(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Next year’s Chicago city budget is counting on more money from fines and fees -- a move biking and public transit advocates want to steer away from.
The Johnson administration is turning to tickets for parking and moving violations to generate $348 million. But Olatunji Oboi Reed, CEO of the non-profit Equiticity, says such fines are regressive.
“Those who are most impacted are Black and Brown and low- to moderate-income in our city,” he said.
Jim Merrell of the Active Transportation Alliance says they don’t look at the Smart Streets program that will automatically fine cars in the bus or bike lanes as a money maker. Rather, his group sees the strategies as safety-driven.
Both organizations want to see the city use other means to generate revenue -- and other ways to protect cyclists.
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