19-02-2025
Chicago City Council upholds 30 mph speed limit
The Chicago City Council voted 28-21 Wednesday to retain the city's 30 mph default speed limit.
Why it matters: Studies show that pedestrians are half as likely to die when hit by a car driving 25 mph rather than 30 mph.
Context: Cities including New York, Los Angeles and Seattle have already adopted a 25 mph limit.
Chicago suburbs, including Evanston, Wheaton and Aurora, have also done so.
What they're saying: Ordinance sponsor Ald. Daniel La Spata noted, "we have never in the past decade had fewer than 100 traffic fatalities in any given year."
He highlighted the case of 3-year-old Elizabeth Grace Shamrock who was crushed under a semi in 2022.
The other side:"Lowering the speed limit would have unintended consequences that may not have been looked at today," West Side Ald. Jason Ervin said.
"For some communities, it may be fine, but the folks that I represent aren't looking for lower speed limits so they can have more interactions with the police department."
Other council moves: Alders delayed a vote on Mayor Brandon Johnson's proposed $830 million bond issue to pay for infrastructure including streets, bridges and lead line replacements.
Some council members complained that the repayment structure, which delays principal payments for at least 19 years and costs taxpayers almost $2 billion, needs to be rethought.
Ald. Anthony Beale introduced a measure to stop letting city council members participate in meetings remotely, charging that some are abusing the rule now that the pandemic is over.
Ald. Jeanette Taylor, who was participating remotely, pushed back, saying she was at home preparing to "have a procedure" and has been "hospitalized with COVID three times."
Ald. Anthony Napolitano introduced a proposal to restore the Columbus statue in Arrigo Park, citing the city's failure to take down a puppet display at the Cultural Center that some alders have called antisemitic.
