How Chicago plans to fix deadly streets for bikes and scooters

So, last week, unfortunately, it was a deadly week on the roads for commuters on two wheels. We're talking about a collision with a Chicago police cruiser. There was another crash with an SUV on the northwest side. And as more and more people get around the city on e-bikes and scooters, we want to talk about how we keep people safe. So, joining us to talk about this, plus some other recent transportation developments, is Alderman Daniel Wospada joining us. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you for having me. So, I'm really glad that you're here because, I mean, we had these two... fatal accidents last week on the roads. I actually just got a message on my phone that a man was struck riding a scooter moments ago at Randolph and Garland. What do we do? I mean, this feels very disheartening for people on two wheels. It has been disheartening. Like as a frequent cyclist myself, as somebody who biked here, I think about this older man. I think about kids in my neighborhood, a young teenager named Alex Blasio who was killed Two miles from my house on the north side earlier this year. Yes, yeah. So it's... It's heartbreaking, particularly because we know the menu of solutions. We just don't utilize them consistently. So what is that menu of solutions? Driving slower on streets that are designed for safety. When we encourage people, as a lot of others are, to go from 30 miles per hour to 25, 20, when we design narrower lanes, is that frustrating for some drivers? Yes. Do those slower speeds keep everyone safer, including those drivers? Also, yes. Yeah, I mean, because I always think about, you know, we talk about narrowing lanes and we talk and everyone hates traffic in Chicago. But I feel like in order to get traffic to be more manageable, you've got to get people confident enough to get on a bike or want to get on, let's say, even the CTA. We just did a story with the CTA where people are worried about the safety on the buses and the trains. Thank you very much. Thank you. How do we create safe and reliable alternative transportation options to get all of these cars off the roads? Yeah, I think it's making that safe and comfortable. A lot of my colleagues, myself included, knocking on a lot of doors these days. People tell us they feel safest in protected bike lanes, either raised to sidewalk level or with concrete protection. We have better design than ever. We have more funding for that work than ever. We also do traffic design by automatic prerogative. So your alderman determines what the streets in your community look like. That's why reports like this traffic fatality report that we're sharing in committee this week are so important. So you know. Whether you live on one of these high injury network streets. Actually, I wanted to ask you about that because I was, I was, I was peeping a look at the agenda for the pedestrian and traffic safety committee meeting coming up this week. And there is this mention of this, this fatality report from 2025. What are you hoping to learn there? And I mean, do we know anything already? Yeah, all the report is live online. So anybody can take a look at it. I find it so. Helpful. Number one, to know the good news is traffic fatalities declined for a fourth straight year. Really? In 2025. Okay. Our streets are actually getting safer than they've been in a decade. Okay. The problem is we are plateauing and as cars get heavier, as truck hood heights get higher, we are creating new... Unsafe conditions that just didn't exist before, and we need our streets to meet that new reality. Yeah. I do want to ask you also about the Transportation Committee meeting. I was watching the last one, and this is particularly about the Lyft. Divi, a deal, I was actually surprised to see all the people that came out for Lyft, for Divi. This was a huge back and forth, and the whole thing ended up getting postponed. Yes. So what's the latest on that? Like, what happens next? The latest is we've had a lot of conversations with my colleagues. I know that there's new language around rider safety, user safety, written into the contract, which I think is really important. For users of micro mobility, i.e. scooters and bikes in this city, this contract is a real win for them. It's more devices, it's upgraded stations, it's greater affordability across the city. I think there's a lot of wins in here for Chicago. Okay. I also want to ask you about The safe, the smart streets, the smart streets, it got approved by the council to expand this citywide. What happens next with smart streets? So there's funding for the expansion of the program in this year's budget, because it's not only what you do by law, but it's also the cameras, the vehicles, the administrative hearing judges for these citations, but we're going to be expanding this program across It's 2027. Revenue, fine, but set the revenue aside. What matters is infrastructure that's used appropriately that keeps all of our riders safer. Okay, and when we talk about safer riding, let's talk about how... How do we make sure that everyone's riding safely, even the people on the e-bikes as well? Yes, it's so important. And that's why, like, I want to give a shout out to CDOT's Chicago Department of Transportation's safe ambassadors who are out there standing at the curb at the intersection with cyclists informing them, hey, like, come January 1st, for example, that e-moto is not legal on this bike. Oh, they have been doing that? Yes, yes, yes. Okay. It's really unsung work. Glad to give them a shout out. Yeah, because I actually wasn't sure. And some of those e-bikes, they do go really fast, like faster than I think that you know some of the Divvy bikes, for example. Outlawed as of January 1st. Okay. Riders take notice. All right, and so they'll be on top of that, maybe ticketing people or worse. It is just a citation, yes. Okay, that's good to know. Yeah, I shouldn't be so dramatic, I was just curious about that. Yeah, but this is all really good information. We'll be watching that committee meeting on Friday. This is great. Thank you for being with us. Thank you for making the time. Thank you very much. Yeah, absolutely.