Contacts:
Eric Hudson, Cook County Office of the President, 312-603-4478, erhudson@cookcountygov.com
Margo O’Hara, Active Transportation Alliance, 312-427-3325 x 224, mobile 312-282-5088, margo@activetrans.org

Stroger Announces New Cook County Policy Initiatives to Improve Road Safety and Accessibility

Highway planning to incorporate ‘Complete Streets for Cook County’ program to make streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists, public transit users, and create task force to tackle transportation issues.

October 7, 2009: Cook County Board President Todd Stroger joined County officials and the Active Transportation Alliance on Wednesday, October 7 to announce a series of new transportation policy initiatives designed to improve access and safety for all road users. The announcement was made at Blue Island’s Paul Revere School on International Walk to School Day, an annual event that promotes and celebrates efforts to ensure that children get around in safe and active ways.

The new initiative has been dubbed Complete Streets for Cook County, and it is designed to consider the needs of all road users – bicyclists, children, seniors, bus riders and the disabled – to safely navigate throughout Cook County. Decisions in the planning, design and construction of Cook County infrastructure will now take into account the concerns of even the most vulnerable roadway users.

“I’m committed to encouraging County agencies to implement new ideas, develop new policies and provide the people of Cook County with forward-thinking solutions to make Cook County a more safe, fun and active place to live, work and visit,” said Cook County Board President Todd Stroger. “That includes incorporating policy like “Complete Streets for Cook County” in our work, as a way to foster safety, expand people’s transportation options and encourage wider – and more environmentally sustainable – options for transit.”

The initiative also includes the creation of a Bicycle and Pedestrian Task Force that will oversee the implementation and progress of safe biking and walking in Cook County.

Cook County has oversight for maintenance and repairs on roughly 1,500 lane miles of roads and bridges in Cook County. The Illinois Department of Transportation estimates that each year 150 pedestrians are killed and more than 1,000 are severely injured in Illinois, including over 300 cyclists and pedestrians severely injured on suburban Cook County roads alone. This initiative will help shape design work around all county roadways to make them safer for pedestrians, cyclists, public transit users and the driving public. Under the new initiative, adjustments to complete a street vary, and can include a bike lane, crosswalk, stop signs, signage, lower speed limits, accessible bus stops and sidewalks.

“We applaud Cook County and President Stroger for committing to the safety of everyone on the road,” said Jane Healy, Active Transportation Alliance board president. “A street is not complete until all road users – from seniors to children, from cyclists to pedestrians – can travel safely and easily.”

Cook County developed the policy in partnership with the Active Transportation Alliance. Similar policy has been adopted by other agencies, including DuPage County, Lake County, the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois. The Active Transportation Alliance, formerly known as the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, is a non-profit, member-based advocacy organization that works to promote bicycling, walking and public transit as a way to shift use from environmentally harmful, sedentary travel to clean, active travel. Cook County is the most populous county in the nation to adopt this policy approach to transportation issues.

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