It's that time of year again. On Friday, the 47th Ward, the North Side district represented by Ald. Matt Martin, launched its annual participatory budgeting voting process. PB elections let residents help determine how to spend a ward's $1.5 million a year in discretionary "menu" money for infrastructure projects.
This year in Martin's ward, constituents get to vote on projects to fund with $200,000 in menu cash. All proposed initiatives on the ballot were chosen by the 47th Ward Youth Council with the goal of making walking in the area safer and more pleasant. Voting is taking place online through Tuesday, January 21, via this website that describes the proposals. All voters must live in the district and be at least 14 years old.
Check out a full list of previous 47th Ward PB projects here. These included bikeway improvements on Lincoln and Sunnyside avenues, and near Waters Elementary, 4540 N. Campbell Ave. Other past projects have included new trees, water fountains, murals, and pickleball courts.
"I believe we're the only ward that work's with its youth council to produce our PB ballot," said 47th Ward Chief of Staff Josh Mark told Streetsblog. "Like every year, we're excited to work with the council to put together a ballot that reflects the priorities of 47th Ward youth, in terms of traffic safety and beautification. We're excited for our broader community to tell us how they want their tax dollars to be spent."
Here's a quick rundown of what's on the 2025 47th Ward PB ballot.
Accessible Pedestrian Signals – Ashland and Winnemac avenues ($100K)
Not to be confused with the infuriating "beg buttons" that require pedestrians to request a walk signal in order to get one, Accessible Pedestrian Signals provide "auditory cues for crossing and pedestrian countdown signals where those don’t already exist." This makes it safer and easier with people with visual impairments to cross streets. Signals are proposed here to assist seniors from the nearby Thorek Retirement Community.
Accessible Pedestrian Signals – Damen and Lawrence avenues ($100K)
See above. This location is near the Levy Senior Center.
Speed Feedback Signals by Schools – Lane Tech, Lake View, Coonley and St Ben’s ($84K)
Self-explanatory. The ballot says, "Studies indicate that speed feedback signs are effective at slowing 80 percent of drivers." The specific locations are
- Addison between Western Avenue and Rockwell Street for Lane Tech High
- Ashland between Irving Park Road and Belle Plaine Avenue for Lake View High
- Irving Park between Leavitt Street and Oakley Avenue for Coonley Elementary and St. Ben’s School
Raised Crosswalk – Hoyne and Lawrence avenues for Vogle Park ($80K)
As Streetsblog readers know, well-designed raised crosswalks make it more convenient to cross the street, make pedestrians more visible to drivers, and act as speed bumps, forcing motorists to slow down. This one would cross Hoyne, just north of Lawrence. "This location was chosen due to the level of pedestrian traffic to Vogle Park and its proximity to busy Lawrence Avenue," the ballot states.
Raised Crosswalk – Irving Park Road and Campbell Avenue for Revere Park ($80K)
See above. This one would cross Campbell, a side street, just south of Irving Park, a busy five-lane highway. The location was chosen to slow down drivers turning onto Campbell near the Revere Park green space.
Tragically, in June 2022, a distracted driver fatally struck 47th Ward volunteer Peter Paquette half a mile east of here at Irving Park and Hoyne Avenue. Paquette was crossing the major road just after leaving an early voting rally that Ald. Martin also attended. Both men had attended a safe streets rally earlier that day in the ward.
Temporary Sculpture Installations – each 47th Ward neighborhood ($40K)
"This would be through a really cool program called the Chicago Sculpture Exhibit," Mark explained. The CSE is run by a nonprofit founded in 2001 by then-43rd Ward (Lincoln Park) alder Vi Daley "You can rent a sculpture from a professional artist to put on the public way," the 47th Ward chief of staff said.
The $40,000 would cover payments to the artists in exchange for a yearlong rental of their art, and would allow for two sculptures in each of the district's five neighborhoods. The ward would work with local chambers of commerce and community organizations to choose locations for the artworks. "Obviously, this ballot item is not about improving safety, but beautification," Mark said.
Learn more about the 47th Ward's Participatory Budgeting election here.
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