Chicagoans: regardless of if you travel through our city by transit, wheelchair, walking, biking, or driving, it is undeniable that radical change is necessary to make transportation in our city more equitable, sustainable, safe, and healthy. Since 2018, over 1.2 million people, nearly half of Chicago’s population, have been involved in a traffic crash. In 2022 alone, our communities and families have lost over 150 people to traffic violence.

We should not have to worry that buses are not running according to schedule, that we are not going to make it to work on time, that the bike lanes we are riding in are unsafe, or that our loved ones aren't going to make it home tonight. It’s time for Chicago to serve all of us, not just the few of us who can afford to or prefer to drive. Chicago deserves neighborhood streets that belong to everyone.

Cities all across the world have shown that improvements like street planters, curb bump outs, and raised crosswalks can make streets safer for everyone, improve public transportation, and reduce traffic congestion and pollution. We at Chicago, Bike Grid Now! believe we can learn from these cities to improve Chicago with a vision that serves us all.

Chicago, Bike Grid Now! is calling on our city officials, alderpersons, mayor, and candidates for office to support a vision where at least 10% of Chicago is made safer for all, focusing investment and upgrades on low-stress neighborhood streets. We need your help to amplify this demand.

Our demands mean that city officials will have to own up to the promise they made in 2017 when Chicago adopted "Vision Zero," a commitment to a Chicago where no one is killed by traffic violence. Since that pledge, over 500 Chicagoans have been killed in traffic crashes.

Those same city officials will tell us they are installing hundreds of safe streets improvements like bump outs and bus bulbs. They won’t tell us that these improvements are piecemeal, often require alders to use menu funding, or that the improvements fail to meet national or international standards for protecting the most vulnerable road users.

Although we are calling specifically for a Bike Grid, our vision serves to protect EVERYONE. This is a fight for our climate, a fight against noise and air pollution, a fight for transportation equity, a fight for economic and racial justice, a fight against housing displacement, and so much more.

We are tired of piecemeal and half-baked improvements. We have a city-wide vision and we want city-wide change. Every single Chicagoan deserves safe mobility options. We hope you will support us demanding that all current and future city officials support a Chicago Bike Grid, NOW!

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email grassroots@bikegridnow.org.