Pedestrian Program
Pedestrian Program
Building a safer, more walkable, and more accessible Chicago. Protecting the most vulnerable users of our streets by elevating pedestrian safety within all that we do.
Upgrading 400 intersections each year
Advancing pedestrian safety and comfort within all CDOT programs, across all communities.
Focusing on meaningful destinations
Concentrating safety investments around schools, parks, and other everyday destinations throughout Chicago.
Applying data-driven strategies
Indentifying crash hot spots and developing new treatments for the most serious issues.
Prioritizing Pedestrians
CDOT rallies a unified effort across all its infrastructure programs to improve 400 intersections each year, elevating safety and comfort for pedestrians -- the most vulnerable users of our streets. Resources are directed at community anchors like schools, and at locations with a history of crashes. Arterial resurfacing and street reconstruction projects regularly incorporate pedestrian safety elements, while other upgrades are supported through the City's multi-year Capital Plan, Aldermanic menu funds, or through investments surrounding new development.
These improvements are an urgent priority; on average, more than one person per day was seriously injured or killed while walking in Chicago in 2022. Chicagoans begin and end almost every trip as pedestrians; walking or using an assistive device to reach a vehicle, a transit stop, their workplace or their own front door. Children, older adults and people with disabilities are especially reliant on safe, walkable transportation systems.
Designing for Safety
Learn about the types of infrastructure that CDOT is installing around the City.
Read about featured projects, methods, and materials .
Featured Project
School Zone Improvements
Safety installations at key crossings and intersections surrounding school campuses.
Featured Publications
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CDOT Strategic Plan - Aligning our streets not just with our efforts to maintain roads and keep people moving, but with our values and an abiding commitment to justice for all Chicagoans.
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Vision Zero Chicago Action Plan - A guiding document identifying the City’s priorities and resources for traffic safety initiatives.
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Left Turn Traffic Calming Flier - Background on the infrastructure and safety results from existing installations.
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Chicago Pedestrian Plan - The Chicago Pedestrian Plan, released in September 2012, is guide to the tools, policies and programs to make Chicago the safest city in the country for pedestrians.
Additional CDOT Programs for Pedestrians
SAFE Ambassadors
The SAFE Ambassadors (Streets are for Everyone) are CDOT's education and outreach team. They travel all over the city engaging with people of all ages and backgrounds about pedestrian and bike safety. The SAFE Ambassadors conduct direct outreach and education at hundreds of public events each year, provide free learn-to-ride lessons for adults and children, and teach safe mobility skills in at schools, parks, and in high school driver's education modules.
Streetscapes
The Department of Transportation’s Streetscape and Sustainable Design Program is an innovative program which strives to rehabilitate Chicago’s neighborhood commercial areas, riverwalks and bicycle facilities into active, attractive places for Chicagoans to live, work and play.
Shared Cost Sidewalk Program
A voluntary program in which property owners share the cost of sidewalk repair with the City. Thousands of Chicagoans have been a part of this popular program, taking advantage of the low cost, exceptional value, and ease of participation.
Sidewalk Snow Removal
Many people rely on walking and transit as their primary way to get around, and without a wide, clear path through snow and ice, it is especially difficult for people with disabilities, seniors, and children to walk safely. Property owners and occupants are responsible for keeping sidewalks clear of snow and ice.
Traffic Signal Upgrades
The Department of Transportation Bureau of Electrical Operations maintains Chicago’s 3,035 traffic signalized intersections. Over the past several years 1,014 intersections have been upgraded using energy efficient Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology.
Make Way for People
The Department of Transportation’s Make Way for People initiative aims to create public spaces that cultivate community and culture in Chicago’s neighborhoods through placemaking.