Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety meeting, May 1, 2024
- When: Wed, May 1, 2024, 10:00 AM (Chicago time)
- Where: City Council Chamber, 2nd Floor, City Hall, 121 North LaSalle Street - Chicago, IL 60602
- Status: Scheduled & Published
- Committee: Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety
- Video: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/936829857
- Transcript: full text (17,769 words, official captions)
Meeting notes
AI-written from the transcript. Speakers are inferred from cues in the recording, so treat names as estimates and check the video at the linked time.
The Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety heard twelve public commenters, most of whom spoke in support of lowering Chicago's default speed limit to 25 miles per hour and called for street design changes alongside it, while others raised concerns about stop signs, bicycles on sidewalks and unrelated city issues. The committee approved its April Rule 45 report and recommended approval of the direct introduction, recommended and no-recommendation traffic ordinances on pages 2 through 9 of its agenda. It then held a subject matter hearing, with no vote, on an ordinance to lower the citywide default speed limit, hearing from the Chicago Department of Transportation, the Department of Public Health, the city comptroller, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, the Metropolitan Planning Council and the Active Transportation Alliance on crash data, vehicle size, equity and enforcement. Members asked about speeding ticket data, development of walkable communities, education and enforcement, and red light cameras on high-crash roads.
Topics: citywide speed limit reduction, traffic fatalities, street design, traffic enforcement equity, fines and fees, red light cameras, stop signs, pedestrian safety, traffic ordinances
Agenda items discussed
- 25:28 Public comment: discussed
- 1:01:50 April Rule 45 report: passed
- 1:02:16 Direct introduction traffic ordinances on agenda pages 2 and 3: passed
- 1:02:39 Recommended traffic ordinances on agenda pages 4 and 5: passed
- 1:02:59 Traffic ordinances without departmental recommendation on agenda pages 6 through 9: passed
- 1:03:42 Subject matter hearing on lowering the citywide default speed limit: discussed
Alderpersons who spoke
- Daniel La Spata (chair): Noted that public comment could not begin until people who signed up had cleared security and said the policy would be discussed. (25:07); Said the hearing was to begin a conversation on lowering speed limits, citing data from New York, Boston and Evanston showing reduced traffic fatalities. (1:04:11); Said he would not introduce or advance speed limit legislation unless it was coupled with equitable enforcement reform, and that the goal is not to take money from working Chicagoans. (1:06:47)
- David H. Moore (alderperson): Asked how many speeding tickets have been written in Chicago over the past five years and whether the number has gone up or down. (2:04:35); Asked whether public transportation use has been compared across the north, south and west sides. (2:05:26); Said walkable communities reduce driving risk and that spending should prioritize development in areas such as 69th Street before focusing on speed limit changes. (2:06:38)
- Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (alderperson): Said she learned about vehicle design and phone use as factors and, as a former physical therapist, noted the long-term costs of crash injuries. (2:09:35); Emphasized education for all street users including suburban visitors and rideshare drivers, viewed through an equity lens. (2:10:17); Asked for help holding a public meeting to explain bike network upgrades in her ward to residents. (2:11:42)
- Derrick G. Curtis (alderperson): Said he was once not a fan of red light cameras but now hopes an ordinance could allow them beyond schools and parks at high-crash locations. (2:13:39); Described Columbus Avenue in his ward as functioning like a highway, with at least 10 crashes and 4 fatalities in two years. (2:14:19); Said drivers no longer stop at stop signs, residents now request speed humps, and behavior will not change without enforcement that costs money. (2:15:51)
Exchanges between members
- 2:05:59 The chair told Alderperson David H. Moore that CTA ridership falls under another committee's jurisdiction but data could be requested.
- 2:09:14 The chair said he appreciated the framework Alderperson David H. Moore brought to the discussion.
- 2:13:09 The chair thanked Alderperson Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth for her remarks.
- 2:18:27 The chair responded to Alderperson Derrick G. Curtis by suggesting raised crosswalks as a solution like the one he described.