Resident experts

By Adolfo Hernandez

Street design is a complex discipline, loaded with technical terminology that may be tough for the average resident to navigate. “Minimum lane widths,” “turning radii,” and “modalities” are words that planners and engineers use to describe street design.

While the people who most often use a given street have a much different vocabulary, like “scary” and “dangerous.” They say, “I wish I could walk to the store” or “I don’t feel like it’s safe for my kids to walk to school.”

Whatever language we use, it’s important to understand that we all have expertise in traffic safety. We know the ingredients of a well-designed street because we use them all the time. It doesn’t take someone with a background in traffic safety or urban planning to know that an intersection is dangerous or that traffic is moving far too fast on a residential street.

In this issue of ModeShift, you will read about four communities that are changing the way their streets are used. In each case, neighbors catalyzed elected officials to take a close look at their roads. 

Active Trans recently hosted a workshop focusing on street design and why it matters to local communities. with The workshop was intended to tap into the expertise of local residents and build awareness of the Complete Streets concept—the need for new road projects to accommodate all road users. The workshop was attended by community organizers—particularly from underserved areas like Chicago’s South and West Sides—as well as the Chicago Department of Transportation, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, the Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children, and the Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities Project.

At the workshop, we rolled out large drawings of intersections and asked participants to design streets that accommodate all road users. They used street components such as car lanes, bike lanes, stop signs, and speed bumps, among others.

The result was amazing. The room filled with sounds of people negotiating the elements they would like to see for each street based on their own experience and expertise. Some considered the needs of children walking to school; others focused on the time needed for seniors to cross a street. Some people wanted bike lanes, and others wanted speed bumps and stop signs. One participant said, “I don’t know what signal timing means, but I know I need a little longer to cross the street!”

The results were clear: When it comes to creating good streets, each person is an expert. The main challenge is ensuring our community’s voices are heard.

Community residents best know the needs of their community. They know which intersections are impossible to cross. They know what a pain it is to wait for a bus without a sheltered stop. They know the fear they feel when cars speed on streets where their children play.

When residents have the opportunity to speak up for the community, great changes will take place.

“Those opportunities are all around us everyday,” said Deputy Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation Luann Hamilton. Attending public meetings in your municipality, said Hamilton, is one of the best ways to let your voice be heard.

If you want to take advantage of those opportunities, we are ready to help. Contact adolfo@activetrans.org or 312.427.3325 x 296 or visit www.activetrans.org.

Adolfo Hernandez is the Active Transportation Alliance’s director of advocacy.