Slowing down car traffic in Humboldt Park, Wepa!

Last night, 26th Ward Alderman Roberto Maldonado welcomed a group of concerned residents and advocates to the Humboldt Park Boat House to present ideas for making the park friendlier for bicyclists and pedestrians. The meeting was hosted by the alderman, the Humboldt Park Advisory Council and the Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities partnership, which includes Active Trans.

Ald. Maldonado brought along his 10 year old son and talked about his own family’s traffic safety concerns when they travel to and from the park. He stressed the importance of making the park safe and accessible for everyone—whether traveling by bike, on foot or by automobile.

After the alderman’s opening remarks, the crowd of more than 30 people heard some ideas about how to make the streets in and around the park—Kedzie, California, Division and North—safer for cyclists and pedestrians. They got to see renderings of proposed projects and explanations of how they would work. Participants expressed support for slowing cars down through and around the park; after the presentation, participants helped designate which intersections and projects were most important.

The engineering firm hired to do the plan will use the community’s input to finalize recommendations and present them to the alderman. In a show of his leadership with pedestrian and bicycle issues, Ald. Maldonado announced that he will convene a 26th Ward Transportation Committee to advise him on transportation and safety issues within his ward.