Chicago, IL, June 14, 2023
Last summer, former Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a series of NASCAR races through Grant Park, a deal that was shrouded in secrecy and arrived at with zero public engagement. Despite community and City Council pushback, the deal forged ahead with the first race taking place this summer.
While we’re glad that a public hearing is finally taking place in the Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety, it’s concerning that much of the public narrative surrounding this has been focused largely on traffic impacts for drivers.
Holding a car racing competition on our streets sets a dangerous example at a time when too many drivers are going too fast, endangering the lives of everyone who uses our streets. By allowing such an event to take place on our streets instead of a dedicated racetrack, we send a troubling message that this is an acceptable use of our public spaces at a time when we’ve seen a record increase in deaths and injuries due to crashes.
That our parks have roads wide and fast enough to host a NASCAR race should give every Chicagoan pause, and highlights the everyday dangers that people face navigating our parks. It’s not lost on us that the race’s course charges through the intersection where Gerardo Marciales was tragically killed in April, 2022 while crossing DuSable Lake Shore Drive at Balbo. Gerardo was one of many cyclists and pedestrians killed during a sharp rise in fatalities since 2020.
This race also demonstrates that the City can radically and quickly reimagine our streets. Instead of reimagining them for corporate interests, the City should be reimagining them for the safety and well being of its residents.
Now is the time for the Committee to be talking about how to make safe streets for all a reality in Chicago: lowering the speed limit, building streets for all ages and abilities, and creating a connected and protected bike network. Our coalition urges Committee members to take a stand for Chicagoans and take bold action to reshape our infrastructure to protect us from the scourge of traffic violence.
Safe Streets for All is a coalition and campaign formed in Summer 2022 in response to a record number of pedestrian and cyclist fatalities in Chicago. The coalition consists of community, transportation, and disability organizations:
Access Living
Active Transportation Alliance
Better Streets Chicago
Chicago, Bike Grid Now!
Chicago Family Biking
The Southwest Collective