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CDOT Assistant Commissioner Dave Smith discussed Complete
Streets capital investments before the city council’s committee
on pedestrian and traffic safety on Monday.
“When we design our streets for those most in need, we make the
streets safer for everybody,” Smith said.
The assistant commissioner said the number of serious or
life-altering injuries also decreased.
Smith cited enhanced crosswalks, curb ramps and extensions,
bikeways, bus boarding islands and other measures.
Alderman Raymond Lopez told the CDOT officials that Complete
Streets has been a complete disaster for the Brighton Park
neighborhood.
“You’ve been acting in a very rogue and unaccountable way with
nearly $791 million planned in your budget from 2025 until
2029,” Lopez said.
Lopez said with $3.6 billion going to CDOT as a whole,
commissioners should focus on upgrading the lights so people
could walk “without getting shot, mugged or killed.”
Alderman Marty Quinn said his constituents are not interested in
bike lanes.
“I want to be abundantly clear today with the department, that
if that’s the path that you’re going to go down, the community
is going to be opposed and I’m going to be leading that effort,”
Quinn said.
Alderman Pat Dowell said she was concerned about CDOT’s approach
to Complete Streets projects.
“I don’t think you even contact OEMC or the fire department
about how those bike lanes and road diets are going to affect
the movement of ambulances, fire trucks, police cars,” Dowell
said.
Dowell said a bike lane project at 18th Street and Wabash Avenue
was done without any community engagement.
“Do not put another bike lane in the Third Ward until you have a
conversation with me and my constituents,” Dowell said.
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