(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- NASCAR is gassing up for its ever street race in downtown Chicago the first weekend of July, but some say the race is driving the city in the wrong direction.
Kyle Lucas with the Safe Streets for All Coalition says closing off Chicago streets for a NASCAR race sends the wrong message. The organization, among other things, advocates for the improvement of public transit.
“We're at a moment when we're seeing traffic violence on the rise in alarming rates," Lucas tells WBBM Newsradio.
Lucas said if Chicago can radically and quickly reimagine Chicago streets for NASCAR, it can do the same thing for everyone else.
"If you can put out a concrete barrier for a NASCAR race you can put down on a concrete barrier to protect cyclists and then people are going to feel more comfortable doing that,” Lucas said. “Make [Chicagoans] feel safe and comfortable taking those alternatives that we know are ultimately better for our city and our planet."
It's also sad, Lucas says, that Chicago's streets are so easily adaptable to high-speed races.
Lucas said he doubts claims the race will be an economic boon, given the restrictions the event will impose.
The NASCAR Chicago Street Race is set for July 1 and 2 in Grant Park.
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