This post includes reporting by a contributing writer.
Frustratingly, yesterday almost two-thirds of the Chicago City Council voted down an ordinance that would have allowed citizens to report evidence of commercial vehicles blocking bus lanes, bus stops, and bikeways. As evidenced by the tragic case of Lily Shambrook, 3, who was fatally struck due to a trucker illegally parking in a bike lane, such legislation could potentially save lives. Here's a look at what happened with the ordinance, and which politicians chose to prioritize convenience over safety.
Approval at last week's committee meeting
During the at-capacity Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety meeting on Monday, February 9, things looked promising for the ordinance. The proposed two-year pilot, sponsored by Committee Chair Ald. Daniel La Spata, would have eventually allowed residents to submit photographs and videos of commercial vehicle violations to the City's 311 system. Officials could then determine whether to mail tickets to the alleged parking scofflaws.
Downtown and Near North Side Ald. Brian Hopkins indicated he would support the bill, since bike lanes on Wells Street in his ward see lots of use by cyclists, but they often have to detour around parked and standing trucks. "We know the delivery companies most likely to be blocking a bike lane," he said. "This ordinance might start getting their attention. Maybe that’s what it’s going to take."
Lakeview's Ald. Bennett Lawson, similarly argued the law would help deter illegal parking by delivery drivers. "Right now we’re making it too easy to flaunt the rules," he argued. Moreover, he said, the ordinance would encourage more use of e-bikes and electric cargo cycles for deliveries.
The one opponent to La Spata's proposal during the committee meeting was the Southwest Side Ald. David Moore (17th), who said the bill should allow alders to opt out of their districts participating in the enforcement program. "I see this need a lot of the North Side wards," he said. "These are not issues I’m facing in my ward."
Ultimately, the ordinance passed out of committee, with only Moore voting against it.
Denial at Wednesday's City Council hearing
Disappointingly, the pilot got shot down yesterday in a landslide 31-to-16 decision. Most of the yes votes came from La Spata's progressive and/or walk/bike/transit-friendly allies. In the end, even Hopkins didn't vote for the legislation, possibly due to pushback from the many delivery-reliant businesses on Wells Street.
Northwest Side rep Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th) told Block Club Chicago he supports the Chicago's existing Smart Streets program, which enforces parking violations with cameras mounted on buses and City vehicles. But he added, "I’m not for deputizing citizens to carry out enforcement."
La Spata expressed exasperation over such attitudes, and cited Lily Shambrook's case as proof that this is a life-and-death issue. In June 2022, Lily was riding on the back of a bicycle pedaled by her mother. As they rode in a bike lane on Leland Avenue in Uptown, the bikeway was blocked by a ComEd truck illegally parked at Winthrop Avenue, and the mother had to detour around it. The driver of a Mondelez semi-truck approached the intersection, sandwiching the bike between the two vehicles, and Lily fell under the wheels.
"Everybody wants to show up at press conferences next to the parents of dead children," La Spata told Block Club. "Nobody wants to do things about it, so we'll do what we always do in this city. We’ll wait for some more people to die and maybe that will make a strong enough case to the administration."
Axios quoted La Spata as saying, "This [vote] says the current number of Chicagoans who die annually in traffic violence is acceptable."
Politicians who voted against the safety ordinance
Here's the full list of opposing aldermen:
Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd)
Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd)
Ald. Lamont Robinson (4th)
Ald. Desmon Yancy (5th)
Ald. William Hall (6th)
Ald. Greg Mitchell (7th)
Ald. Michelle Harris (8th)
Ald. Anthony Beale (9th)
Ald. Peter Chicago (10th)
Ald. Nicole Lee (11th)
Ald. Jeylú B. Gutiérrez (14th)
Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th)
Ald. Stephanie Coleman (16th)
Ald. David Moore (17th)
Derrick Curtis (18th)
Ald. Matt O'Shea (19th)
Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th)
Ald. Silvana Tabares (23th)
Ald. Jesse Fuentes (26th)
Ald. Jason Ervin (28th)
Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29th)
Ald. Felix Cardona (31st)
Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd)
Ald. Anthony Quezada (35th)
Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th)
Ald. Emma Mitts (37th)
Ald. Nicholas Sposato (38th)
Ald. Samantha Nugent (39th)
Ald. Anthony Naploitano (41st)
Ald. Jim Gardiner (45th)
Ald. Debra Silverstein (50th)
Note that, with some exceptions, it closely correlates with the 26 alders who voted a year ago against other potentially lifesaving legislation, La Spata's proposed ordinance to lower Chicago's default speed limit from 30 to 25 mph.
If you live in a ward represented by an alder who voted against one or both of La Spata's ordinances, consider reaching out to them. Let them know that, if they want your vote a year from now, they need to start supporting Safe Streets initiatives.
What Streetsblog readers had to say
Here are a few comments on Streetsblog Chicago's Facebook post about this subject this afternoon.
"The media coverage of this was terrible!!!" posted Julia Titolo Mohan. "I only saw one headline that clarified it was for commercial vehicles only. People literally thought citizens would be walking around with citations to hand out to their neighbors. Messaging matters."
"Of course O'Shea voted against it," said Beverly resident Anne Alt. "He rarely supports safety improvements."
"Lily is who I always think about when people here [on the Southwest Side] say they don’t want bike lanes like the North Side," wrote Archer Avenue traffic safety project supporter Yoco Galindo. "This isn’t a bike lane issue, it’s a vehicle issue, and vehicles remain the number one threat to safety on Chicago's streets."
Read the Block Club article here.
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