Chicago Policy

Still, to prove him wrong, we need to get serious about tackling our present public safety, housing, transportation, and environmental challenges.

While the much-desired ability for bike riders to hold blockers accountable isn't a thing yet, it could be in the foreseeable future.

Now that Beale's ordinance has been defeated, there's more work to be done to make Chicago's speed camera program, and traffic safety strategies in general, more equitable and effective.

Here are John's prepared remarks for the public comment period of today's City Council meeting in advance of the vote on Ald. Anthony Beale's (9th) ordinance to raise the speed camera ticketing threshold.

"Speed cameras can and should play an important role in maintaining safe streets for all users, but this must be met with investments in redesigning our streets to prioritize safety," Better Streets said.

This is the second disturbing incident this month in Chicagoland involving teens of color, bicycles, and alleged police violence.

The proposed Connected Communities ordinance has been released. We looked at some of the changes the ordinance proposes.

While ProPublica recently wrote that "wider streets with more lanes that lend themselves to speeding... seem to contribute to the [racial/ethnic] disparities in ticketing," the data doesn't support that theory. 

Update 7/12/22, 11:00 AM: CDOT provided the following info to Streetsblog about what kind of bikes will be given away: "The bikes are the Fyxation Pixel in various sizes and colors, both the step-through and the standard model, the State Azure and the State Ellison, both in the single-speed version. The city has not committed to using the same model bikes each year. The brand and model of bikes procured will likely depend on vendor pricing and the quantities available." While Streetsblog can't vouch for the quality of these bikes, it's definitely a good thing that the bikes that were chosen have fenders, chainguards, and front and rear carrying racks, which will make them very practical for commuting.