CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The head of the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) said the city is progressing toward making the city a safer place to drive, bike and walk — after a year in which 174 people were killed in traffic crashes.
CDOT Commissioner Gia Biagi spoke to Chicago City Council members during a budget hearing Monday.
She said the smart lighting modernization program not only improves nighttime visibility, but also puts the city on pace to save $100 million over 10 years on its electric bill.
The commissioner said the city is installing more than 400 curb extensions, pedestrian refuge islands and high-visibility crosswalks this year.
“We’ve also continued to rapidly expand Chicago’s bikeway network, adding more than 100 miles since Mayor Lightfoot took office and, thanks to the Chicago Works program, we’ve averaged 40 miles of new bikeway investments per year compared to around 20 a year prior to 2020,” Biagi said.
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The CDOT chief said speed was a major factor in 2021's fatal crashes, and added that the city has to find ways to get motorists to slow down.
Ald. Michael Rodriguez (22nd) praised the work of CDOT but added, “I do get a sense, from [particularly] the biking community, that we’re just not doing this fast enough that, you know, people are still dying.”
Biagi said the city continues to work to make streets safer for cyclists.
“These historic improvements include expanding Chicago’s protected bike lane network to provide increased safety for all road users,” she said. “And, this year, we began a new program to upgrade all existing plastic protected lanes to concrete, concrete curbs, a program we’ll complete by next year.”
She said the city is not only working to improve major commuter biking routes with its Community Cycling Strategy. The commissioner added that Chicago is also “asking, in communities, where are you trying to get to? How do we build a community bike network and emphasize what we call low-stress routes?”
Biagi said other neighborhood service projects being completed this year include:
-Paving more than 90 miles of residential streets
-Paving 50 miles of arterial streets
-Installing 9,088 accessibility ramps
-Replacing 2,000 poles
-Planting 5,000 trees
-Filling 474,000 potholes
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