CHICAGO CITY HALL (WBBM Newsradio) -- Chicago's fire commissioner says the women and men of her department have been forced to dodge new roadblocks as the city expands bike lanes and other safety-related street changes.
"Response times are going up," Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt told aldermen during City Council budget hearings Thursday, explaining that bump-outs, safety islands and bike lanes have restricted the width of a number of city streets, and that's making it harder for fire trucks and ambulances to get through traffic.
"You might have one lane ... or if we're trying to get to a hydrant, we can't get to a hydrant because it's restricted," said the commissioner. "When we add these things, it changes our tactics," she added, saying she and the department are in favor of expanding bike lanes and other safety features.
She called for the Chicago Department of Transportation to improve communication with CFD and the local alderman to make sure emergency response is part of the conversation when discussing what features to put in, citing one specific crosswalk near a fire station in Mount Greenwood on the city's South side: "They built a bump-out where our fire companies couldn't get in or out. They couldn't make the turns."
Commissioner Nance-Holt also confirmed that under Chicago Fire Department rules mandating retirement at age 63, she'll be leaving the department in May. Nance-Holt joined the fire department in 1990, and has served as its commissioner since 2021.
Department favors safety features, but calls for more communication
Department favors safety features, but calls for more communication
