South Shore senior citizen Josie Conley takes walks regularly to stay healthy during the COVID-19 quarantine. But narrow sidewalks mean that maintaining the recommended six-foot “social distance” from others is kind of like a game of Dodge ‘Em. “My mother doesn’t want to take any chances,” explained her son Shawn Conley, who joins her during his lunch break from his job with the Illinois State Board of Education. He also helps lead the Major Taylor Cycling Club of Chicago, a predominantly Black organization with about 120 members.
Even if you aren’t convinced that outdoor exercise is important, many people are walking and biking for essential commutes nowadays to avoid risking viral exposure on transit. CTA ridership is currently down about 80 percent, according to the agency.
A major reason why open streets hasn’t gained traction is that the Active Transportation Alliance isn’t supporting it. “A pandemic does not seem like the most appropriate moment to be pushing forward this vision,” the group stated in an April 7 blog post.
But there’s been pushback to the open streets movement from some mobility justice advocates of color who’ve argued it’s mostly white people who are promoting such programs without enough input from organizations and individuals in Black and Latinx neighborhoods. “I’m feeling pressure from white advocates to advocate for open streets,”wrote a member of The Untokening, a mobility justice collective, in its recommendations for equitably navigating the COVID-19 world.
Logan Square alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, a Democratic Socialist, is in favor of trying Slow Streets. “The pilot programs being rolled out in other cities should be done here in Chicago to provide opportunities for people to safely walk, run, and bike in the street while practicing social distancing,” his office said in a statement.
