Right.
I'm like, it's like a perfect, it's like,
All right, we're gonna get started.
The meeting of Committee on Pedestrian
and Traffic Safety is now called to order
for March 10th, 2026.
Before we establish quorum, I wanna say congratulations
to our chairman, Daniel LaSpada, for welcoming New Baby
Fiza Catherine LaSpada.
So, congratulations. Yes. Yes.
We will now call, uh, have a roll call established
for a quorum.
Um, we'll start with Chairman LaSpada,
vice Chair Cruz here, other Hopkins.
Here. Der Robinson.
Der Yancy Der Chico. Der Quinn. Here.
Der Moore. Der Curtis. Der Burnett.
Derman Moore is not line. Yeah.
I'll come back to you. Um,
der Irvin Al Knutson.
Present. Alder Lawson.
Alder Martin, other woman in Mana Haworth.
Okay. We do have, uh, do we have any non-member present?
There are nine member present, and we have a quorum.
Others, Robinson Chico
and Moore have requested to participate in the Mely Remo
remotely pursuing Rule 59.
Alderman Robinson. Are you online?
Yes. I'm Alderman Moore.
Derman Moore is present. Alderman Chico.
Alderman Chico is present. Can I have a motion
to allow Alders Robinson, Chico
and Moore to participate remotely?
All the person Curtis, so moves all those in favor. Say yay.
All those opposed say nay. The ayes have it all.
Robinson, Chico and Moore are present here today
by video conference and will be counted
accordingly for roll call.
At this time, we will begin public comment, period
outta respect for everyone's time.
Each speaker will is limited to two minutes due
to the amount of speakers we have.
We're going, uh, have two minutes speakers in accordance
to rule 58 of the city council.
Rules of order, please refrain from referred language,
obscene conduct, or disruptive comments.
So let's start with our public comment period.
Now, in our first, so I'm gonna call three names.
First we have Reen, an
Ros, Maria, and Patricia Puente.
Uh, we doing one at a time here? Yeah. Yeah. Hello. Okay.
So my comment here was from last month's, uh, meeting here,
it's all focused on cdot.
We're gonna talk about CDOT wanted us to go CTAA
safety and walk.
February 25th, JB Hunt accident on my block,
I catch in Persian.
The truck stood in the middle of the intersection.
I had to call 9 1 1 in the alderman's office.
The truck cannot pull over because of the concrete barriers.
Before, before the barriers, people were able to pull over,
do an accident assessment and exchange paperwork.
Couldn't do that. So this truck stood in the middle
of the intersection.
I got constant U-turn in front of my house, avoiding Kedzie.
I had police cars stopped and beep at them,
but nobody enforce the law.
On the 12th ward, I got a lot more for the 12th ward.
She's here, but she didn't wanna show her face.
I don't know why. Um, talk about,
I got three story trees here.
They're buckling up the sidewalks on the 2,900 block
and 30, uh, 3000 block Pershing.
I got motorcycles on nice days.
They ride on the bicycle lanes.
So you have a motorcycle on the bike lane going against a,
uh, bike that's pedaling, which is against the law.
Who's gonna win the motorcycle? Uh, 16th and St. Louis.
Abandoned buildings. Vacant lots.
They built bike lanes over there. For what?
Because it's corruption. It's it's corruption.
But sub, uh, subcontractors at its best.
I got alleys in my 12th ward. Moon alleys.
It's like driving down the moon.
Uh, February 28th at McKinley Park Archer.
Moving forward, all these politicians, 14 ward, 12th ward,
everybody came there and drove.
Only one bike was at the bike lane, and we got flooded.
A bike lane. We put a repeated, oh,
let's go a CTA real quick.
A lady got burnt alive seat.
Uh, three months ago, a man was filmed, got stabbed
to death, January 13th, filmed and stabbed to death.
13 in Archer. So what I'm trying to say, see that wants us
to walk, take CTAC t's not even safe walking.
I got in a, in a, in a, and, um, one mile radius.
A 43rd Archer. I got 48 pedophiles. Two miles.
251 pedophiles. Three.
Thank you, Mr. Ros. Next is Maria.
Good afternoon. My name is Maria.
I've lived in Brighton Park for 20 years.
My children were born and raised in that neighborhood.
I'm part of a group of residents rallying against
infrastructure changes in Brighton Park.
We need your support. Our 12 ward, Julia Ramirez,
has turned her back on her residence.
The Complete Street Project isn't complete
yet in our neighborhood,
and we already seen the negative impact to our community.
The concrete bumpouts and islands are not safe for drivers
and pedestrians, bike lanes, if you wanna call them that.
They're more like ditches filled with rocks, trash,
broken glass, and when it snows it's ice.
And when it rains, it's flooded with water,
which makes them useless.
Half of the year since bike glaze has been implemented,
I see more and more bikes and scooters on the sidewalk,
and that's not safe.
I am here to ask everyone to reconsider the whole plan
with the community, with community input,
and develop a plan that is truly safe for everyone.
It is unfair that our transportation choices
and freedom of travel are being limited.
Local businesses are taking a hit due
to the changes on Archer Avenue, making it tough for people
to shop or do a quick lunch break.
Delivery trucks services are also becoming a challenge.
I have spoken to all the businesses along Archer on 47th
to Western and reported drop in sales
with tax increase rent hikes.
And many businesses are struggling to stay afloat,
facing tough decisions about whether to close
or keep pushing forward.
Our local businesses is losing faith, worried
that they could no longer afford
to operate and make a living.
Our neighborhood is desperate for support,
and we're counting on everyone like you to help
and make a difference.
Thank you. Thank you, Maria.
Next speaker is Patricia Puente.
I have a concern.
This is for Ward 18 Elderman Curtis.
Um, the address
77 1 7 South Kenneth.
Uh, they're parking their cars
from the project buildings.
Um, there they're Hispanic parking their cars in front
of the cars, parking their cars
and blocking the, their driveways.
They've called the police.
They've done a hundred things
and nothing has been done about it.
If the Elderman, Curtis, Derek,
could please help this residence, um,
they've been living in their house for 18 years
and then suddenly having these problems.
They try to communicate with the people
that are parking their cars there,
and they just say, we don't know.
We don't speak English.
The other thing is, the bikers please ate those bikers.
They're just driving on the sidewalk.
Why have the driveway? It hap it's happening in downtown.
It's happening everywhere.
Even around the corner of my house.
One biker, uh, with, uh, that speedy biker almost hit me.
I called the police, but by the time the police got there,
the biker had already left.
Please cite 'em. Let it hurt their pockets. Thank you.
Oh, thank you, Patricia.
Noting a non-member, other woman, Ramirez, present
for purpose of Quorum.
Next, um, speakers again. I'm gonna call three at a time.
Zach Carmen Rodriguez and Rosalba Ramirez.
Go ahead, Zach
Speaking. Oh,
that's cool.
Um, I'm Zach from Ama Bright Park Resident Re
regarding infrastructure changes.
Nobody knows Brighton Park, like the residences I live
and breathe in this neighborhood.
The community, the businesses, the people are the heartbeat
of Bryan Park, not CDOT Ju Julia Ramirez.
You should listen to your constituents, your community
that you evolved to put first.
You once said you would bring a community driven process
to important decision making,
that it wouldn't be a decision made by one person
or the alderman that you would be transparent
and have conversations with residents of riding Park.
Julia Ramirez has not been responding
to our concerns in the 12th Ward.
We have been asking for information
regarding Archer Project.
She is more concerned about media, cdot
and colleagues than she is about we,
her constituents bring to her.
We deserve a voice, a response from her on issues
ongoing in our neighborhood.
She lacks leadership
and each day that goes by our trust for her is fading.
At this point, it's gone.
We want these infrastructure changes removed,
concrete barriers, removed bike lanes along with Bumpouts.
We want better decision making in our neighborhood
and better in invest investments that will help
and not harm our local businesses
and sell them away every minute.
Every second matters. Our emergency response team,
CPD Chicago Fire Department EMS shouldn't be worried about
finding parking to avoid blocking traffic
because there's only one lane on each side.
Every second counts when our life is on the line,
revert arch to what it once was.
Ju Ramirez wants answers. Silence is not tolerated.
We aren't against safety. We are against poor planning.
Lack of involvement from residents that live
and raise from brighten park, lack of outreach from those
who will be impacted the most.
Thank you. Next speaker, Carmen.
Good afternoon, alderman and, uh, general public.
Um, I was here at the last transportation meetings
and, uh, once again, I'd like
to continue supporting the Brighton Park community and,
and, uh, the majority of the people of Chicago,
including the businesses.
As you can see in the last few weeks, we, uh,
Chicago is not a city that works for everyone.
Uh, our, uh, team that unites the city,
the Chicago Bears have left us for Hammond, Indiana,
possibly, or Arlington Heights.
Do we want that to happen with the rest of the businesses
that are left in Chicago?
It appears so because this is not a city of neighborhoods
or city of a city that works for everyone.
Currently, it's only serving for the special interest, uh,
that, uh, is influencing, uh, Ms. Julia Ramirez.
Uh, Mr. Uh, LaSpada, who's not here,
congratulations on, uh, your baby.
Um, let me just remind you, alderman, uh, alderman Curtis,
alderman Burnett, alderman Martin, and all of you here.
Marty Quinn, thank you very much for your work.
Um, these, uh, if you have a choice to, um,
vote on the expansion of bike lanes, please don't do it.
It's killing businesses across the city of Chicago.
CDOT is basically a special interest group
that's being funded basically by not, not the city
of Chicago residents or the property taxpayers like myself.
It's being funded by so-called non-for-profit organizations.
Okay? That is our tax money.
So let me tell you something, don't vote
for the expansion of bike lanes.
First thing on the agenda should be eliminate, uh,
those concrete barriers in Brighton Park.
Do not expand it to Grand or Portage Park.
You'll bring disaster to those businesses across the city.
We need to be a city that works for everyone,
including our businesses across the entire city of Chicago.
Thank you. Before the next member, I want note, um, noted,
member Alderman Irvin, present for quorum.
Thank you. Now go ahead, Rosala.
Good afternoon. Good afternoon.
My name is Rosa Bla Ramirez
and I live in the bread and park neighborhood.
I want to share how the reconstruction
of Archer has affected my commute
and the safety of my neighborhood.
Due to the concrete barriers,
traffic is backed up from Archer
and Damon all the way to Pulaski.
It takes me 50 minutes to get home from the I 55 on Damon
to 41st and Albany when it used to take me only 15 minutes.
Every major intersection is basically blocked.
I was driving down Archer last weekend
between Albany and California.
Traffic was congested and ambulance
and a fire truck needed to pass.
I could hear them from a long distance.
I could not tell from which direction they were coming from,
but it, but it really did not make a difference
because vehicles could not pull over
to the side as the law states.
There was no space for the cars to move
and allow the emergency vehicles to pass.
This was and will be a safety risk
and hazard issues where someone
who needs medical attention cannot get the help
or reach a hospital in a timely manner.
Ambulances and fire trucks are meant
to arrive on a site within a specific time.
Please tell us how is our community safety is being
considered at all with all these safety
limitations and restrictions.
We do not have a community of bike pedestrians
as we see in downtown Hyde Park or up north.
Where did this idea come from
and how is the community
of Brighton Park being taken into consideration?
How was the Brighton Park community informed
of the transformation of Archer?
Going from four lanes to two lanes?
Did the 12 ward office went from house to house
to leave flyers and knock on doors to inform the community
of the reconstruction of Archer?
Just as how they do it when it's time for elections
or that method and communication
of awareness is only used when it benefits award.
Thank you.
Thank you, Rosa. Next three speakers are Elaine,
George Blake Moore, and holiday.
Yeah, 20 Thursday. Sir,
You can start, Elaine. Okay.
Good afternoon. My name is Elaine.
I am a lifelong resident of Bright of Brighton Park
and a stay at home mom of two.
I'm concerned about what's happening on
Archer with these bike lanes.
Families in Brighton Park rely on our cars every day
for work, school groceries, and taking care of our families.
When traffic lanes
and parking disappear, it makes everyday life harder
for the people who already live here or there.
A lot of us are worried these changes aren't really
for longtime residents.
It feels like they're being made to attract, uh,
gen gentrifier
and outside development, not to support the families
who built this neighborhood.
Brighton Park is a working class community
and many of us are worried about being pushed out
of the place we've lived in.
We've lived in our whole lives.
Uh, when big changes happen without the community
behind them, it doesn't feel like investment.
It feels like the first step toward pushing the people
who live there out. Thank you.
Thank you. Elaine. Next.
Oh, he's not here. I, uh,
Excuse me. Excuse me. Oh,
uh, good afternoon.
Uh, my name is Holiday Jerry, owner operator
of a shoestring community art space Holiday studios on
Archer Avenue and Brighton Park next to the Pacos Tacos.
I signed my lease in February of 2025, hoping
to build something positive for the neighborhood.
A place for art workshops and community gatherings.
Like many small businesses here,
we're operating on thin margins.
Over the past year, neighborhood
of businesses have already been dealing
with serious pressures, including the climate of fear,
created by aggressive ice activity
affecting many immigrant families and customers.
And now on top of that, we're dealing
with lane reductions on both Archer and Kedzie.
Let me be clear. Bike lanes and safety are good goals.
No one is against safer streets,
but the lane reduction is hurting local businesses archers,
working commercial corridor, people stop for lunch,
run errands, and delivery trucks need space to pull over.
Since the lane reductions,
congestion has increased dramatically.
Clients tell me they avoided coming
because traffic takes too long.
There's nowhere to park
or pull over when two major corridors in the same area
lose lanes at the same time.
It doesn't just slow traffic,
it discourages people from coming at all.
This isn't just my experience.
Longtime neighborhood of business,
including iconic places like Paco's Tacos are
feeling the impact too.
Another concern is the process.
Many residents and business owners feel this project was
done to the neighborhood, not with the neighborhood.
Some of the groups listed as stakeholders aren't
even located on Archer.
While people who actually live
and work here feel like they
were left outta the conversation.
Brighton Park deserves thoughtful planning
and real engagement with the community.
Before decisions like this are declared a success.
Brighton Park is not a planning experiment.
It's our home and our livelihood. Thank you.
Thank you. Holiday Next. George Blakemore.
I am against residential parking.
Uh, this is not on the agenda
today, what the people are, are talking about.
So you didn't feel that it was in important.
Last time you had the experts from the city sitting up here.
So this time it's not even on, but you uh, I just love it.
Y'all keep coming back and you all are speaking.
So articulate
and, uh, uh, I would like to see my people, uh, to show up
and, and show out they business.
People here tend to your business.
Black men and black often. Where's your business?
Uh, where are our business? That's why it's not a problem.
'cause they don't have any business. Tend to your business.
Business is money. This is the lifeblood of their community.
And after they rent a lease
and buy, they cannot, uh, uh, utilize it
because of this, uh, cement structural, they can't.
And, and the old Altman is soum.
Perhaps the Altman is being paid by another interest group.
And so you spoke so eloquent, you all so articulate.
Your is corrupt. They have allowed this.
And now you, uh, the Aman have, see if they gonna listen
to you, they young man could really speak.
And the young lady, y'all doing beautiful.
I, I would like to see my community down here speaking out.
Like you all That's right.
Selling this betrayal
and these black wards, they don't have business.
Why, why
a line of these Hispanics coming up here speaking very
articulate about what's going on.
And, and don't take it. Get rid of them.
All right. Uh, thank you. Um, next three speakers.
Evelyn Almanza, Juan Castro, and Juan Munoz.
Nice start.
Um, good afternoon. My name is Evelyn Almanza.
My mom's name is, um, Claudia Guzman
and she's a hairstylist.
She owns a salon on 43rd and Archer.
Um, My mom as well as other community members
and business owners express a lot of concern
and frustration toward the installation
of bike lanes in our neighborhoods.
Our customers don't have places to park
and end up leaving when trying to access our services.
Um, many businesses, including my moms,
are facing a decrease in revenue.
Um, our streets were already overcrowded as it was.
And now with the bike lanes is becoming significantly
severe and worsen.
The ratio of bike riders to car
to car drivers is very different in our community.
And these installations have caused much more inconvenience
for all of our community members than good.
For the comfort of people who don't really use the bike
lanes at all, they ride on the sidewalk.
Um,
We re Really request
that you reconsider the installation
of these bike lanes soon
before the effects are irreparable for many
of our local businesses, such as those
who have already had to shut down.
Um, a lot of our community members
and local business owners are really affected by this issue.
And it seems like nobody's really paying attention to us.
There's only two lanes in this really congested area
where there are a lot of businesses
and a lot of people who need to access these places.
So please reconsider it. We're all really worried.
Um, not only is it for businesses,
but also as somebody mentioned
before, the health of a lot of people are being impacted.
People can't access places people have jobs to go to
and a lot of people don't have the privilege
to spend 50 minutes riding around in their car.
They have families, they have jobs they have to get to.
So please reconsider. Thank you for your time.
Thank you Evelyn. Before we move on to the next speaker,
noting non-member, other women go present for purpose
of quorum and now we go to Juan Castro.
Hi there. My name is Juan Castro.
I'm a business owner of Monterey Bakery on Brighton Park.
Just mainly trying to figure out
how we can work with you guys.
'cause everyone wants a way to figure out this solution.
We can continue talking about this all in all.
But a few days ago I went
to the alderman's place asking
for information, basic information.
What can I do for parking there? Can I get a permit?
Can I figure out something?
I want to work with you guys
because you guys already did this.
The solution of taking this out is not a way I don't view
realistic in the time span of a couple
of months, a couple of weeks.
No, it's gonna be probably even a year
before anything is done before that.
So I wanted to figure out how can I work with you guys?
How can I get parking in one on both sides?
Even for even just expanding in
the things that we can do now.
Um, business is not figuring
out, well, my bad, my business is basically being hurt
by this and I know other businesses are being hurt by this
and there's no incentive for us to wanna stay in this place.
Renewing leases in areas, renewing leases in property,
stay keeping property here.
Why? Why would I wanna keep my business here knowing
that I can go somewhere else and have a better access?
You're making people not want to live in Brighton Park.
Safety is important. Safety is really necessary.
But I feel like you guys basically figured out a way to say,
let's cut off our legs so my leg doesn't hurt.
My legs injured. Yeah, but figure out a way how to fix it.
Not cutting off the whole leg. So thank you for listening.
Thank you. Thank you. Next is Juan Munoz.
He, he is allowed to speak. Go ahead. Sorry. I'm
all right.
Next speakers, uh, three final speakers.
Eva Vos, Dennis White
and uh,
Santiago Hernandez.
Keep it down please.
I'm with him. Everybody should be listening to
what everyone says in here.
Regardless of the language that they speak.
Everyone has the right to understand
what we're all residents complaining and saying.
And my first question to Julia is, did you,
did you took the bus here or did you took the, the the bike.
You, you live half a block away from the office
and yet you still drive there.
The audacity of you to try to claim that you do this
through transparency.
When you have always put us to the back, you went ahead
and listened to a nonprofit.
You went ahead and listened to CDOT
and incompetent CDOT
that cannot even answer questions last month.
You have a responsibility to listen to your residents.
You're not here for your own personal accord. You are here.
We put you here. We please
Direct your comments.
And you need to realize that you are gonna be outta here.
Nobody wants you here.
This, there's been multiple issues that we've had with you,
not just with bike lanes.
We're not here against bike safety.
We want safety for our bikers,
for our pedestrians, for our drivers.
What change? Why don't you guys think about what change?
We have incompetent leadership.
We have a mayor who doesn't care about CPD,
who doesn't let them enforce the laws.
We have dumb people who are driving
and yet CPD is not able to enforce those laws.
Why aren't we not letting people do
and enforce laws that we already have in place?
We need to stop the mismanagement of funds.
We need to have fluid, true transparency of
how this money is being, uh, spent.
And we need to make sure that nonprofits
are being held accountable.
'cause at the moment, there's a whole bunch of us
archer guardians who are being threatened.
We have businesses who are being harassed
and yet who is advocating for them?
Not our alder woman. She's just there painted
to say yes to what the mayor wants.
And we're tired and done with it.
We will stop this and it starts with you.
Thank you. Next speaker. Dennis White.
Mr. Blakemore, please keep it down.
Okay, Mr. White, go ahead.
Okay, here's the lesson to learn. Stop voting them in.
If they ain't doing nothing for you, that's the problem.
They use promises with ignorance.
Think about it. It's not a Brighton Park problem.
It's a city problem.
So when you have the, the committee,
your alderman in each war, 50
or 51 wars, don't complain to them.
But if you do, get the whole community in their office,
stand in front of them, get the news media
to put to expose them.
But guess what? The media is going to protect them anyway.
That's how it works. Here's the game.
When they over, it's uh,
we already witnessed some bikers on these dirt bikes
and four wheel walk driving up
and down the street now obeying they laws our laws.
But then every quarter season you got the Department
of Finance and write, writing, parking tickets.
Then the speed cameras taking money out of our our pocket.
The city still broke, so they want to hit us with taxes.
So where's the revenue going to?
Is it going for infrastructure? No. Is it going for safety?
No. I ride CTA. What do I see?
Homeless people, drug user, teenagers
over here blasting music and what
and what they say, we look into it
or it's not our problem.
Those the two major thing of the, of the aldermans.
So if I, if they don't need, if they don't want
to hear our voices, they don't need our votes.
Think about it. It's not a Brighton Park problem. Yes.
C we cannot blame cb uh,
the Chicago police because guess what?
The cops take an order from the, uh, superintendent.
Superintendent.
Thank you Mr. White. Next speaker is Mr. Hernandez.
Uh, yes. Good afternoon. Uh,
Brighton
Barber Shop parking.
Thank you.
Thank you to all of our speakers.
This concludes the public comment period.
Our first order of business is the Rule 49 report from
February, which was sent out via email
and distributed to the committee members.
Can I have a motion to approve the February Rule 45 report?
Other women word. So moves all those in favor.
Passing the report. Say yay and I need you all. Same.
Participating here. All those opposed say nay.
And the opinions say a yays have it.
We will begin with the direct introduction ordinance on
page one.
Can I have a motion to recommend the approval
of all direct introductions?
Ordinances on page one by the same roll call vote
as we apply to determine quorum other person.
Martin sub moves here and no objection.
So order, let's turn to page two through 12
for the recommended portion of the agenda,
can I have a motion to recommend approval
for all recommended items on pages two through 12,
but the same roll call vote as was suli
to determine quorum other person, Quin.
So moves, hearing no objections.
So order, we will now turn to page 13 through 15
for the no recommendation portion of the agenda,
which are items they receive no recommendation
from city departments.
These ordinances were submitted as overrides
and are on the agenda at their request of the other person,
or do not require departmental approval
for items one and two.
On page 15, we receive substitute ordinances that makes,
makes the changes to the language proceed That
recommendation these substitutes were emailed
and distributed today cannot have a motion
to accept the substitute ordinances.
Other person Martin sub moves hearing no objection.
So order, can I have a motion to recommend approval of all
non no recommendation items on page pages 13 through 15,
including all previously accepted substitutes
by the same roll call vote as was applied
to determine quorum.
All the person Quin. So moves, hearing no objection.
So order, we will report these items out at the next
regularly scheduled city council meeting, which
with there be no further business
before the committee cannot have a motion to adjourn
all the person quinzel moves.
All those in favor say, aye. We adjourn.
Thank you all.