Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Johnson administration are committed to human rights, equity, and applying an intersectional lens to policymaking and service delivery. In 2021, a campaign to establish a municipal sidewalk snowplow service was launched by several transportation and disability organizations in Chicago. Building Bridges and Growing the Soul of Chicago: A Blueprint for Creating a More Just and Vibrant City for All, the Mayoral Transition report, issued by the Chicago for the People Transition Team, named the Plow the Sidewalks Pilot Program as a long-term strategy to address barriers to transportation for people with disabilities, families with young children, seniors, and public transit riders. With support from the Johnson administration, Alderman Gilbert Villegas, and Alderman Daniel La Spata, introduced and passed the Chicago Plow the Sidewalks Pilot Program Ordinance, which tasked a cross-departmental Working Group with creating recommendations for a new pilot program for sidewalk snowplow services. On May 31, 2024, the Working Group released the City of Chicago’s Plow the Sidewalks Pilot Program: Report of Recommendations, which serves as the main guidance for City departments to study and implement an effective Plow the Sidewalks Pilot Program.  

The report recommends the City operate the Pilot in four Pilot zones designed and recommended by the Plow the Sidewalks Coalition, which prioritizes areas with high concentrations of individuals over 65 years old, children under 5 years old, and residents who have decreased mobility, are blind or low vision, or are impacted by other disabilities. 

• The report recommends the City deploy sidewalk snowplow services in the Pilot zones when snow or ice has accumulated to two inches or more in a 24-hour period. Response times are recommended to align with existing municipal snow removal regulations, current roadway snow removal practices, and the needs of residents. 
• The Pilot is recommended to last one year after its start date or until the City has deployed sidewalk snowplow services up to seven times per Pilot zone, whichever comes first.
• The Report recommends the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) serve as the Managing Department for the Pilot due to the Department’s experience with managing contractor-provided municipal services like bikeshare and median and boulevard maintenance. The Department of Streets & Sanitation (DSS) should provide coordination support. CDOT should prepare to launch the Pilot no later than December 31, 2025.
• The Report recommends the City use a combination of contracted and in-house services for the Pilot operations to evaluate both delivery models and prioritize the use of multipurpose tractors to plow sidewalks, using snow blowers, shovels, and other tools as an additional method when necessary.

• The Report recommends the City pilot two approaches:
• A Targeted Residential approach, in which services are provided to any block where a residential property with four or fewer units is located. Vacant lots will also be plowed under this approach.
• A Universal approach, in which services are provided to all sidewalks/blocks in a Pilot zone regardless of property type. The Report recommends prioritizing the South and West Pilot zones for the Universal approach, as those zones have the highest concentrations of people with disabilities. 
• Piloting both approaches will help the City evaluate the efficacy of existing snow removal services provided by business owners, large apartment or condo buildings, City sister agencies, and other entities in combination with City-provided services.

Based on analyses of contractor-based sidewalk snow removal programs in other cities and local agencies and projected in-house costs, and the Report recommends the City allocate between $1.1 million and $3.5 million in the annual budget to adequately fund the Pilot.