• “City To Pay $3.5 Million To Family Of Little Village Street Vendor Killed In Police Chase” (Block Club)

• Driver, 76, struck and critically injured woman, 18, on bicycle exiting Tinley Creek Trail 5/15 around 6:30 PM on 159th Street near Ridgeland Avenue in Oak Forest (Southtown)

• Legislative victory: “A bill that passed the Illinois House and Senate lays the groundwork… to prevent the most dangerous drivers from exceeding posted speed limits.” (Active Trans)

• William Cheaks Jr. confirmed yesterday by City Council as CDOT’s new commissioner

• CPD releases images of 7 suspects in armed robbery 5/1 around 12:49 PM at Thorndale Station in Edgewater (CBS)

• Metra: “New Rock Island Line schedule takes effect June 1”

• RTA: “How to ride CTA, Metra, and Pace with bikes”

• “Over 300 Apartments Approved For Booming West Loop After City Council Vote” (Block Club)

• “Our most ambitious video yet is now live! We talked to Mandalyn, owner of Chicago’s Offbeat bikes, about all the details of getting started with an e-bike” (Chicagoans Who Bike)

• Lots of interesting discussion going on at our FB post about what the CTA should do with the unused ‘L’ structure next to the Brown Line tracks between Armitage and Chicago Ave.

• Bike Grid Now! shares its “vision for a connected grid of walkable, bikeable, rollable streets” 5/23 at the weekly Bike Archer ride, 9:30/10 AM at McKinley Park, Archer/Western

On November 12, SBC launched our 2026 fund drive to raise $50K through ad sales and donations. That will complete this year’s budget, at a time when it’s tough to find grant money. Big thanks to all the readers who have chipped in so far to help keep this site rolling to the end of 2026! Currently, we’re at $33,231 with $16,769 to go, ideally by the end of May.

If you value our livable streets reporting and advocacy, please consider making a tax-deductible gift here. If you can afford a contribution of $100 or more, think of that as a subscription. That will help keep the site paywall-free for people on tighter budgets, as well as decision-makers. Thanks for your support!

– John Greenfield, editor

Progressive Ald. Julia Ramirez has endorsed of the initiative to make waking, biking, scooting, riding transit, and driving safer and more efficient on the Southwest Side diagonal street. Her opponent Claudia Zuno has attended the protests since they launched on December 8, two months before she announced her candidacy.

Last Monday, as usual in recent months, there were far more supporters that opponents at the dueling rallies, according to Alfredo Valladares Jr., who co-organizers the happenings in support of the Archer project. “Only Eva and Maria were at Archer and Kedzie [Avenue],” he reported. That’s more than a half a mile southwest of the NIMBYs’ usual spot near the incumbent alder’s office.

Zuno, on the right side of this image, and Eva Villlobos, in the red jacket, in front of the 12th Ward office with an anti-Ramirez sign at the first anti-Archer project demonstration on December 8. Photo: John Greenfield

Valladares was referring to Eva Villalobos, who received $25K+ from Urban Center for her 2024 pro-charter school campaign for CPS board and co-organizes the protests, and Maria “The Megaphone Lady” Martinez, who has attended almost all of the rallies. Martinez has served as a sidekick and hype person for Zuno, sort of the Flavor Flav to the candidate’s Chuck D.

Martinez at the December 22 demonstration, with a Grinch named Zack holding a sign that reads “The Grinch (Julia Ramirez) Stole Our Lanes.” Photo: John Greenfield

It’s common for Guardians like Villalobos and Martinez to literally call the police on project supporters and/or proactively allege “harassment,” when the accused person is actually being reasonably polite. You can see that in the video below that I filmed at the April 20 event – view it with the sound on to get a better sense of what went down. It’s puzzling why Martinez is so quick to assert that someone else is inciting a physical altercation…

There’s one new I have thing I have learned about Martinez. Judging from these new business cards someone shared with me recently, Martinez is officially on the payroll of Zuno’s campaign organization. That entity is presumably getting money from the Urban Center, since CEO Juan Rangel promised full support.

Oh well, after all the hours Martinez spent this winter (usually) standing out in the cold at protests, I suppose she deserves some cash payments from the anti-Ramirez crowd. That is, if The Megaphone Lady wasn’t already being compensated for her weekly, noisy demonstrating.

Read CDOT’s FAQ about the Archer / Kedzie traffic safety projects here.

Materials about Archer Avenue can be found here.

Materials about Kedzie Avenue can be found here.

Read Streetsblog Chicago’s writeup of Round 1 of the dueling Archer rallies, 12/8/25, here.

Check out our article about Round 2, 12/15/25, here.

Read SBC’s coverage of Round 3, 12/22/25, here.

Read our article about Round 4, 12/29/25 here.

Check our post about Round 5, 1/5/26 here.

Take a look at our assessment of Round 6, 1/12/26, here.

Read SBC’s post about Round 7, 1/19/26, here.

Take a gander at our article about Round 8, 1/26/26, here.

Check out our article that mentions Round 10, 2/9/26, here.

Peruse out writeup of Round 11, 2/16/26, here.

Read our article about Round 12, 2/23/26, here.

Take a look at our post about Round 13, 3/2/26, here.

Check out our article that discusses Round 14, 3/9/26, plus public comments about Archer at City Hall the next day.

Read our discussion of the myth that “[outsiders]… import support” for the project, with photos of local supporters at Round 15, 3/16/26 (no opponents showed up that day) here.

View a couple of images from Round 16, 3/23/26 on Bluesky and Twitter.

Take a look at our post about Round 17, 3/30/26, here.

Round 18, 4/6/26, is briefly mentioned in our article about the hit-and-run killing of delivery cyclist Damian Gomez, and a bike ride to honor him.

Check out a quick report on Round 19, 4/13/26, from the Archer project advocates here.

Read our report on Round 20, 4/20/26, here.

Read about Ald. Ramirez’s announcement of design changes on 4/24/26 here.

Read about the opponent’s morning press conference on 4/27/26 here. (The supporters didn’t hold a rally that day due to the possibility of severe storms.)

Read my exchange with the Tribune after I asked for a retraction of their May 5/1/26 statement about Streetsblog’s coverage of this issue.

On November 12, SBC launched our 2026 fund drive to raise $50K through ad sales and donations. That will complete this year’s budget, at a time when it’s tough to find grant money. Big thanks to all the readers who have chipped in so far to help keep this site rolling to the end of 2026! Currently, we’re at $32,806 with $17,194 to go, ideally by the end of May.

If you value our livable streets reporting and advocacy, please consider making a tax-deductible gift here. If you can afford a contribution of $100 or more, think of that as a subscription. That will help keep the site paywall-free for people on tighter budgets, as well as decision-makers. Thanks for your support!

– John Greenfield, editor

• “Many Metra riders with disabilities have been forced to reroute trips due to Monday’s closure of only elevator providing access to the MED at Millennium Station” (CBS)

• Man, 48, repeat felony offender charged after sheriff’s deputies saw him smoking blunt on 79th Station platform, searched him, and found loaded gun in his waistband (Fox)

• Former SBC co-editor, Better Streets co-founder Courtney Cobbs: “It took my bus an hour to go from Irving Park Road and Cicero Avenue to the Sheridan Red Line stop” (Tribune)

• …Another letter on traffic snarls caused by bridge closures, and Metra board member responds to editorial sympathizing with suffering Naperville car commuters (Tribune)

• “Editorial: Chicago, meet Stonepeak Partners. Stonepeak Partners meet a Chicago that’s ticked off about your big parking meter deal.” (Tribune)

• Ald. Scott Waguespack (32), a voice of reason at City Council during ex-Daley’s disastrous push to sell meters before leving office, weighs in on contract sale (NBC)

• “Mayoral tiebreaker propels Mount Prospect pedestrian bridge forward” (Herald)

• Another “Bizarro World” AI-generated transportation news “article” and “illustration” from Moovit (Bluesky, Twitter)

• Annual Ride of Silence tonight, meeting 5:30 at Queen’s Landing, on LFT across from Buckingham Fountain, departing at 6, ending at Monochrome Brewing in Pilsen

On November 12, SBC launched our 2026 fund drive to raise $50K through ad sales and donations. That will complete this year’s budget, at a time when it’s tough to find grant money. Big thanks to all the readers who have chipped in so far to help keep this site rolling to the end of 2026! Currently, we’re at $32,806 with $17,194 to go, ideally by the end of May.

If you value our livable streets reporting and advocacy, please consider making a tax-deductible gift here. If you can afford a contribution of $100 or more, think of that as a subscription. That will help keep the site paywall-free for people on tighter budgets, as well as decision-makers. Thanks for your support!

– John Greenfield, editor

By Ellen Steinke

For years, one of the most common arguments against bikeways in Chicago has been that they will devastate local businesses. At nearly every public meeting about protected bike lanes, opponents warn that parking conversions to make room for the new facilities, and/or improve sight lines at corners, will scare away customers, hamper sales, and leave commercial corridors struggling to survive. 

But a new report from the Chicago Department of Transportation paints a far more complicated — and far less catastrophic — picture.

The new “CDOT Economic Impacts of Bike Lanes Study” examined six Chicago corridors where bike lanes were installed and compared them to nearby “control” corridors without bike lanes. While the report stops short of claiming bike lanes directly caused economic growth, it repeatedly found that bike lane corridors performed similarly to — or in several cases better than — their comparison corridors on measures like employment, commercial vacancy, sales tax revenue recovery, and property values.

In other words, despite years of warnings, the study found little evidence that bike lanes harmed business districts. That does not mean the study is perfect. The report itself repeatedly acknowledges that “it is difficult to distinguish causation and correlation between bike lanes and economic activity.”

And frankly, there is room for criticism. Each study corridor was compared to only one nearby control corridor, and some of those comparisons were imperfect. Milwaukee Avenue, for example, was compared to Armitage Avenue — two nearby  streets with relatively different traffic environments, business mixes, and urban forms. Streets that appear geographically similar can function very differently economically.

The study also spans the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery period, which heavily disrupted commercial activity citywide. Construction, changing shopping habits, remote work, and broader economic conditions all likely played major roles in the trends CDOT observed.

Still, even with those limitations, the report undermines one of the strongest political claims regularly used against bike infrastructure, that bike lanes inevitably destroy commercial corridors. Instead, the report found that corridors that received bikeways generally remained economically stable; continued attracting businesses and customers; and in many cases improved on several economic indicators.

On Milwaukee Avenue between Western and California avenues in Logan Square, where protected bike lanes were installed in 2020, the corridor saw: 

• Private-sector employment increased 37 percent after installation 
• Commercial property values increased 49 percent
• Sales tax revenue steadily recovered, increasing by 66 percent following the pandemic

On North Avenue between Central Park and California avenues, commercial vacancy rates decreased 20 percent while the control corridor saw vacancies increase 12 percent.

On Clark Street in the Andersonville district of Edgewater and Uptown, commercial vacancies decreased 18 percent while sales tax revenue recovered to pre-pandemic levels.

Even on corridors where sales tax revenue or employment declined, the declines often mirrored or outperformed the control corridors. The report also found that bike lanes increasingly function as an amenity, not just for cyclists, but also for residents, employees, and developers.

Several developers interviewed by CDOT described bikeways as indicators of connectivity and livability that help modern neighborhoods remain competitive. One South Shore developer offered perhaps the report’s most striking quote, warning that communities without bike lanes risk becoming “functionally obsolete.”

Importantly, the study suggests bike lanes may help businesses in ways that go beyond attracting cyclists customers specifically. Bikeways provide another way for employees and customers to access corridors without relying entirely on cars. They can make streets feel calmer, safer, and easier to navigate. They also contribute to broader “people-oriented” street environments that encourage walking, lingering, shopping, and outdoor activity. That may help explain why residents and visitors consistently ranked sidewalks, bike lanes, bus access, and bike racks as more important than parking in many survey responses.

Ironically, some of the strongest findings in the report were not economic at all, but instead were about safety. Several corridors experienced substantial reductions in crash costs after bike lane installation. On Clybourn Avenue, crash costs dropped 56 percent while the control corridor saw crash costs increase 98 percent. On Milwaukee Avenue, crash costs fell 44 percent. That matters economically too. 

Crash costs include emergency response, medical care, insurance claims, property damage, lost productivity, disability, and death. Safer streets reduce both human suffering and economic losses. In that sense, the report suggests bike lanes may not simply make corridors more “bikeable.” Instead, they may also help make them safer, calmer, and more attractive places to spend time — all of which matter for commercial success.

The study revealed another important nuance often lost in public debates: Many business concerns centered less on bike lanes themselves and more on curb management. Merfchants repeatedly raised concerns about loading zones, delivery access, ride-hail pickups, double parking, and inconsistent parking configurations. On Milwaukee Avenue, businesses complained that alternating parking arrangements created confusion for drivers and bike riders alike.

That distinction matters because it suggests the real challenge may not be “bike lanes versus business,” but how Chicago manages increasingly contested curb space on dense commercial corridors trying to accommodate deliveries, buses, ride-hail drivers, private car drivers, people on bikes, and pedestrians simultaneously.

Ultimately, CDOT’s report does not definitively prove that bike lanes create economic growth. The methodology has limitations, and the City itself appropriately avoids making sweeping causal claims. But neither does the study back up assumptions that bike lanes harm businesses, the result of business owners overestimating the percentage of their customers who get to their establishments by car.

If anything, the report suggests the opposite: bike lane corridors generally remained economically healthy, often improved on key indicators, and in many cases became safer at the same time. For a debate that has long been dominated by worst-case scenarios, that may be one of the most important findings of all.

Check out the new “CDOT Economic Impacts of Bike Lanes Study” here.

On November 12, SBC launched our 2026 fund drive to raise $50K through ad sales and donations. That will complete this year’s budget, at a time when it’s tough to find grant money. Big thanks to all the readers who have chipped in so far to help keep this site rolling to the end of 2026! Currently, we’re at $32,796 with $17,204 to go, ideally by the end of May.

If you value our livable streets reporting and advocacy, please consider making a tax-deductible gift here. If you can afford a contribution of $100 or more, think of that as a subscription. That will help keep the site paywall-free for people on tighter budgets, as well as decision-makers. Thanks for your support!

– John Greenfield, editor

• Tribune: “Johnson asked CTA board to select a permanent prez weeks before NITA limits his control over appointments.”

• … Let’s hope he can think of someone who has experience upgrading a transit agency!

• “State’s Attorney Vows To Target ‘Serious Crimes’ On CTA With New Transit Task Force” (Block Club)

• Better Streets: “Committee on Finance unanimously approved an amendment to the Canal/Congress TIF to include the current Greyhound Terminal in the district.”

• “Lincoln Square’s New Public Plaza [and bus lane and raised bike lane] Is Open Just In Time For Maifest” (Block Club)

• “Take Metra to the Obama Presidential Center”

• A Four Star Podcast talks with Alicia Pederson, aka Courtyard Urbanist, about “how to build a denser, greener, more family-friendly city.” Watch John’s episode on transpo here.

• Verified GoFundMe for Horacio Arroyo, 22, struck on his bike by a speeding SUV driver on 4/17 at 58th/Western in Gage Park

• Annual Ride of Silence this Wed. 5/20, meeting 5:30 at Queen’s Landing, on LFT across from Buckingham Fountain, departing at 6, ending at Monochrome Brewing in Pilsen

On November 12, SBC launched our 2026 fund drive to raise $50K through ad sales and donations. That will complete this year’s budget, at a time when it’s tough to find grant money. Big thanks to all the readers who have chipped in so far to help keep this site rolling to the end of 2026! Currently, we’re at $32,796 with $17,204 to go, ideally by the end of May.

If you value our livable streets reporting and advocacy, please consider making a tax-deductible gift here. If you can afford a contribution of $100 or more, think of that as a subscription. That will help keep the site paywall-free for people on tighter budgets, as well as decision-makers. Thanks for your support!

– John Greenfield, editor

Five years ago, the City of Chicago adopted its first policy plan dedicated to Equitable Transit Oriented Development, a strategy for increasing affordable housing density near transit hubs. A coalition of city planners and advocates recently released a report on the City’s progress on this plan so far and a set of recommendations to continue making transit-served areas of the city more walkable, vibrant and affordable to live in.

The plan was created in response to Chicago TOD projects from 2013 to 2015, which poured disproportionate resources into North Side neighborhoods and accelerated displacement of longtime residents. Elevated Chicago – an organization committed to advancing ETOD – and the Transportation Equity Network – a coalition of advocates and organizations dedicated to mobility justice, were formed. Elevated Chicago and the Mayor’s Office developed the Equitable Transit Oriented Development Policy Plan. Adopted by the City Council in 2021, the document prioritized underserved communities for investment and laid out 42 policy recommendations for a more livable, equitable city. 

The report states that positive steps have been made on all counts. The authors – from Elevated Chicago, Center for Neighborhood Technology, IFF, Rudd Resources and the DePaul Institute of Housing Studies – state the City has made “significant progress” on 22 of the recommendations in the plan and “progress” on the remaining twenty. Changes at the City government and policy levels to support and make ETOD projects attractive make up the bulk of the report. This included the creation of the ETOD working group co-chaired by Elevated Chicago and the Mayor’s Office. It also included the passing of the 2022 Connected Communities Ordinance – zoning reform that speeds up affordable housing approvals and reduces minimum parking requirements near transit. Another major win was the historic passage of the Northern Illinois Transit Authority Act last year. 

The Connected Communities Ordinance built on the ETOD Policy Plan by expanding the TOD zone to a half mile radius of CTA and Metra stations. It also extended TOD incentives to include corridors with frequent bus service, eliminating one-size-fits-all parking mandates for high-density housing developments near transit, and capping on-site parking in new residential developments. It also prevented deconversions of two and three flats near transit into single family homes in communities facing displacement.

The NITA Act fully funds regional transit and replaces the Regional Transportation Authority with the more streamlined and empowered Northern Illinois Transit Authority. Included in that legislation is the ability for transit agencies to partner with developers to build on land they own. This has the multi-pronged benefit of transit agencies spurring community development, increasing housing density near transit stops and stations, and generating revenue.

Other steps in creating an ETOD-friendly Chicago cited in the report include direct city support of ETOD projects through grants and technical assistance. Since adopting the Policy Plan, Elevated Chicago and the City have awarded grants and provided technical guidance to 29 ETOD projects. According to the report, 24 of these have acquired their sites, seven have broken ground and seven have been completed. 

Arts and culture projects that add to the vibrancy and walkability of transit hubs were also noted. In 2025, a new Culture Near Transit Program – sponsored by Elevated Chicago and the MacArthur Foundation – provided eight grants totaling $340,000 for art installations and place keeping activities near transit stations. Three more transit culture projects in 2026 – awarded to Mandala South Asian Performing Arts, Endeleo Institute, and the McKinley Park Development Council – were recently announced.

ETOD community engagement and outreach efforts have included walking tours for elected officials and policymakers, outreach to alderpersons, engagement in schools and universities, and educational materials like posters and a series of short videos explaining what ETOD is and the benefits of right-sizing parking.

The ETOD Policy Plan included recommendations for data collection and research, and progress was made on these fronts as well. The Center for Neighborhood Technology and Metropolitan Planning Council created the ETOD Social Impact Calculator, which helps developers measure the value of transit-oriented development. Likewise, the Metropolitan Planning Council released a scorecard for community organizations to evaluate proposals from developers through the lens of ETOD. The DePaul Institute of Housing Studies, along with institutional and community partners, conducted a study of vacant lots near transit and their impact on quality of life in the South and West sides.

The report provides maps of ETOD projects and other projects that benefitted from the Connected Communities Ordinance. These project stretch to the north, west and south reaches of the city, and appear more evenly distributed citywide.  

The report concludes with recommendations for the next five years of ETOD policy and action in Chicago and beyond. Strengthening policies to prevent displacement, preserve affordable housing stock while building more multiunit housing near transit, increasing accessibility and walkability, and investing in cultural activities and community investment near transit top the list. The authors encourage the city to continue collaborating with advocates and private partners as administrations change, continuity vital for long term equitable development projects to come to completion. They also note that equity should be a guiding principle in bus service and infrastructure improvements the city committed to last year and recommend ETOD strategies be pursued near transit hubs outside city limits.

The report comes on the eve of Chicagoland’s transition to NITA and concludes with an appeal for the new authority to prioritize equitable TOD. The authors recommend that NITA adopt the strategies listed. This includes hiring dedicated ETOD staff, partnering across public and private sectors, immediately investing in ETOD projects, and supporting community developers with technical assistance. 

Over the last half decade Chicago has, according to the report, laid the foundation for a more connected, vibrant, affordable and equitable city.  

Check out “The State of Chicago ETOD” report on the Elevated Chicago website.

On November 12, SBC launched our 2026 fund drive to raise $50K through ad sales and donations. That will complete this year’s budget, at a time when it’s tough to find grant money. Big thanks to all the readers who have chipped in so far to help keep this site rolling to the end of 2026! Currently, we’re at $32,796 with $17,204 to go, ideally by the end of May.

If you value our livable streets reporting and advocacy, please consider making a tax-deductible gift here. If you can afford a contribution of $100 or more, think of that as a subscription. That will help keep the site paywall-free for people on tighter budgets, as well as decision-makers. Thanks for your support!

– John Greenfield, editor

Monday, May 11: Driver struck and critically injured woman, 45, in Humboldt Park

According to the initial Chicago Police Department report, at around 7:56 p.m., the woman was crossing north near Franklin Boulevard and Albany Avenue in Humboldt Park when the eastbound driver of a maroon vehicle struck her and fled in an unknown direction. The victim suffered head injuries and was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital in critical condition.

Local residents told ABC Chicago it’s common for motorists to speed and otherwise drive recklessly on Franlin. “[Drivers] don’t stop,” Angel Rodriguez said. “Pedestrians try to walk across the street, but there’s no help to help them across.”

Tuesday, May 12: Motorist fatally struck Enrique Nieto, 53, in West Lawn

The preliminary police statement said that around 11:12 p.m., Nieto was on the street near the sidewalk on the east side of the 6800 block of South Pulaski Road when the northbound driver of an orange Honda SUV hit him.

Pulaski has five lanes in this part of the city, which encourages speeding.

The victim was taken to Christ Hospital, where he was pronounced dead

Cesar Nieto, Enrique’s nephew, told ABC Chicago his uncle called to ask for assistance after he got a flat. Police security video shows that the two were replacing the tire when the SUV driver struck the older man and fled.

“I was next to him,” Cesar Nieto said to ABC. “So I jumped out the way because I was closest to the back bumper and he was by the tire crouched down.” He said the motorist dragged his uncle several feet. He stayed by his uncle until the ambulance showed up. “I was just trying to keep him breathing, talking to him,” he said.

According to ABC, Enrique Nieto lived in Gage Park, worked construction, and had four children. “So sad I was supposed to see you yesterday for a celebration, and sadly life took you before you could make it here to us,” posted one person on his obituary. 

This afternoon, a police spokesperson said there were no updates on the case.

Thursday, May 14: Driver struck and killed man, 36, in Auburn Gresham

According to the initial CPD statement, the victim was standing at 87th Street and Ashland Avenue around 11 p.m. when the eastbound driver of a beige sedan hit him. “The offending [motorist] then fled the scene eastbound on 87th Street,” the statement says. The pedestrian was taken to Christ Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

This intersection has five or more lanes in each direction, which may have contributed to the crash.

“They kept going, most of the side pieces panels were off on the car,” a witness told ABC Chicago

Carl Johnson told the station he saw the victim lying on the ground. “Everybody was surrounding him, and all I could say was, ‘Breathe, just breathe, stay with us.’ It was a lot going on,” he said.

Roughly a mile from the crash site, near 87th and Carpenter, police found a damaged beige sedan without license plates, and a large hole in the windshield, but ABC reported on Friday that CPD hadn’t determined for sure that it was the vehicle from the collision.

Today, a Police News Affairs spokesperson told Streetsblog that a 28-year-old man who lives two miles west of the crash site in suburban Evergreen Park was cited for failure to reduce speed to prevent a collision, and failure to yield to a pedestrian. Asked why the driver was not charged with a hit-and-run despite CPD’s previous statement that he “fled the scene,” the officer suggested contacting the Cook County state’s attorney’s office for more information.

Friday, May 15: Motorist struck and critically injured bike rider, 37, in Chicago Lawn

According to the initial police statement, around 6:50 a.m., a man, 37, riding a bicycle north in the 6400 block of South Kedzie Avenue, attempted to make a left turn and was struck by a southbound semi-truck driver, who did not stop to render aid.

The victim suffered a head injury and was taken to Christ hospital in critical condition, police said.

This evening, a CPS spokesperson said there are no updates on this case.

The latest bike crash is particularly disturbing, since it took place only a block south 63rd Street and Kedzie, where on April 5, around 1:20 a.m. a hit-and-run SUV driver fatally struck delivery cyclist Damian Gomez, 18.

Tonight, the Southwest Collective posted on Facebook, “It’s been a rough week, and a rough spring, when it comes to traffic safety on the Southwest Side.”

Fatality Tracker: 2026 Chicago pedestrian and bicyclist deaths on surface streets

Pedestrian: 11

Bicycle or e-scooter: 4

2026 Chicago pedestrian fatalities

• On Wednesday, January 7, around 8:44 a.m., a 42-year-old woman driving an SUV fatally struck a man, 64, crossing at 9498 S. Lafayette Ave. in Roseland.

• On Monday, February 16, around 4:12 p.m., a 37-year-old female truck driver struck and killed a woman, 63, in the 7200 block of West Bryn Mawr Avenue in Norwood Park.

• On Tuesday, March 3, around 6:15 PM, an SUV driver, 70, fatally struck a female pedestrian in the 4000 block of West Foster Avenue in the North Park neighborhood.

• On Wednesday, March 11, sometime before 10 p.m., a hit-and-run driver fatally struck a woman, 32, in the 2100 block of East 83rd Street in South Chicago.

• On Friday, March 13, at around 12:06 p.m., the left-turning driver of a large vehicle struck a pedestrian in a crosswalk at 3960 W. 26th St. in Little Village.

• On Sunday, April 12, around 9 p.m., a 17-year-old girl driving an SUV fatally struck a Fontella Wyatt, 43, crossing Ogden Avenue at Ashland Avenue on the Near West Side.

• On Sunday, April 19, at about 9:30 p.m., a hit-and-run pickup truck driver struck and killed Minerva Martinez, 65, in a crosswalk at Belmont and Central avenues in Belmont Cragin.

• On Monday, April 20, around 6 p.m., a semi-truck driver fatally struck Autumn Perez, 29, at 6341 S. Western Ave. in Chicago Lawn.

• On Saturday, May 2, around 2:40 a.m., after an argument, a driver fatally struck a man, 65, standing on the sidewalk on the 5000 block of S. Western Ave. in Gage Park, and then fled the scene.

• On Tuesday, May 12, Enrique Nieto was changing a flat car tire in the street on the 6800 block of South Pulaski Road when an SUV driver fatally struck him and fled the scene.

• On Thursday, May 14, a hit-and-run sedan driver fatally struck a man, 36, near 87th Street and Ashland Avenue in Auburn Gresham.

2026 Chicago bicycle and e-scooter fatalities

• On Thursday, January 24, around 8:20 p.m., the 33-year-old male driver of a Toyota fatally struck Roman Havelka, 63, on a bicycle in the 8600 block of West Irving Park Road.

• On Saturday, March 21,  around 8:30 p.m., a hit-and-run driver fatally struck Violet Harris, 15, on an e-scooter in the 2800 block of East 77th Street in South Shore.

• On Sunday, April 5, around 1:20 a.m., a speeding, hit-and-run SUV driver fatally struck Damian Gomez, 18, on a bicycle at 63rd Street and Kedzie Avenue in Chicago Lawn.

• On Friday, April 24, around 4:15 p.m., a Jeep driver struck and killed e-scooter rider Astrid Carrillo Noguera, 17, near 3340 S. King Dr. in the Douglas community.

If you value Streetsblog Chicago’s livable streets reporting and advocacy, please consider making a tax-deductible donation here to help us continue publishing through 2026. Thank you for your support.

• What do Chicagoans want to see here in 2050? Tribune letter writers, including SBC reader Andrew Mack, call for better walk/bike/transit.

• Sponsored by road-building lobby: “Investment in roads, bridges, parks, libraries and vital infrastructure is a proven way to create good jobs and promote economic growth” (Crain’s)

• Hit-and-run sedan driver fatally struck man, 36, Thursday around 11 PM near 87th/Ashland, intersection of two 5-lanes streets, in Auburn Gresham (ABC)

• “Cook County State’s Attorney’s office to discuss new crime-fighting team for public transit” (CBS)

• “A 51-year-old Chicago man has been charged with kidnapping in a CTA bus hijacking earlier this week, Chicago police said Friday.” (ABC)

• Video: “Chicago’s Blue Line suffers because of its modern design” (Daily Northwestern)

• “Breakthrough Urban Ministries Opens Transitional Housing Complex In Garfield Park” near Kedzie Green Line station (Block Club)

• Ald. Vasquez says 300-unit housing complex with 60 affordable units could be coming to Lawrence/Western, a block from Brown Line station (Block Club)

• Urbanize looks at transit-friendly synagogue redevelopment proposal for Emanuel Congregation, whom Inside Publications likened to “money changers in the temple”

• Letter: “Unionizing would give needed protections to rideshare drivers” (Sun-Times)

• On Sunday, hundreds of people showed up for the annual Tamales Ride in Pilsen and Little Village (Southwest Collective)

• A car-free trip between Milwaukee and Chicago with lots of good food (Journal Sentinel)

On November 12, SBC launched our 2026 fund drive to raise $50K through ad sales and donations. That will complete this year’s budget, at a time when it’s tough to find grant money. Big thanks to all the readers who have chipped in so far to help keep this site rolling to the end of 2026! Currently, we’re at $32,796 with $17,204 to go, ideally by the end of May.

If you value our livable streets reporting and advocacy, please consider making a tax-deductible gift here. If you can afford a contribution of $100 or more, think of that as a subscription. That will help keep the site paywall-free for people on tighter budgets, as well as decision-makers. Thanks for your support!

– John Greenfield, editor

• “3 Years In, Mayor Defends Bike Lanes And Talks CTA Safety — But Is Mum On Reelection” (Block Club)

• “Chicago police seek driver in West Side hit-and-run that seriously injured pedestrian” (Fox)

• Families for Safe Streets: “Last night, Illinois’ Stop Super Speeders legislation, HB 4948, passed the Senate Transportation Committee after previously passing the full IL House.”

• “Person shot, injured near Howard Station in Rogers Park, Chicago fire officials say” (ABC)

• Man, 47, is facing charges after sheriff’s police detained him for walking between railcars at 95th and he was found with a loaded stolen gun and an assortment of drugs (Fox)

• Crain’s: “Johnson pitches city takeover of stadium authority to keep Bears in Chicago”

• Op-ed against proposed synagogue redevelopment near Thorndale stop, published by self-proclaimed “King of NIMBYland” Ron Roenigk’s Inside Publications (Twitter, Bluesky)

Streetsblog Chicago will not publish a full article today, and will resume full publication on Monday, May 18. Have a great weekend!

On November 12, SBC launched our 2026 fund drive to raise $50K through ad sales and donations. That will complete this year’s budget, at a time when it’s tough to find grant money. Big thanks to all the readers who have chipped in so far to help keep this site rolling to the end of 2026! Currently, we’re at $32,759 with $17,241 to go, ideally by the end of May.

If you value our livable streets reporting and advocacy, please consider making a tax-deductible gift here. If you can afford a contribution of $100 or more, think of that as a subscription. That will help keep the site paywall-free for people on tighter budgets, as well as decision-makers. Thanks for your support!

– John Greenfield, editor

By Ellen Steinke

Chicago Cubs representatives defended a revised proposal Tuesday night to expand the team’s Camry parking lot near Wrigley Field. They argued the additional parking would help accommodate fans who drive, while reducing congestion on nearby residential streets.

But the plan continues to face growing opposition from neighborhood residents and urbanist groups. They assert that the expansion, which would add hundreds of new parking spaces in one of the most transit-accessible neighborhoods in the country, would undermine our city’s broader goals around transit-oriented development, housing, and walkability.

The updated proposal was presented at an East Lakeview Neighbors meeting Tuesday evening, where Cubs reps outlined several changes that were made after an earlier community meeting drew criticism from nearby residents and advocacy groups. The revised plan includes additional tree canopy around the perimeter of the lot, a new western traffic exit intended to reduce congestion on neighborhood streets, dedicated shuttle access for elderly and disabled fans, and planned nearby traffic-calming improvements.

The Cubs currently want to add about 260 parking spaces to the Camry Lot, located north of Grace Street and east of Clark Street. Representatives said the team is not adding more seats to the ballpark, but instead trying to better accommodate existing parking demand.

The current Camry parking lot, and the land the team recently bought including the former location of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s House of the Good Shepherd. Image via 44th Ward.

“We have one parking space for roughly every 26 fans,” one Cubs rep said during the meeting, contrasting Wrigley Field’s parking supply with that of other professional sports venues in Chicago and around the country.

The team also pointed to parking that has been removed from the surrounding area over the past decade. That included the former surface lot that was replaced by the Gallagher Way open-air plaza, and parking formerly associated with the McDonald’s across from Wrigley Field.

The representatives argued that while transit remains the easiest way to reach Wrigley Field for many fans, a significant number of attendees still rely on cars, particularly suburbanites, seniors, and those with mobility limitations.

The team cited internal survey data indicating that roughly 35 percent of game attendees travel from more than 50 miles away. They also discussed shuttle services currently operating between the Camry lot and the stadium for elderly and disabled attendees.

At the same time, Cubs reps acknowledged that the share of fans driving to games has declined in recent years. “I think our demand for driving is dropping,” one team member said. “We still have more people driving than we have spaces to accommodate them.”

The proposal has become a flashpoint in a broader debate over land use and transportation policy in Chicago neighborhoods near transit. Opponents of the expansion say that adding more surface parking near the CTA Red Line, multiple bus routes, and dense mixed-use development runs counter to the city’s stated efforts to encourage transit-oriented development and reduce car dependency.

Lakeview Urbanists, one of the groups organizing opposition to the project, argues that the site could instead support housing or mixed-use development in a neighborhood facing rising rents and limited housing supply. They also dispute the Cubs’ claim that more parking would meaningfully reduce neighborhood traffic or residential street parking demand.

Opponents also note the site sits in a transit-rich area covered by Chicago’s Connected Communities ordinance, which is intended to encourage denser development near transit.

The debate also reflects changing approaches to stadium development nationally. In recent years, several major sports franchises have shifted away from large surface parking lots in favor of mixed-use districts emphasizing housing, retail, public space, and transit access. Lakeview Urbanists and other opponents have pointed to projects surrounding Fenway Park in Boston, the Atlanta Braves’ Battery development, and the United Center’s proposed “1901 Project” as examples of stadium districts moving toward denser, more pedestrian-oriented development patterns.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Cubs representatives made clear that housing is not currently being considered for the site. “We’re not planning to build housing on the lot,” one speaker said in response to concerns raised by opponents of the expansion.

Representatives also addressed worries about lighting spillover, tree removal, and traffic flow. According to the Cubs, the revised proposal would result in a net increase in trees on the site and would include additional landscaping around the perimeter of the lot. The team also said it is conducting a lighting study and exploring traffic-calming measures including raised crosswalks near the site entrance.

Attendees questioned why the Cubs are pursuing additional surface parking rather than structured parking or other forms of development. One resident asked directly during the meeting why the organization was “taking more land” instead of building a parking garage.

The proposal must still proceed through Chicago’s public approval process, including review by the Chicago Plan Commission and City Council. Ald. Bennett Lawson (44th), a generally sustainable transportation-friendly City Council member whose ward includes the site, has not publicly taken a formal position on the proposal. According to organizers involved in the opposition campaign, Lawson’s office has indicated community feedback will play a role in the final decision.

Lakeview Urbanists said its online petition campaign has generated roughly 2,600 letters to elected officials and the Cubs from approximately 2,000 participants so far. 

Residents can submit feedback to Lawson’s office or sign Lakeview Urbanist’s petition organized by Lakeview Urbanists opposing the parking lot expansion.

Read Lakeview Urbanists member Kalen Luciano’s previous op-ed “Stop the Cubs Parking Lot Expansion” here.

On November 12, SBC launched our 2026 fund drive to raise $50K through ad sales and donations. That will complete this year’s budget, at a time when it’s tough to find grant money. Big thanks to all the readers who have chipped in so far to help keep this site rolling to the end of 2026! Currently, we’re at $32,759 with $17,241 to go, ideally by the end of May.

If you value our livable streets reporting and advocacy, please consider making a tax-deductible gift here. If you can afford a contribution of $100 or more, think of that as a subscription. That will help keep the site paywall-free for people on tighter budgets, as well as decision-makers. Thanks for your support!

– John Greenfield, editor