Cook County has been kicking the 2025 portion of its Safety Action Plan into gear by collecting input from residents on streets that are dangerous for bicyclists and pedestrians.
The county Department of Transportation and Highways worked with the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning to collect data from residents via a “safety hotspots map” and a survey. Both were open through Feb. 28. The agencies also are hosting open houses and online gatherings.
“The Cook County Safety Action Plan aims to identify practical actions, innovative solutions and policy proposals to improve roadway safety for everyone, especially for pedestrians, bicyclists and people using mobility devices,” the county said in its latest announcement this year.
Statistics on traffic crashes were presented at a Feb. 13 online forum. Traffic fatalities have been on the rise since 2014, then spiked precipitously once the pandemic began. They’ve dropped a little since, but they still haven’t dropped back to 2014 or even pre-pandemic levels.
One notable pair of statistics is that from 2018 and 2022, crashes involving bikes and pedestrian made up only 2% of total crashes, but they were 23% of the total fatal and serious-injury crashes.
Other trends presented at the forum might come as obvious but show the danger. For example, there were more crashes in Chicago and busier suburbs like Oak Park. More crashes occurred everywhere during the late afternoons, when we presume more people were leaving work and school.
Similarly, bikes and pedestrians made up a smaller portion of the fatal and serious-injury crashes in the far Cook suburbs than they did in Chicago. Is that the ironic result of fewer bicycling and walking options in the far suburbs?
Streetsblog Chicago provides a more complete report of the statistics and history of the program. CMAP provides a full web page on the county’s Safety Action Plan and timeline; community engagement continues through the summer, and a county action plan is due by the end of the year.
The other counties have their own safety action plans. See “Advocates and Resources” in the sidebar to the right.
- At top, bicyclists on a bike trail come upon possibly dangerous intersections, too. This is the North Branch Trail at Glenview and Harms roads in Glenview.
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