Mark The Most Dangerous Streets In Your Community To Help Cook County Safety Action Plan

CHICAGO — Traffic safety is a growing crisis in the Chicago area, with fatalities and serious injuries sharply increasing since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now, Cook County residents can take action to help address the issue by identifying the most dangerous intersections in their communities.

Between 2019 and 2021, traffic deaths in northeastern Illinois rose by 42 percent, far outpacing the nationwide increase of 18 percent.

Pedestrians and cyclists are among the most vulnerable, and the risk is disproportionately higher for low-income and Black communities, according to the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, which is overseeing the initiative.

CMAP officials are inviting road users across Cook County to drop a pin on a Safety Action Plan map and complete a brief survey to share insights about hazardous locations, such as intersections with frequent crashes or high-speed traffic that threatens pedestrians and cyclists.

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"We want to understand which streets and roads you feel are the most dangerous in your everyday life," CMAP's website asks. "Are there certain intersections, roads, or streets that you don't feel safe using? Are there places you avoid or can’t get to because of a dangerous route?"

The effort is part of the federally funded Safe Travel for All Roadmap, or STAR, through which CMAP received a grant of nearly $4 million in 2023 to reduce roadway fatalities and serious injuries across northeastern Illinois.

The grant, funded by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation, supports the creation of Safety Action Plans tailored to individual counties under a regional framework.

“STAR will be transformative for the safety of everyone in our region, especially our most vulnerable travelers," CMAP Executive Director Erin Aleman said. "We look forward to working with our partners to make critical improvements in our communities and save lives.”

The Safe System Approach aims to create multiple layers of protection for all road users, prioritizing slower speeds, improved road design and proactive safety measures in Cook County and the other northeastern Illinois counties.

The initiative also focuses on equity, recognizing that historically underserved communities face greater risks due to factors like high-speed arterial roads in low-income areas.