
for automated video based enforcement in commercial loading
zones to discourage people, uh, from,
from violating the rules.
So that's gonna be something we're gonna have to look at
as part of, as part of the solution.
Thank you for bringing that up,
alderman Lawson, and thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you. Do we have any final questions?
Alderwoman, man. Hop North.
Thank you, chair. I just wanna express my gratitude
for you bringing this forward.
I enjoy riding my bike from Edgewater
to City Hall when the weather is good.
Um, and, and I do ride through, um, your neighborhood,
um, chair Hopkins.
And, and it is, sometimes it is scary, you know, tr trying
to stay on the bike lanes, but not being able to
because somebody's parked there
and having to go into the street.
It is, um, you know, it also reminds me
of what's happening on Clark Street where I live.
And, um, we're only two lanes there and we're very busy,
but very cons consolidated.
Um, business corridor
and, um, small businesses, they rely on their delivery.
So we absolutely have to work together.
Um, I'm looking forward to what is it that we can do?
I know, um, Alder Tier Martin, you know, just to the south
of me has had success with cdot.
So thank you cdot. And I hope to see that success, um,
move north on Clark Street
and also as we build on Sheridan Road and Broadway.
'cause, um, those two streets absolutely need, um, a lot
of infrastructure to, to help with so many deliveries.
We have, you know, these, these folks
that live on Sheridan Road, the doorman are having to create
whole, um, rooms for the deliveries.
Like they didn't sign up
to manage packages at the door, but now they do.
And, um, so it, it is a, it is a big deal and, um, and,
and we need a comprehensive solution.
So thank you for, for working towards
that end, uh, collaboratively. Thank you, chair.
Thank you. Wo Do we have any final questions with
Alderman Moore? I had my
hand up.
Au Alderman Moore. Yes, sir.
Yes. So, um, I was listening to Alderman, um,
Brian Hopkins, and I think taking it to
what he said into consideration is,
and Gordon, I, no one,
no one thinks it's all wards.
And I, I, I see this need
and, you know, a a lot of the north side boards
and maybe some in some other areas, maybe in Hyde Park.
Um, but these are not issues that I am facing in dealing
with, and my ward actually is causing
more trouble in some cases
and more accidents
that I don't think is really being fully documented.
And so, um, I, I think we need to get this on a,
and why, I don't know why we have
to do this on a citywide basis instead
of looking at doing this on, you know, award basis
or opt-out basis or something like that.
So, uh, that's all I have on this issue
because right now it, it ne these type
of things negatively impact, um, my award.
Thank you Oldman Moore. Um, any further questions?
Seeing no more questions, may I have a motion
to recommend approval of this item?
So 2024 dash 0 0 1 0 9 9 3
by the same roll call vote as was applied
to determine quorum. Wo
I'll ask for, I ask for a four roll call.
Okay. Al Alderwoman Mana Howorth.
So moves calling the role alderman, uh,
chairman LaSpada votes aye.
Vice Chair Cruz Alderman Hopkins.
Alderman Robinson. Alderman Yancy, alderman Chico.
Alderman Quinn, alderman Moore,
No, Alderman Curtis Vice,
uh, alderman Burnett.
I'll come back to you. Uh,
you'll see how things have landed.
Uh, alderman Irvin, alderman Knutson, alderman Lawson,
alderman Martin Alderwoman men Haworth
Alman Burnett in the opinion
of the chair, the eyes have it.
Um, this, uh, change the script.
This will be reported out at the next city Council meeting.
Thank you very much. Altman
Hopkins, are we prepared for your item
or shall we go to the subject matter hearing?
Uh, yeah, why don't we
proceed with the subject matter hearing.
The substitute I think is being printed,
but it's five minutes away.
But rather than, uh, hold up the proceedings, uh, go
to the subject matter hearing and
we'll, and we'll follow up.
Duly noted. Thank you, sir.
Uh, returning to item one, on page one on the agenda,
we will hear from the Chicago Department of Transportation
for their yearly complete streets hearing in accordance
with Municipal Code of Chicago section 10 dash 14.
We have, uh, with us Vic Krishna Murthy,
managing Deputy Commissioner,
and Dave Smith, assistant Commissioner here from CDOT
to present it team,
if we can have our screens reactivate.
Thank you so much.
There we go.
Chairman, did you wanna begin with any remarks?
I I, I will let you proceed
and I will follow up with questions and comments.
Thank you though, sir.
Okay, thank you. Um, good afternoon, uh, members,
Pause. Altman
Lopez. Yes, sir.
I don't believe that we do, but we've had some seats open up
in the back if you wanna swing in this direction.
Okay. Is the preference for us
to recess while we print the slide?
Oh, okay. Okay. Thank you. Uh, feel free to proceed.
Alright. Good afternoon,
chairman and members of the committee.
Thank you for having CDOT here today.
Uh, I'm Vic Certi, managing Deputy Commissioner cdot, joined
by Dave Smith, assistant commissioner.
Uh, in a moment I'll have Dave, uh,
give the bulk of the presentation.
Um, I just wanted to remark on, um, some
of the themes we've heard about already in this meeting
today, which is, uh, the importance
of safety and complete streets.
Uh, these two things really do go together.
Um, when we talk about complete streets,
we often talk about completing the modalities, right?
Walking, public transportation, freight management, driving,
and so on and so forth.
Uh, all the, all the wheel devices
that are increasingly part of the transportation system.
Uh, but really, I think, uh, in some of the, uh, material,
uh, here today, we want
to emphasize we are really working on completing communities
and completing the city.
Those investments are not investments, uh,
for their own sake, but for the values they enable,
for the activity they enable, for the opportunities,
they enable for different ways of people to move
around their community, to connect with destinations,
be they businesses, education opportunities,
recreational opportunities, social opportunities.
When we make those networks of transportation stronger
and safer things happen that we can't even imagine here,
which is what happens in a city.
People form their own identities, their own livelihoods,
their own full experience comes to realization.
The safety side we often talk about is really, um,
measured in the lack of safety, right?
We, we focus a lot on the important metrics around crashes,
uh, in the worst case scenario when there's loss of life.
But really what we're aiming for is not, uh,
just minimizing those hazards.
It's really maximizing that confidence,
the confidence to move around.
Um, so the safety work
and the network building work really are aimed at those much
bigger, uh, values that you all as representatives
of your community, I'm sure here from your constituents.
Uh, we hear about speeding
and crashes consistently
as the top topic in our traffic studies unit.
Uh, and I truly believe that is a reflection of
what you all hear from your constituents
who are experienced the street, uh, in their daily lives.
Um, so I thank you for your partnership,
for having us here again this year to present on our work,
uh, and for the leadership you have all shown
and working with CDOT
to address those most meaningful issues, uh,
guiding your investments with us together, uh, to make, um,
your communities and the city as a whole a better place.
So, thanks. And, uh, Dave, take it away.
Uh, good afternoon, members of the committee, David Smith,
assistant Commissioner with cdot.
Uh, appreciate the opportunity to be here to talk
with you guys about, uh, complete Streets, uh,
within the city of Chicago
and C DOT's effort really to lead the nation in terms
of safe streets infrastructure,
and making sure that our public spaces, our streets,
and our sidewalks are accessible, safe
and con, convenient for everybody.
And that's really what's at the heart
of when we talk about Complete Streets.
It's making sure that everybody can get to where they need
to be safely, so that our ourselves, our families,
our coworkers, our friends, can get home safely when we,
what we know is that when we design our streets
for those individuals who are most vulnerable,
whether they are people outside of a vehicle,
senior citizens, children, when we design our streets
for those most in need,
we make the streets safer for everybody.
And we see that, and I'll talk about that in some
of the statistics, but that really is the goal
with the Complete Streets initiatives within the Department
of Transportation to make our streets safer for everybody.
And we are leading the nation in terms of the delivery.
And in terms of the results, these three documents
that are on, on the screen here, um,
behind you is really summarizes how we're able
to deliver at scale, the types
of infrastructure improvements
that communities all across the city are demanding.
And it also summarizes the results
that we're seeing when these projects are implemented.
What we've experienced in the city
of Chicago is a 30% reduction
of traffic fatalities in the last few years
that is significantly outperforming the rest of the nation,
and it's outperforming the rest of our peer cities
or big cities all across the country.
Again, alderman Lawson mentioned it earlier,
we're all pedestrians no matter how we're getting around.
And so that's part of who we're focusing our roadway on,
focusing on those who are most vulnerable.
When we design our streets to be safe
and accessible for people walking,
we're making the streets safer for everybody,
including people inside of a vehicle.
And when we look at these statistics
and the 30% reduction, the largest modal reduction
that we've seen is people inside of a vehicle.
So, as we're implementing these projects
that are focused on shortening the pedestrian crossing
distance, slow, uh, making sure
that people are driving at safe speeds, better,
organizing the roadway, accommodating people, uh,
with disabilities, what we're seeing is
that people in their vehicle are, uh, very much benefiting
and, uh, experiencing the benefits of these safe streets.
In addition to reducing the number of traffic fatalities,
as was mentioned earlier,
we've significantly reduced the number of serious injuries
or life altering injuries happening, uh, across our city.
That is, again, really in stark contrast to most
of the major cities around the country.
We've really, uh, provided a blueprint for the nation.
And what we're seeing in 2025 is that trend continuing.
We're working right now with the Illinois Department
of Transportation to finalize, uh, the traffic, uh, fatality
and traffic crash numbers.
But everything that we're seeing in partnership with, uh,
the police department in Chicago,
major accidents investigative unit, is that the
positive trend of making our streets safer,
saving lives is going to continue.
And just to put a number on it, if we look back
over the last three years,
we've saved over 125 lives.
And again, the largest percentage of
that reduction is people inside of the vehicle,
either driving or, uh, in the passenger seat of a vehicle.
So, I think it's really important when we talk about
making our streets safer, saving lives, that we really take
to heart that it's not just a number,
but it's about your family member, your coworker.
We all know pe someone who's been either killed in a car
crash or seriously injured.
We're all connected in some way.
When we lose one person, hundreds
and hundreds of people are impacted
for the rest of their lives.
The way that we've been successful is
by delivering these types
of projects across every single program within the
department, ranging from our arterial resurfacing program
to street scapes, and all the way down the
line, uh, including.
And very much an important part of this work is
through the Aldermanic Menu Program.
We partner with everybody on the committee, all 50 alderman,
uh, and wards to implement safety improvements near schools,
commercial corridors, parks, et cetera.
Uh, and in, to highlight some of the good work
that happened in 2025, just last year alone, we implemented,
uh, close to 100 pedestrian refuge islands,
almost 750 pedestrian curb extensions over 50 raised
crosswalks, 6,000 plus a DA curb, ramps, uh,
bus stop improvements, bike lane improvements.
These numbers are really, really impressive.
When you look at, um, both the history of Chicago
and what the department is able to spend to deliver.
We've really stepped up the game
over the last several years.
And when you look across the country,
we're very much leading the effort in these installations.
A huge part of it is how we're delivering these projects
that we've standardized these elements across every program.
But another really key piece of this is the partnerships
that we formed with city council, with community groups
and community members, with business
organizations, uh, et cetera.
When we, when we really have, uh,
those partnerships in place, we're able
to do incredible work.
And just to put a finer point
or some, some highlights onto these, um,
last year we implemented, uh,
dedicated bus lanes on Chicago Avenue.
We have close to four and a half miles
of dedicated bus lanes on one
of the busiest CTA routes in the city.
Uh, in the last two years, we've implemented, uh,
about 75 raised crosswalks all across the city.
Um, and what we've seen is safer speeds,
safer pedestrian crossings, and just really a more enjoyable
and comfortable street for everybody.
I don't think that as a resident, you don't have to know all
of the details, all of the statistics,
but I think you inherently know that these types of, uh,
infrastructure improvements, they just feel good.
They're more comfortable, they're more inviting, uh,
and people really appreciate them,
even if they can't point a finger at, uh,
at, to the specifics.
79th Street, uh, in, uh,
alderman Halls Ward, rug, Ruges Elementary, a number
of pedestrian and transit improvements.
Uh, we've also see, uh, routinely with these projects,
a reduction in speeding.
So when we implement Complete Streets,
people are start driving at safer speeds on South
Halstead, as an example.
Uh, 77% reduction in drivers exceeding the speed limit.
Um, and we see more people walking.
We see more people riding a bicycle.
We're giving people options for getting around.
None of these projects are saying that, um, everybody has
to ditch their vehicle and walk or bike
or take public transit everywhere.
But it's really about making sure that people have options
so that they can make the right choices
and have an opportunity to get where they need
to go efficiently, safely,
and comfortably by whatever mode
of transportation they choose.
And when we, as we are implementing the Complete Streets
program, uh,
and efforts, we are doing it on both residential streets
and arterial or commercial streets.
And so to highlight, uh, residential streets,
we have a really successful program called
Neighborhood Greenways.
We've implemented 85 miles of these over the last,
uh, 10 years or so.
These are, uh, what we call low stress routes,
where we're focused on, uh, slower speeds.
Typically a 20 mile per hour speed limit traffic calming.
We see reduced crashes.
We see more comfortable, a more comfortable street
for everybody, including for the folks living on the street.
Uh, these are, have been very,
very successful all across the city.
In addition to neighborhood greenways, we're doing a ton
of work around schools to make sure that the streets,
our neighborhood streets by, uh,
around our neighborhood schools are really, really,
um, really comfortable.
When we implement these types
of improvements on residential streets, for example, we see
more children, more women riding a bike
and choosing to be on the neighborhood street versus the
arterial street, because it's so much, it's very,
very comfortable, low speeds, less traffic,
and it's a really, really inviting, uh, place to be.
Uh, and then finally,
to talk a little bit about arterial and commercial streets.
Um, this has been a major focus, uh, of the department
to make sure that commercial corridors, arterial streets,
where we see the highest number of crashes,
the highest amount of pedestrian business activity,
are really safe and comfortable for everybody.
Um, and as Vig mentioned,
it's not just about the infrastructure.
It's not just about transportation.
These projects are really about
creating complete communities
and addressing a whole host of comm quality of life issues
that are at the forefront of everybody's minds.
Um, issues like affordability, access to employment, access
to education, public health, youth engagement, um,
public safety, these are all top of mind issues
for everybody, every family across the city.
And when we implement these types of projects,
this is one piece of the puzzle to get to that,
those quality of life issues.
Another very important issue
that we're focused on is coordination
with the business community
and the economic bene development benefits
of these types of projects.
And so, something that we've, uh, engaged in is, uh,
looking at a series of economic indicators across
about a half a dozen commercial
corridors all across the city.
And what we've seen is when we implement these projects,
very positive, uh, benefits, uh,
when we look at these economic indicators, so things like,
what is the impact on sales tax?
What is the implo, uh, impact on employment crash,
traffic crash costs, every, every, uh,
traffic crash has a cost associated with it vacancy rates.
Um, and so we looked at between these six corridors,
we looked at about half a dozen
or two dozen, uh, economic indicators.
What we saw is 90% of those were positive.
Every of the six corridors that we saw,
we saw positive results in terms of sales tax increases, uh,
employment, uh, and vacancy.
In addition to these data points, we also did a whole series
of surveys with consumers and business owners.
And what we found is that people, both consumers
and business owners, particularly shoppers, really,
really appreciate the ability
to move along a corridor safely
and to have to options to get there.
Consumers value cycling, infrastructure
and pedestrian infrastructure, generally even
above the ability to park directly in front of the business.
As a case study is one
of these six corridors we are highlighting Milwaukee Avenue,
uh, what we've seen following the installation of some
of this infrastructure.
And here you can see protected bike lanes,
pedestrian curb extensions, shortened crossing distances,
slower driving turns.
What we saw is what we've seen is a 66% increase
of sales tax revenue along the corridor.
This corridor also had, uh, parking consolidated
to one side of the street.
Okay. Employment on the corridor increased by 37%.
Property values increased by fif almost 50%.
And we did a whole host of surveys in person
and online with residents and visitors.
97% supported by lanes even
after, uh, the parking consolidation.
And when we talk about the safety impacts,
what we've seen is a decrease of six, over 60%
of serious injuries, and a decrease of, uh,
the cost associated with those, with those crashes.
Um, so with that, uh, we will open it up to discussion
and happy to answer any questions.
Um, the, the, I think one of the main takeaway is
that these types of projects, it's about saving lives.
It's about making our streets safer,
but it's also about a major contribution to all of the goals
that we're focused on of becoming
and being a, the best city that we can be.
Whether it's economic development, public health, um,
affordability, et cetera.
Safe streets, complete Streets is really a critical
ingredient to getting us there.
Thank you.
I, uh, we'll begin with questions. Yes. Ottoman Burnett.
Gotta tap the base. There.
There we go. Uh, thank you for the presentation.
Those facts that you presented
at the end are very interesting.
Uh, that's significant increases.
Can you tell me what the timeframe is
where you're basing this off of?
Is this last year correlated to 24, correlated to 25?
Or, um, at what point is the starting point
for these metrics? Uh,
We, we looked at, um, five to six years of data
for the various corridors.
We'll have all of this information and happy to distribute
and have a follow up posted within the next week or so.
But we generally looked at about five years of data,
and we looked at projects that were implemented, um, prior
to 2022, so that we could have enough years of,
uh, after data.
Gotcha. So pretty much
around like 20 19, 20 20 timeframe
is where we're basing this on.
Um, okay.
And as you are getting more information on the
corridors and the projects, it would be super helpful
to understand that time lag.
So if in implementation
or the first couple years when these bike lanes were put in
place, how did it initially impact the community?
And then when they, they start seeing an uptick in all
of the categories that you mentioned, just
so we can understand the narrative, uh,
and how things are changing.
'cause obviously change creates some chaos
as some community members have noted.
But in the long run, if it's economically beneficial
and safer, uh, I think that can tell a story
that we can help continue to talk to our constituents about.
That's all my questions for now.
Thank you. Alderman Burnett. Alderman Quinn.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Um, I just wanna be very clear, um,
the 13th Ward starts on Archer from Narraganset to Harlem.
We're not interested in bike lanes.
So, uh, my constituents have heard all
of the stories about what's going on in and around K
and Archer not interested at all.
So I wanna make that abundantly clear today.
Don't bring that to our neighborhood. Please don't.
Um, if there is a project that is going
to be prioritized in the 13th ward, I would want
to lift up the Collector Street from 59th Street
on 59th Street from Harlem to Narragansett.
That's the street that I raised, uh,
during the budget making process with the commissioner.
Um, and that's, that's where the, uh,
13th Ward in the Garfield Ridge area needs the most
support from the department.
We don't need bike, bike lane.
So I, I want to be abundantly clear today
with the department, um, that if
that's the path you're gonna go down, uh, we're gonna,
the community's gonna be opposed,
and I'm gonna be leading that effort.
Okay. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, alderman and Quinn.
Um, I, I will take a moment for myself to ask, just
to speak into, 'cause when we talk about that, number one,
Hey, I'll, I'll always be happy with Milwaukee Avenue
being highlighted and
what the economic success has been there.
'cause I know how doubtful some folks were at
the outset to know
that this work has been vindicated.
And I, I think folks should know this was not
cdot doing the work, that this was an independent study
that was done as well.
Um, but I also wanna say, when we talk about
that business engagement,
this is not just lip service that we're talking about.
So the slide that you put forward around the expansion,
the extension of the Chicago Avenue, uh, bus only ways,
shout out to Luisa Miller and Brad Huff on your team.
'cause they had me and my staff go out with them
to talk directly to business owners
who are gonna be impacted to directly find ways
that their loading zones could be accommodated in ways
that were mutually beneficial.
It is, it is not easy work,
but it is hard in person work that makes
projects like these function.
I I'm grateful for your team putting in the time to do that.
Um, yes. Uh, we'll go committee members
to non committee members.
Uh, alderman Martin,
Thank you Chair. Um,
I wanted to uplift a few different projects, um, that,
that we've been benefiting from in 47, um,
that are the direct result of either tragedies
or, um, constructive feedback that we've received.
Um, we had, uh, a gentleman, one of our super volunteers,
both in our ward office and the entire community, hit
and killed Wall crossing Irving Park in a marked crosswalk
in the middle of the day.
Um, and that was something that, um, was the impetus
for cdot working very collaboratively with idot since
that portion of Irving Park is a state road, uh,
to figure out how do we make it a little bit easier
for people to cross that important street?
Because whether it's Irving Park
or Western, where we continue
to hear from residents in our North Center
and Lincoln Square communities, they feel
that these large streets, Irving being a state road western,
I think being a county road, um, divide our communities.
And we need to have safer ways, especially for our children
and for our older neighbors to cross safely.
And so sometimes it's a pedestrian refuge island.
Sometimes it's, um,
a flashing light at a crosswalk might seem modest to some,
but I can tell you some of those things have generated, um,
so much beneficial community feedback
because people said, Hey, like, you're,
you're paying attention.
You are listening. And I wanna encourage CDOT
to continue doing that.
Um, and I know that you don't take a cookie cutter based
approach to this, but it's so important to,
as Alderman Quinn mentioned, um, talk with Ward offices.
Um, because our, our different communities
are structured in different ways.
Some, maybe it's more neighborhood associations
where there are locusts of a real community engagement.
Sometimes it's schools, sometimes it's chambers of commerce.
And so, as you all can work collaboratively with our offices
to figure out what to prioritize that's needed.
Because to other tragedies, it was a 2-year-old
who was on his scooter who was hit and killed by a driver.
We now have a greenway there, um, uh, just outside
of my ward in the 46th Ward, different street,
a 3-year-old who's on a bike hit
and killed by a driver, um, a separate greenway there
and look like that's not gonna be a panacea.
There are still times where, um, there can be a lack
of safety, especially when you don't always have drivers
paying attention, distracted
with cell phones and other things.
Um, but those have made a measurable impact on
how, especially our, our families feel, um, feeling safe,
putting down roots in the community
and getting around knowing that, hey, I can, uh,
put a kid on the back of my bike
and have my older, uh, child bike in front
or behind me feeling just a little bit safer.
Um, and I think your data bears that out.
And I've seen data specifically in our ward
where we've seen along some stretches, uh, uh, a,
a significant decrease in speeding, especially by schools
and daycares and parks.
That's good. That's what we wanna see in those areas.
Uh, we've seen increases in bike ridership along the very
streets where we wanna push people towards.
That's also a good thing.
Um, and then ultimately, uh,
a significant reduction in crashes that result in death.
I don't think we had any last year, which is great.
Um, or, or serious injury
where we've seen significant decreases.
So along with the collaboration piece, I think
as Alderman Burnett had indicated, we want this
to be data-driven because there are trade-offs associated
with a lot of this, as you know.
And if we can make sure we are talking transparently
and proactively about what those key indicators are,
business indicators, as well as safety related indicators,
I think that helps ensure that the decisions
that will continue to be made are the right decisions
that we have the right sort of priorities.
And at the end of the day, we're complimenting communities
that are already strong ones.
Um, so I, I appreciate the continued work, um,
but just wanna stress that
that ongoing collaboration will
continue to be very critical. Thank you Chair,
And thank you Alderman Martin.
And in fact, before we go to Alderman Curtis, I,
I wanna take a moment to put too,
find a point on Altman Martin's point,
because I, I think about the two women
who were killed at Fullerton and Rockwell
before we were able to move forward
with Complete Streets infrastructure there.
Pedestrian Bumpouts, I think about how Kevin Clark
and Tyler Beck died at Logan in Western
before we put Complete Streets improvements there.
I wanna say we do not need to wait for someone to die
to make complete streets infrastructure improvements.
We shouldn't wait for people to die
to make infra infrastructure improvements.
We can be more proactive and comprehensive in this city,
and I'm glad to see us moving in that direction, Juan,
to say that, uh, I'll go to Alderman Curtis
Testing.
Uh, thank you Chairman. Uh, you know, as, as, uh,
for the last, uh, few years now, I've spent, uh, my menu on,
um, a lot of items, uh, pertaining to
pedestrian safety, uh,
speed humps, uh, cameras.
Uh, I always want to make sure that my community is safe.
Uh, during the pandemic, uh,
was the first time we ever saw, uh, bus lanes.
Uh, we, we, we put those in and,
and they were right at the curb.
My community was livid about that
because, uh, they actually couldn't park, uh,
in, in, in business areas, districts, uh,
and also, uh, the turning was very difficult.
So I know someone brought it up, uh, in the audience,
uh, earlier, uh, during public, uh, comment,
how do you treat the business district if you can't
park in front of the store?
Actually, what they'll do, they'll leave the bus.
They'll, they'll leave from in front of the businesses.
So, or, or they won't visit that business.
So what do you do if you can't park
and you have, again, like the entire 79th street
that I have, uh, where you have bike lanes
and, um, a bus turn where,
where you can't park.
What do the, what do those businesses do then at that point?
Thank you, alderman. Um, firstly regarding the, the
sorry project done during the pandemic.
I think that was, um, an extraordinary time, of course.
And look forward to working with your office
to look at 79th Street more closely.
These projects will only work if they work for,
as I was speaking earlier, what are people trying to do?
Are they trying to get to school, trying to get to church,
trying to get to, uh, business
parking is one important form,
and we look forward to, to sitting down with you
and talking to, you know, the chamber
or whatever, the relevant group of people to understand
how do people, um, visit the businesses?
And I mean, that, um, you know, my neighborhood,
for example, I spend way too much money.
My money going from business to business to business.
'cause it's just keep going.
You know, take my son, buy shoes,
and then we end up getting lunch and so on.
Um, as we've heard today, right?
It is not a one size fits all.
And therefore figuring out, well, are these the, uh,
as Altman Martin mentioned, going business by business,
these is the areas where we need
to prioritize loading zones.
This is the area maybe where another function is,
can be put in the street because they have alley
or they have off street parking.
We really hope to go, you know, that, um, inch
by inch in our designs to try to get it
as, as right as possible.
Uh, Dave and his team really are, um, at the forefront of,
of doing that collaborative work.
Uh, do you wanna
Yeah, alderman?
Um, it, it is, as Alderman, LaSpada
and Martin mentioned, um, it's a,
it's a puzzle on each corridor that we put together.
We know, we know the pieces that are necessary to get us
to f to form the whole picture.
But, uh, each corridor,
each community has its own unique aspects.
And I think it really comes back to the more
that we can form partnerships, um, with folks on the ground,
in this case, the Chamber of Commerce,
SSA individual business owners,
the more successful, um, that we can be.
I think that's a real, when we look at the projects
that have been very, very successful,
that's a very strong point.
Um, having the dialogue
and understanding, you know, there's,
from a business perspective, there's
kind of two main aspects.
There's customers, uh, arriving at, uh,
at the store, and how do they get there?
But then there's also a whole business operations
perspective, which was discussed earlier.
Um, loading, delivery, operations, et cetera.
So, through discussion, through collaboration, the more
that we can understand those things, the more that we can
incorporate them into the design of a project
and have a de have a project reflect what the business is,
what the, uh, residents, uh, need
and what we're trying to achieve as, as a city.
And I do, uh, I do understand that.
And, and again, one size don't fit all.
So a lot of times those,
those projects was done without a notification
to the wards and, uh, uh, to a lot
of the businesses before they knew it.
They woke up the next morning, it was done.
So, yeah, I think it'll be great if the partnership is there
and we can work something out more.
Maybe they could put those bike lanes on the different
street or something like that.
But, uh, on, on some, you know, definitely,
definitely doesn't work.
I think. Um, it's not my war.
Halstead Street is really, really bad to me.
Driving up from even 40, I don't know,
maybe 50th, uh, on, up to the seventies.
It's, it's, it's pretty bad.
So that, that was just me.
Just a little more input, uh, with the wars. Thanks.
Thank you. Thank you, sir. Uh, going to on Warman. Minna.
Howorth,
Thank you, chair.
I just wanted to say hello.
Thank you for being here.
Uh, Edgewater is unique in the way, it's very condensed
and it's a cut through for cars
to travel from the suburbs to the city and back.
We have 70,000 that come through our ward, probably just
on Bryn Mar alone through D Lake Show Drive.
And yet we're proud to say
that we're a very pedestrian friendly ward.
So we have that in conflict every single day.
Um, I wanted to thank you for all the work that you're doing
to help us manage that.
On Grandville, we saw that most of our traffic crashes
were on Grandville, so we worked with three other wards
from Sheridan Road to Kedzie to manage that infrastructure.
'cause there's so many schools, so many places
of worship on Grandville, and that's in the works.
And I look forward to the data that you could provide.
I know that just people are coming to me saying
that they're very thankful for that.
Um, and then so many people have said
that we need more access to the lakefront.
So those east and west corridors are really important.
Berwyn, um, is so important to me
because that's, I live on Clark Street in, in Andersonville,
and I take the divvy
and Berwyn is so great to get to the lakefront
and to take it to work.
So we're very appreciative of that.
Um, uh, I, I agree with what the chair is saying.
We, we shouldn't have to witness a death
before things happen on Winona and Broadway.
We thought, thank you for being so responsive.
We worked with, um, chair Martin to, to with you so
that we can create a better, um, more organized street
for people to cross after sofa's death.
Um, which was so tragic.
And, you know, many people in this room actually protested
that we need to do better.
We, we don't need somebody to die for, for us
to, to have this happen.
Um, and then we have so many schools in our wards, too.
And again, again, very grateful
for what's happening on Grandville
with the raised crosswalk.
I guess what, um, my colleague brings up
about how's it, that we're doing it across the city, um,
and how you're prioritizing, uh, what you're doing
with the money that you have, um,
and the coordination that's really needed with schools,
with CTA, with, uh, streets
and San uh, with you all, um, and with Chambers and,
and all the community groups at hand.
What, what is it that, what is it that we need
to be really focusing on?
Is it legislation?
Is it policy wise to, to create the atmosphere
where we can get things done faster?
'cause I've, this needs to be a priority for
so many reasons.
Health and safety, economic development, um, sustainability,
all of this ties in together.
Um, is it funding, is it leadership?
Is it from the ground up?
Like, what, what is it that you need to, to create a better,
um, environment
where we can have truly have complete streets?
Um, and I know you said that we are leading already,
and yet I feel, um, an urgency to push us to do more,
um, faster, more efficiently and better.
And so it's understandable
because this is, this is hard for people to understand.
I'm a small business owner too, in Andersonville.
We have meter parking on Clark Street, you know, and,
and I, I do think about that.
I think, oh, are they having trouble finding parking?
But then I go to the suburbs to visit my family,
and those Walmart parking lots are really big.
You know, you actually have to travel
for like a block if you, if you get into the one
of those mega parking lots.
So what is it that we need to do better, um, that will
help us focus as a council on what you all need?
Well, I'll, I'll start it.
Um, yeah, thank you, Alderwoman.
Um, first of all, we, as you said, we,
we are leading the nation.
Uh, we are a national leader in this,
but there is a lot more work to do.
Um, I think in order to get there,
it's really all of the above, all the things
that you mentioned, we need to keep elevating the effort.
I think we've been really successful in doing this all
across the city because, you know, it's not so much a
Complete Streets program anymore.
It's really a complete Streets department,
and we're a complete streets city.
We're de we're delivering these types
of improvements across all of our programs so
that it's efficiently efficient in terms of economics,
it's efficient in terms of time.
It's, uh, it's, uh, equitable across the city.
We are delivering these projects through, um,
working in entire neighborhoods at a time, uh,
through an a program we have have
called Neighborhood Networks.
Um, so I think it's, you know, what's needed.
It's sort of all of the above. I think from the council.
Really strengthening
and enhancing the partnerships on the ground, on,
on the ground or at the street level is
something that is really important.
And we have examples of that being very strong.
And we have examples of that where,
um, we can, we can do more.
So I think strengthening partnerships
and helping us, really helping all
of us connect the dots between these types
of infrastructure improvements
and the most important quality of life issues
that are at the forefront of people's minds.
That's been a big focus of ours.
We've been, we've done a really good job of it by kind
of expanding the tent within the process
and working with folks
that are involved in the public health sector
or at local schools.
The more that we can connect the dots and,
and make that connection between these types
of infrastructure projects
and the larger goals that we're trying to achieve as a city
and within the council, I think will be really,
really helpful, um, in helping to change the culture
and bring awareness of why we're doing this.
There's a lot of talk about bike lanes,
and that gets, always, gets a lot of attention, um,
that aspect of it.
But again, when you look at the data points,
when you look at what's happening on the ground, the,
it's a project that really benefits everybody.
We're seeing people in their car be much safer.
We're seeing with these projects, the ability to walk,
just walk across the street is a lot easier.
We're seeing drivers slow down
actually when they take turns, which is good for everybody.
So the more that we can, in partnership with the council,
continue to educate, you know, the, the entire city
and really highlight these connections between
where this fits into
and how this is one piece of the pie of, you know,
how we're trying to, to, uh, what we're trying to achieve
as a city are the things that come out in my mind.
Thank you for your comments and questions.
Uh, I, I would bring it back to, um, one of the, um,
guidances I was given by one of my mentors
that I tell my team, which is, you have
to write the abstract of the article first.
And, and what I mean by that is, um, the work we do at cdot,
it's actually really boring compared to architecture
or some of these other disciplines.
We deal in concrete, asphalt, and paint.
And so the exciting part isn't the infrastructure itself,
it's what it enables.
And I think tapping into each project's story, what,
at the end of this investment,
what do we all want to feel great about?
Do we wanna feel great about coming together as a community,
making an investment in our children so they can get to the,
to the school or supporting our business corridor?
So we, when we see that new business open,
or that business that's been there for three decades,
have their, um, 30th anniversary
or in the 40, uh, eighth ward in a hundred years
of Clark Devon Hardware,
where we did up streetscape as well.
There's a pride tapping into that community pride.
And that local story is, is essential
because that then an island is an island.
A bump out is a bump out is a lump of concrete.
And to be honest, sometimes it is annoying.
Dave and I have talked about, you know,
it would be great if everyone just followed the order
and we didn't need any of this stuff exactly.
And it all worked itself out.
But that's, that's not the world we live in.
So finding those projects
that really resonate into those com, you know,
land development, economic development,
social development story.
So there is a shared sense
of meaning in this work that we build.
That, that to me, I think is where the,
the best projects come
and the most momentum for future investments come
because you're really finding that it's the other side
of the coin of one size doesn't fit all.
It's finding what really does fit, uh, that's challenging.
And it takes engaged community members.
It takes your support
and partnership for being plugged into networks of local
citizens, engaged businesses, uh, local organizations
who really represent a local voice.
Uh, then we can get a lot done together.
That's, that's truly meaningful.
Thank you. Thank you both.
I, I just have one last comment
and that is, you know, we talked a lot about, um, road diets
and I'm glad that a A RP has
endorsed, you know, what you're doing.
Um, and,
but I also wanna point out that not all of our streets
need a road diet.
Some of 'em, they, they truly need more creative ways
to help us organize.
And I'm thinking particularly about an intersection
that's the entrance to, um, our lakefront trail
on Ardmore and Sheridan, where there's no space
to like create something.
I don't know. What do we need to do there?
This is, this is a, a bottleneck.
This is, um, an entrance to our lakefront where pedestrians
and older adults and families with strollers and bikes and,
and the cars are whizzing by on, on Sheridan Road,
and the people are stopping in the inter intersection.
And what's happened, you know, when you talk about quality
of life, is that people need to
feel like they can trust that when they call 9 1 1
for an emergency, that the ambulance is
going to be able to get to them.
And we've had reports where people cannot,
they don't feel confident that's gonna happen.
And, and people have delays in service.
So I need your help with that
because that's, that's something that's, that's different.
What a what we've been, what,
what we've been talking about today.
Um, and then just, I just wanna thank you again
for your work and, uh,
and there really just is no competition between a child
and a huge truck.
So, um, just thank you for all what you're doing. Thanks.
Thank you. Wo Min Haworth, I believe.
Do we have any member, other member questions?
Otherwise we'll go to non-members.
Yeah, no, by all means, sir.
So, uh, I think
Altman Curtis mentioned it in terms of lane selection.
You know, I particularly look at my community
over there by Grand Avenue.
We've been getting a lot of feedback
that it's a real struggle for that community.
And where the bike lanes currently existed in
that neighborhood were on Hubbard and it stopped,
and then we decided to put 'em on grand.
Um, what is, so this kind of comes into two questions.
It's both, when we talk about connectivity
of getting people from, whether it's east, west, north,
south, how are we doing?
How are we thinking about the entire regional planning
of making sure that it's contiguous roads?
And then also when you get feedback from community members
saying that they would like it placed somewhere else,
how are we reviewing processes
as these things start to change?
Yeah. Uh, thank you Alderman,
and, um, happy to follow up
and connect with you on, uh, the projects in that, you know,
in the area, the specific ones that you mentioned.
Um, part of it, you know,
we're absolutely looking at this in terms of
creating a network of these streets.
Um, that in order for this to be successful, that's
how we have to be thinking, um, on the context of a street
does change from one point to another.
So in the example that, that you asked about, you know,
Hubbard, there's a whole variety of
land use changes the further west you go.
It's much more, you know, in light to medium industrial,
you have loading docks and trucks.
The width of the street on Hubbard also narrows
as you get west of Ashland as just an example.
The traffic patterns in the neighborhood change
with intersecting streets and,
and how people are using the streets
and residential parking and et cetera.
So those are all things that we look at.
Um, you know, one, one street is not the same from end
to end within the city.
So we have to look at really every single block.
When we talk about how do we do that, uh,
in our guiding documents, we talk about, uh,
looking at projects from the block level
to the corridor level, to the citywide, uh, strategy.
And that's really is what it takes.
Uh, we identify these projects based on a number
of factors from looking at our high, the high injury network
where streets where a disproportionate number
of serious crashes are happening.
We look at it from the context of, um, uh,
access within a community.
We look at it from the perspective of
what are we hearing from, you know, working with the alders
to community groups, um, and taking in public feedback
and having processes.
We have, as I mentioned, we have a really successful program
that we started a few years ago called our Neighborhood
Networks program, where we're, you know,
we're not just talking about one street at a time.
We're coming in, we're identifying
how do we get a good cross-section of, uh, local experts
to engage with us in the planning and design
and the implementation of many miles
of projects over the course of one or two years.
Um, and we've seen that be really successful in a number
of communities over the last, um, four years.
So happy to, you know, would love to meet, sit down with you
and talk about that type of effort.
Um, and talk about any specific corridors that are, um,
in the works right now.
Yeah, that would be awesome. I,
I just also wanna emphasize, you know, we have a lot of kind
of what feels like kind of spot bike lanes in the sense of,
I think about getting east to west
at some points you have Lake Street
and then a certain pockets of lake, it just stop, right?
It goes away and then it comes back and then it goes away.
And so it's like it's, I feel like you're creating issues
for bikers to be in potential accidents when we don't have
those contiguous roads
or ways for them to find other bike paths.
So, um, would love to talk about how we think about more,
um, signage where there's, uh, stoppage of bike lanes,
and then how do we create some of these contiguous roads
and build off the infrastructure that we already have.
Uh, that's, that sounds great. Look forward to that.
Um, and you know what, you're exactly right.
Um, over the last several years that has been a huge focus
of ours is focusing on a continuous network
at the neighborhood scale.
How does that connect into the citywide scale?
A focus on low stress design so that people of all ages
and experience levels can feel comfortable on the street?
Um, and again, these projects, they benefit people walking,
people biking, taking transit, driving a car.
But when you just focus in on the biking piece,
what we've seen is, um, since the pandemic,
the largest growth of the number
of people biking across the country is happening in Chicago.
Uh, we've seen this last year,
the divvy program celebrated its highest number
of rides in the history of the program.
The number of people that are riding a bike continues
to expand pretty dramatically.
And the type of people that, um, the, the type of trips
that people are making and why they're riding a bike has
continued to expand dramatically.
And so it really comes back
and speaks to the importance that you're of the point
that you're making about making sure
that we have a comprehensive system in place so
that people have options.
It's not about saying you have to get
around one way or the other.
It's just providing people with options
for whatever works best for
that particular trip that they're making.
Yeah, absolutely. And we oftentimes plan in more
of a regional basis, like thinking about the Kinsey corridor
area, how we think about Hubbard Street is very different
than how we think about Fulton Street when
you get past Ashland.
And so when we're thinking about zoning, it would be awesome
to have that context, um,
and understanding where you all are thinking about your bike
rail network or your bike road network.
Um, and especially for our businesses too,
if this is something public, they can see, hey,
like I know they have the, the meetings
that come up every now and then,
but to have something that's consistent
and say, here's our network of bike lanes
and the type of bike lanes that we have,
and here's where we're looking to expand
so we can have those broader conversations
and they can consider, um, where they want
to be going forward. Yeah.
Um, that sounds great.
Uh, I'll, we'll follow up with your office
and set up some time.
Awesome. Thank you so much.
Um, if we have no other member questions, we'll go
to non-members, uh, noting all the women down with us
for purposes of quorum.
Wo down. Do you wanna kick it off?
Uh, yes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I'm glad you're having this, uh, hearing.
I was sitting up in my office listening to the Squawk Box
and, uh, heard this conversation and ran down here
because I'm very concerned about the approach that CDOT uses
to install, uh, some of your complete street projects
and specifically, uh, bike lanes.
Now I want to, I'm glad to hear you say that, um,
collaboration and, uh, consistency in your approaches.
Uh, the hallmark for cdot, I'd like to believe that.
Um, and when I walk outta here, I'm gonna take that
to heart that you mean it.
Uh, and I just want to give you two examples, uh,
to show the difference.
So I had some bike lanes installed on Indiana
between 31st and 55th Street, um,
and Anna Road Diet, uh, CDOT approached me about this.
I, I had been someone who's kind
of reluctant about bike lanes,
but the engagement that I had there with my constituents
and the residents, um, it turned out to be a,
a, a decent project.
Um, you were able to address some, uh,
community concerns about the location of, uh,
of a bus stop, for example.
Uh, there was some concern from a local business
that w we were able to address that.
And I don't get any complaints now.
I think people are relatively happy except for, uh, whether
or not you're gonna remove the snow in the bike lane, right?
Okay. So have that.
And then I'm gonna contrast that with a, uh,
bike lane project that went in on 18th
and Wabash, that was done without any
community engagement that I'm aware of.
My office was not notified that this was going to be done,
the work was gonna be done, the residents
and the businesses weren't really notified.
And now I'm left with a project
where there's a lot of concerns.
I just got, uh, another email this morning from a pest
control business who's, um, having some issues
with parking in front of his business now
that the bike lands is there
and he's paying for a loading zone.
Um, I have some concerns raised by a daycare center.
I think we can avoid that kind of, um, negative
feedback from people when you engage people
and have a conversation with them about what you,
about what you plan to do.
I've got residents along Wabash complaining
'cause there's sightline out of their alleyway
and also on 18th Street that they can't see outside
of their driveway to enter into Wabash
or out of the alley to enter into 18th Street.
Those kinds of issues need to be addressed ahead of time
with better collaboration and more forethought, forethought.
I don't think you even contact OEMC
or the fire department about how those
bike lanes and road diets are gonna affect the movement
of ambulances, um, fire trucks,
police cars,
and where the police cars are gonna park
around the first district, um, headquarters, for example.
Um, and don't tell me that you do,
because I know that you don't.
The departments are telling me that you don't.
So, um, I hope that there'll be,
yes, I know you wanna be an advocate for people
that ride bikes.
I'm for bikes. I own a bike,
but there's more to the city than people just on
bikes, right?
We wanna have a city that, um, is
good for everyone.
Whether you ride a bike, whether you are walking people in
that are disabled, that need to get from one side
of the street to the other that can't
because those concrete islands are in their way.
Um, so I wanted to just bring that out today
and to, um, uh, hope that
and, and require that you all have more conversation.
And I'm telling you, do not put another bike lane
in the third ward until you have a conversation
with me and my constituents.
Thank you.
Thank you Chairwoman Dale. Uh, other non-member questions?
Yes, Ottman Lopez.
Thank you. Thank you chairman,
and good afternoon, members of the committee.
Um, appreciate you indulging me.
Um, for many wondering why I am here.
Um, I'm here
'cause like so many of the speakers today,
I'm a Brighton Park resident
and it is very important for me to stand up
for the community I live in
and say quite clearly
that Complete Streets has been a complete disaster
for Brighton Park in no uncertain terms
that this start when I had Archer Avenue
or was this a conversation under
the previous administration?
What we have seen from this is as you just called yourself
a mini department, you're not a department,
CDOT is the department, but you've been acting in a very
rogue and unaccountable way
with nearly $791 million planned in your
budget from 2025 until 2029.
The Capital Improvement program lists over 791 lists,
791,000,330,
$36,297 to be spent by you
for transit, bicycle, and pedestrian projects.
Nearly $800 million for more of this.
No thanks. What I will say is
of the 3.6 billion that is going to CDOT as a whole,
you should be focusing on upgrading all of our lights
so people can walk through their neighborhoods without
getting shot and mugged or killed.
Like we've seen even our own law enforcements Gage Park
being attacked in their neighborhoods.
'cause they cannot see the priorities here are wrong.
And I don't know if you're lying to us today,
if you misrepresented yourself to the communities
or you simply don't know the answers
and are making this up as you go along.
But I have here from your website,
the Archer Avenue Kid Kedzie Avenue Traffic Study projects,
your FAQ frequently asked questions.
And for any of you who don't have this,
my office would be happy to give it to you if you'd like
to see it go on City Chicago dot Gov's website.
But when you say that you've got, that you had stakeholders
and that you're looking for local voices, when I look at
who you list as who were the members of the task force
that you created in mid 2023 to start this conversation,
there are roughly 10 consistent members of this task force
of which three are associated with Brighton Park Park.
You have individuals from other wards, other communities
who are here making decisions
for the folks in Brighton Park, people who have no idea
what it means to live on
or work on Archer Avenue from Western to 47th Street.
Is that what you consider collaborative, informative
and community engagement,
people making decisions
for other neighborhoods? Yes
Alderman with all our projects?
With yes or no work with, is that what you consider
as this says that you would have?
So I can have nine people at the Californian Milwaukee
location making decisions
for them over there from my side of the town.
We work with the affected ward on every project
to develop a stakeholder implementation plan.
It's no different on the projects as it is on our re skips
that we're working with you in every ward.
We work with the affected Alder person
to develop the relevant community stakeholders. So I
Would be very careful if you're gonna blame the affected
Alder person, because I believe she's on the line too.
So if you're saying it's her fault for that,
then you then I would, I'm asking are you guys,
when you put together in 2023
when you put together the neighborhoods
for environmental justice, the Southwest Collective Poder,
which is in Gage Park, Esperanza, which is on 47th
and California, the Gage Park Latinx Council,
which is on 51st in California, Southwest,
Southwest Chicago Chamber, whatever that is,
McKinley Park Development, which is in McKinley Park,
as well as representatives from 11, 12 and 14.
Are any of those people, a majority of
those people are not from Brent Park.
So how did you decide that those were the go,
that those groups were gonna be the voices
when you didn't include groups like back
of the Arts Neighborhood Council,
which actually operates the SSA 39 on Archer Avenue,
which deals with all of those individuals.
You didn't deal with any of the groups
or businesses that are over there,
and yet we're here today listening that you did all of this
with a community task force that barely had unity on it.
Now, if you're gonna highlight something else from a
different neighborhood, I'm not Cons,
I'm not interested. Sure.
Uh, no. Thank, thank you Alderman.
Um, further down on the FAQ sheet, we talk about how we
engaged with the community
around the Archer Corridor individually with discussions
with businesses, discussions
with listening tables within the
Community. I could go, I can, oh,
I'm going further
down the list. Don't
Worry. Okay. Three, three
community meetings
since the project has started. Um, so
Well, we'll get to that.
But I'm asking first off this group,
because this group is what brought it to the alderman.
This group, which is not reflective of Brighton Park, agreed
and co-signed what you all were pushing on my community
because I literally am seven
and a half blocks from March Avenue.
Just so you know, when I see the traffic
that's voided you've done to my neighborhood along Archer,
there's traffic that's backed up to 42nd Street,
literally almost in front of my house
because of what you guys have done to Archer and Pershing
and all points in between that can't get through.
Now, you might not listen
or might not have considered the voices that are here,
but I'm telling you as an alderman,
this is bad.
This was wrong.
And whatever you came up with to justify this is
absolutely positively unacceptable.
How the department comes up with policies
for a neighborhood, hands down,
you talk about on the second page, if you wanna continue
this, you did a survey, which you referenced.
You said you had 400 responses to a community driven survey.
Was that before or after the second meeting,
or was that from the task force?
Could you repeat that? I'm sorry. Is the survey,
Are we listening? We're
listening. You're, and Again,
The timing of the survey.
Yes. When did you do this survey
that had 400 participants? The
Survey was in, we did a community survey in advance
of this project that's
In different work.
There's no date on this. It just says you did a survey.
I don't, I don't know the date off, Ma'am.
Was that in 2023?
2024. 2025
Derman. We'll have to get your
specifics for the chair
So that we can be accurate.
23. Okay.
Of which, by the way, this is your information, guys.
This isn't a Gotcha. You publish this.
If you don't know what you're talking
about, don't publish it.
400 responses provided to understand transportation patterns
and tra uh, traffic safety concerns of the community, okay.
Of which only 75% were from Brighton
Park, gauge Park, and McKinley Park.
25%,
a hundred people on this survey had no business
commenting about our neighborhood.
Now, how many of that 75% actually were from Brighton Park?
Don't worry. I'm sure you get it to me.
Just as a point of information
Speaking to you through the chair.
I just wanna provide a point of information, which is
that when we asked for a complete streets hearing,
we asked the department to prepare
to speak on it holistically, not specifically
to the current improvements.
Been on Arch Avenue. With
Respect, With respect to, I wanted to be able
to explain why the specific data points that are being asked
for may not be available off the cuff, which is
because we had not asked for the, that data
to be, to be provided today.
Chairman, if they can't provide the most basic answers for
what they're putting on the screen behind me,
they have no business having this conversation today.
This is their information.
I didn't do any advanced research.
I didn't do any deep dives into their spending.
I simply put, pulled up what they publish
and what they published in their own FAQs.
And by the way, the reason this is relevant chairman, is
because as we just heard, they want
to spread this madness to all communities.
So if you can't treat Brighton Park, right,
how do I expect you to treat any other
of the 76 neighborhoods correctly?
Well, there's, you've already heard one
of my colleagues who've already said that you were bad
in how you dealt with her.
One of my other colleagues who said, no, thanks.
You have a program that you want,
that you have nearly $800 million already allocated to you.
We have some serious flaws and gaps.
Now, when you said an your issue number four,
inconsistent LA width, you said
that there was not enough room on Archer
to have two full lanes of travel in some locations.
How many years did Archer Avenue have?
Two lanes in both directions? Almost its entire existence.
You stated also that the con concrete infrastructure
w was necessary
because of the truck traffic on Archer as well as Kedzie.
And which, by the way, as a reminder for all
of Brighton Park, Kedzie Avenue is also impacted
all the way to the expressway.
Will the design traffic
design create traffic congestion?
Not when completed, have you been down Archer Avenue?
It takes 45 minutes to get from Western to Sacramento,
and that's assuming you don't have a police car
or firetruck, which is at Sacramento, right in the heart
of this, unable to get back to its firehouse
or to get out of its firehouse without cutting
through the neighborhoods like Gonzalez
and having to cut past children and neighborhoods.
Is Archer going to be a one lane street? Not completely.
Well, that's not exactly accurate either. Right?
You did this on Pershing, which you admit,
and you con I continuously to point out something else,
reference that there's gonna be no issues with maintenance,
including clearing of the snow
and salt for both the street
and the bike lane, of which forgive me,
whoever the public speaker was that said
that we had a snowplow that was hit.
Was that you? Yeah. You said two, you're wrong.
There were three of them. And it took the plow right off the
front of the truck.
Chairman, my po my issue with this is very simple.
I understand that we want to be number one.
I understand that we wanna do something for communities,
but I also know that there is a right way and a wrong way.
And even right now,
businesses are doing their own survey in SSA 39
to show the a hundred percent dissatisfaction with
what you've created on our,
you have individuals whom you've put this up for how long?
For several months now.
Derman Lopez. So here's what we're gonna do.
I'll let you finish this statement, and then we're gonna
Wrap it up. Parking.
We have another substantive ordinance on this agenda.
Thank you, sir. With respect,
Chairman, if you're gonna shut me up, then you might
as well shut up the entire community the way
that they did, because that is
Entirely disrespectful. One
thing, shut up, sir. But we need
to make sure we respect our last person who has questions.
And then we have an agenda item
from Alderman Hopkins to close.
Thank you, sir.
Okay. And ing,
we will have that provided to you through the chair.
Thank you, sir. Um, our final, uh,
speaker on this item is Al Woman Julia Ramirez.
Hi, everyone. Good afternoon committee members.
Thank you guys for allowing me to speak
as a non committee member.
Uh, I do wanna mention
that I am the Alder Woman of the 12th Ward.
I represent all of Archer that currently has construction
for the Archer Complete Streets
and the Kezi Complete Streets.
And I would like for folks
that are talking about collaboration
and communication, such as one of my colleagues
that just mentioned that if they do have questions
or if they want to be engaged, that he also speaks
with the 12 Ward Alderman, um, myself.
So I invite him to have that conversation, um,
and not take those conversations online.
But in saying that, I actually live, um,
a block away from my office.
Um, I have the privilege to be able
to walk across Archer Archer to my office,
and majority three of my staffers, they actually commute,
um, via bus or, um, as, or they walk.
And so I know that there's a lot on the line, you know,
as us as workers in the 12 Ford office and who we represent.
Uh, so I have a few questions, um,
regarding specifically the Archer Project,
but if you don't have those,
I would love those through the chair.
Um, you know, a lot of folks think about Archer Complete
Streets as simply bike lanes.
Can you guys talk about your efforts specifically towards,
um, uh, more bike lanes
and how that's different to Complete Streets?
If you're on mute.
Hello? There we
go. We can hear you.
Oh, was my question not heard?
No. Would you mind repeating that, please?
Oh, okay. Great. Yes.
Um, my question is, uh,
usually folks reduce the Archer Complete Streets
or Complete Streets Project just to bike lanes.
Can you explain how you guys have a vision
for bike lanes in specific
and how that's different to Complete Streets projects?
Sure. Uh, thank you Alder
Woman. Good to see you.
Um,
as we implement these Complete Streets projects,
it's not about pro.
It's not about one mode versus the other.
It's about creating a street
and a public space that is accommodating, safe,
comfortable for everybody.
We put an emphasis on making sure that those individuals
who are most vulnerable and susceptible to being killed
or seriously injured on our streets are protected
and they feel safe within the community.
That includes people first and foremost, on foot walking.
It includes children
and senior citizens, um, Alder Woman, as you know,
on Archer and a long archer.
You have a ton of families walking
and crossing the street in order to get to a number
of neighborhood elementary schools.
There was longstanding
and significant concerns about pedestrian safety,
just getting across the street
because people were driving so fast, uh, down Archer Avenue.
We've had a number of traffic fatalities along the corridor,
which we've, uh, presented in, uh, the number
of community meetings that we've done around this project
Following this project, one of the most exciting parts
of this is that 95%
of the pedestrian crossings will either have a traffic
signal with a walk sign
and stops traffic, a pedestrian refuge island,
or a pedestrian curb extension, so that it is easier
to get across the street.
This will allow families, children, senior citizens,
to be able to more easily access schools, friends
and families that live in the neighborhood
and neighborhood businesses.
So a hundred percent, when these projects are implemented,
the bike lane part of it gets a lot of attention.
Um, but the bit, the really big benefit, first
and foremost, is for the person who's
walking across the street.
But as I mentioned at the beginning of the hearing,
we are leading the nation in making in unsafe streets
and saving li saving lives of our residents.
That is our number one priority
when we implement these projects.
We are saving the lives of people who are driving
and riding in cars as well.
So these are complete and holistic efforts,
and we have the results to show
that they're working in making everybody safer
and making our communities more accessible.
Thank you so much, Dave.
Dave, I have a question if you can explain, um,
why this specific part of Archer was chosen
and how that's different to the other parts.
So city versus state.
Sure. Uh, Alderwoman.
So most of the Archer Avenue
corridor is under the jurisdiction
of the Illinois Department of Transportation.
The segment that is within the 12th ward,
which we've been partnering
with Alderwoman in the community on,
is under the jurisdiction of, uh, Chicago.
So that's a local jurisdictional street.
And would you say with a lot of the data that you have,
do you have data that supports, you know,
I guess the severity of how fast people are going
and how, how many people are in danger
of potentially being in a car accident
or hit in other parts of Archer?
Is it very similar? Um, is there a direct difference?
We, we have all that information.
We've presented it at community meetings on the websites,
documenting the significant concerns that people have,
not just ra voiced,
but have been experiencing for years when it comes
to traffic safety, a ton of traffic crashes.
This design on Archer Avenue is a direct reflection
of the traffic safety issues
that we're seeing on the corridor.
So, traffic crashes resulting from not having, uh,
enough left turn lanes out on the street.
Well, we took a look at all of that,
and we added in left turn lanes where they don't exist,
being able, uh, pedestrians walking across the street
and having to cross four lanes of traffic.
Now, as, as I mentioned,
at just about every single pedestrian crossing,
you're only crossing one lane of traffic at a time
where you have a, then you have a safe place to stand.
So we went from having to cross four lanes of traffic
to now one lane of traffic, generally
to have a safe place to be.
Um, throughout the,
the community engagement process, alderwoman
and the community meetings that we had leading up
to this project, I can tell you that at every meeting
that I was at, I had at least one person
or one family come up to me
and tell me that they wanted, all they wanted was
for this project to get started
because they had a family member
or a friend who had been killed on the Archer Corridor
as a pedestrian crossing the street.
That does not happen at every single community meeting,
and it certainly doesn't happen at multiple meetings
for a project in a row.
We had families, and you know this
'cause you saw it sobbing at meetings, talking about,
I just want this project to get started.
Why isn't it hap, why didn't this happen years ago?
We want our family to be safe.
We know that we can't bring back the person that we lost,
but we wanna keep, we don't want
this to happen to anybody else.
So we have the data points that support it,
and the lived experience has been communicated to us
in very, very powerful ways.
Thank you for sharing that, Dave.
Um, I'm unsure how much you guys had heard me in the
beginning, um,
but I, I do wanna share that it is really important.
Archer is a shared space. Uh, when Dave came to me almost,
uh, immediately after, um, I had started my position
and we were standing on Archer and Kedzie
and basically fearing for our life standing on that corner.
Um, as cars were speeding through the intersection, a lot
of cars were turning onto the sidewalk
where we were very visibly standing as a group.
Um, it was really important, I think, for us
to bring in various groups, um, in Bretton Park,
but really groups that represent the Southwest side.
This is really a vision for the region.
Um, and it's unfortunate that two of my colleagues
that are also representing the Southwest side, um,
have chosen to leave when the direct Alder, um,
that is working on this project, uh,
was going to be on Mike.
Um, so in the spirit of collaboration
and communication, um, I invite my colleagues to speak
to me directly, um, um, so we can, you know, figure out
how we can make this right, how we can, um, make this work,
um, in Brighton Park,
but really just to keep people safe, uh, long term, this is
so much greater than, than just this area.
Um, and I just, I also wanna reiterate, Dave, you're right,
like when I started this position, I've spoken to many,
you know, mothers in particular who have lost
or have been, um, have had family members badly hurt,
specifically on Archer Avenue.
Um, I do wanna talk about Dave,
if you can just reiterate just
where folks can find information,
and then I guess I'll close with what is your vision,
and let me, let me start with this, Dave.
Is this, um, complete Streets project?
Is it finished on Archer? Yes or no?
No, No. That's correct.
Um, this, this project is not finished.
Um, and I, I think folks are evaluating it
for the construction.
Um, and so we really wanna be able to see that construction
through and people to be able to use it, utilize it,
and, and live in it.
Um, but in saying that once the, um,
the project is completed, what is the vision
with Complete Treats and how you guys, you know, keep up
with sort of like any, uh, concerns
or questions that people may have moving forward.
Uh, sure. Alderwoman, um, thank you for the questions.
Uh, so just to, to clarify the, as as you mentioned,
and as I mentioned, the project is not complete, uh,
there is a segment of Archer Avenue, uh,
sizable segment within the middle of the, the project limits
that's currently under construction for the replacement of,
uh, sewer and waterline.
Um, so that construction, um, activities will continue
until, uh, roughly the spring, uh, or summer.
Uh, but then these improvements will be continuous from
Western down to 47th Street.
I think it's important for people in the community
to keep in mind that this large segment in the middle
of the project, which is under construction
for utility work, is not reflective of the final condition
of what Archer will be.
For example, the final condition will include
left turn lanes, pedestrian refuge islands,
pedestrian curb extensions,
different lane configurations at some
of the busy intersections.
So, uh, I think it's important for people to understand
that there are, um, there is another utility project in
that is happening right now.
Uh, that, and those impacts to traffic through that work
is not reflective of the Complete Streets, uh,
condition or final project.
Um, in terms of where people can find information,
chicago.gov/complete Streets, uh, is, uh,
a website of ours where people can click on, uh, projects
and easily search Archer or Kedzie.
We have every piece of information that's presented,
been presented at the three community meetings online.
We have PowerPoint presentations.
We have very detailed, uh,
exhibits showing every single block what the proposal was,
how it changed based on community, uh, feedback.
We have a frequently asked, a very detailed, multi-page,
frequently asked questions document
that was referenced earlier that's posted on the website.
So there's a ton of information, um, on that webpage.
Uh, in terms of, uh, going forward, uh, people, uh,
who, uh, wish to, um, highlight anything
for us can email us at Complete streets@cityofchicago.org.
We monitor this and we'll, we we're keeping tabs on, um,
any questions or feedback, uh,
or through the 12th Ward, uh, office.
We're in very close contact with Alderwoman
and staff, uh, on this project.
So, you know, we want to keep the dialogue going.
This is going to be a very, um, successful project.
We've have the, uh, examples from around the city to show
that these types of projects work.
Um, but we want to keep touch
and, um, we want this to work well for everybody.
Well, thank you all members. Uh, thank you Chairman.
Um, I really appreciate you guys, um, having this hearing.
And as we continue with the Archer Complete Streets Project,
Archer and Kedzie, um, you know, I, I look forward to,
to working, uh, with the staff, um, better collaboration
and, um, as was mentioned, um, by other colleagues.
I think that we can always be better on engagement
and I hope that we can build on that and,
and show good practice as you guys,
um, move forward your mission.
So thank you.
Thank you. You're very welcome.
And thank you to managing Deputy Krishna Murthy
and Deputy Commissioner Smith for their time
with us today and for the presentation.
Um, we will now return to page one of the agenda beginning
with item 3 0 20 25 0 0 2 1 0 2 2,
which is an amendment of municipal code chapter two two,
by adding new section two two
to require city council.
I will read it as it is though there have been amendments
made to require, uh, city council approval to close bridges
of Chicago for improvement, maintenance, repair,
or other public work.
This item is sponsored by Alderman Hopkins,
who is prepared a substitute ordinance that was emailed
and distributed today, I will pass to him
to explain the substitute ordinance.
Um, uh, first, may I ask a motion
to accept the substitute as drafted?
I'll give this one to Alderman Burnett, uh, who so moves,
uh, hearing no objections, so ordered Ottoman Hopkins.
Yeah. Uh, thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I believe this matter is, uh,
significantly less controversial than the, uh, former, uh,
items before us.
Although it, uh, it is the result of similar anger to
what you just heard about, uh, people having to deal
with congestion and lack of input.
Uh, the changes were made at the request
of both CDOT and the law department.
Uh, and I want to thank you, Mr.
Chairman, for facilitating that discussion.
Um, I know CDOT
and Law are now on board with this revised version
that we just substituted, I believe you are as well, uh,
based on the discussion that we had.
So there should be no issue.
But, uh, just to, uh, express the intent and the goal.
Um, when we closed the Cortland Street Bridge
for a much needed construction project a couple
of months ago, there was arguably
adequate communication about the date
that the bridge closure would take effect.
But what there was not was adequate planning
and preparation for the resulting traffic congestion
that was caused by the sudden closure of the bridge.
The Cortland Street Bridge serves approximately 10,000
vehicles a day.
So you can assume that when you close
that bridge completely, 10,000 vehicles a day are going
to seek other ways to cross the river.
And that's exactly what happened.
The problem was, uh, we had the closure in effect
for the feeder ramp as part of the Kennedy project.
That was the last phase of the Kennedy Construction Project.
We also had the Chicago Avenue
and Halsted Street Bridges closed, uh,
and now the Lake Street Bridge closed.
So it was a perfect storm of losing
bridge crossing alternatives.
Uh, and it resulted in a massive amount
of traffic congestion
and confusion on the north side of the city.
That could have been mitigated.
Had there been more careful planning, not just coordination
with the schedule and the announcement,
but looking at some of the things
that are mentioned in this ordinance,
to have detours more clearly marked to have those detours,
uh, ready to accommodate traffic in terms
of parking restrictions, banning utility projects
that might result in lane closures on the detour routes,
having traffic control aids present, changing signal timing,
which is necessary.
Um, some of that work is now in progress,
but it should have been done in the weeks prior
to the closure of the Corland Street Bridge.
So what this ordinance would require is
for future bridge projects, CDOT has to come
before this committee
to talk about what they're going to do.
It'll accomplish two things.
It'll raise the visibility for the project to make our job
as alderman easier, because we are the ones
that have to communicate this.
CDOT actually tried to communicate the data
in the Courtland Street Bridge.
I'll give them credit. They did
what they could to put it out there.
I did what I could by putting it in my newsletter.
I think many of us did. Not everybody gets the memo.
So if we could bring more attention to a major closure like
that, that helps everybody.
But more importantly than that, it allows us as members
of the legislative branch to do what you saw today, which is
to question the professionals in the agency
that's responsible for this,
and make sure that they've done everything they can in
preparation for a major closure.
That did not happen in the case of Cortland.
And one of the reasons that we had so much anger as a result
of the congestion that resulted from it,
is an awareness of that.
I got so many calls
and emails from people who said to me, you know,
I knew the bridge was gonna close.
So, okay, I'm, you know, and then I'm going down Clybourne,
and there's a utility project closing
that it's just unacceptable to have that level of confusion
that could have been solved.
So the way we can make sure that doesn't happen again
as legislators is to have a public hearing
where officials from CDOT know they have to come here
and they know they're gonna have
to answer hard questions like they did today.
So they're gonna do their homework,
they're gonna come prepared, they're gonna come ready,
and they're gonna have a plan to reassure us that everything
that needs to be done is being done in
advance of a major closure.
Now we're talking about a significant project.
We're not talking about filling potholes.
You know, we're not talking about maybe, you know,
repaving or striping.
We're talking about the kind of work that results in months
and months of closures.
In the case of Courtland
Street Bridge, it's gonna be two years.
So we're not doing this for just any project.
We're, we're keeping the bar relatively high
where we're having these expectations.
And there's also provision in here for emergency work.
Uh, many of you might remember, a few years ago, we had a,
a disaster in St.
Paul, Minnesota, uh, where an interstate bridge collapsed.
And several people lost their lives of that.
It, there was an engineering, uh, study
that was unfortunately ignored.
They had adequate warning
that there was an imminent failure for that span.
That's the type of extreme
emergency we're talking about here.
We have a lot of bridges that are in poor condition.
Certainly Cortland is one of them.
There is zero dispute about the necessity
for this major project,
but it was not in danger of collapse.
Engineers know what that looks like,
and if there's any situation that is an immediate threat
to life or property, CDOT is fully authorized
to do their job and take immediate action, come to us
after the fact and tell us what the emergency was.
So we in no way wanna impede any type
of emergency work that would need to be done.
This is for work that is being planned.
And again, in the case of the Cortland Street Bridge,
that work was planned for at least two years.
They had lots of lead time.
They knew the bridge was in bad shape.
It was not in danger of collapse,
but definitely needs the work that it's hap
that is currently happening.
But there was more than enough time to come
before this committee explain the whole thing to us,
and more importantly, tell us
what congestion mitigation measures are being done.
So on day one of that closure,
we will never experience the chaos
and confusion that we experienced all through the north side
of Chicago, uh, when that bridge was closed.
So, uh, with that, I'll open it up
to any questions if there are, but if not, I would, uh,
enter a motion for due pass on this matter
And just, yes.
There we go. Uh, yeah,
I was just gonna make a statement, chairman.
Uh, I couldn't agree with that more.
Uh, when they closed, when they closed that one bridge
that they fought, they, they actually closed all the bridges
to the, to the inner city,
and no one from the north side could cross
to the south side, and no one on the south
side could go north.
It was, it was a really bad situation.
And the only, uh, uh, when it was brought to their attention
after they raised all the bridges, the only thing
that they could say was
all the bridges was in bad condition.
And, uh, that is bad.
It's, it's, it's, uh, not good planning.
So, uh, I couldn't agree with you more,
and I will definitely be supporting this ordinance.
Thanks,
Orman Burnett.
Yeah, I would also like to say I love this ordinance.
Uh, I noted during the budget cycle
that I felt like my community was attacked by
how quickly these bridge repairs came up.
Even though that there were a lot of, uh,
to my colleague's point, they knew how much work needed
to be done on these projects for a very long time.
And to have no notice and to have two, three days.
And we, we, as alderman finding out at the same time
that the public finds out, it's pretty baffling.
Um, especially because we're supposed
to be the ones communicating to everyone
how these things are, uh, supposed to happen,
the traffic pattern changes
and why they're happening when they're happening.
So I appreciate colleague, uh, alderman Hopkins
for even thinking of this
and making sure that we don't
fall into the same traps again,
Thank you very much.
Um, I, I will know,
I really appreciate the collaboration on this, the,
the willingness to like, get to a version of this
that all the departments can support.
I feel like that's the, the lesson
of the day in this committee meeting.
Uh, and to be clear for the public,
'cause I feel like I, I read it differently.
This creates oversight, accountability, transparency,
without requiring direct city council approval
for the closure of the bridge. Accurate.
Uh, yes, we, we initially put that in there.
In fact, listening
to the testimony from the Brighton Park residents earlier,
uh, I feel your pain.
Um, because I was stuck in the same type of traffic
as a result of this bridge closure.
And it was in that, uh, sense of anger
and emotion that I drafted the ordinance initially seeking
to strip the authority away from CDOT to close bridges.
Uh, in hindsight, that was not the right approach.
I put that out there 'cause I was righteously mad as many
of the public speakers were today.
Um, but after our discussion and,
and cooler heads prevailed, uh, that is not something
that the legislative branch should seize control over.
No one on this committee is a structural engineer.
I don't believe. So.
We're not the ones that should have that authority
to make those decisions.
Once we took that unnecessary paragraph out of this measure
and made the changes that the, uh, law department and,
and cdot, uh, made today, um, we can still accomplish
what we wanna accomplish without that unnecessary
and draconian measure, um, that was,
that was born out of a reaction.
So, uh, thank you for, um, bringing a little bit of, uh,
common sense to the debate.
Appreciate that, sir. Just clarity for the public.
Uh, with that said, may I have a motion
to recommend approval of this item O 2025
dash 0 2 2 by the same roll call vote
as was applied to determine quorum.
Uh, uh, thank you. Let's repeat that sentence.
Uh, may I have a motion to recommend approval of this item?
So,
20 25 0 0 2 1 0 2 2
by the same roll call vote as was applied
to determine quorum.
All alderman Curtis. So moves. Hearing. No objection.
So ordered. Um,
sorry y'all, it's been a day.
We will report. Thank you.
We will report these items out at the next regular
scheduled city council meeting.
With there being no further business before the committee.
Can I have a motion to adjourn? Move adjournment.
Alderman Hopkins. So moves.
All those in favor signify by saying aye. We are adjourned.
Thank you all.