#PlowThe Sidewalk City Ordinance to be Introduced in Chicago City Council
It’s here! The Plow the Sidewalks ordinance will be introduced in Chicago’s City Council by Alderman Gilbert Villegas tomorrow.
As you know, this is a very important Access Living campaign that we have been leading alongside Better Streets Chicago and Alderman Villegas. The ordinance aims to create a pilot program for Chicago to try removing snow from sidewalks in certain zones of the City. Check out our Plow the Sidewalks page at this link.
Plow the Sidewalks Press Conference Tomorrow:
At 9:15 am Central, Plow the Sidewalks advocates will host a press conference to highlight the introduction of the Plow The Sidewalks ordinance. Once the ordinance is introduced tomorrow, it will then be assigned to a City Council committee for consideration. It would then need to be voted for approval by that committee, for the full City Council to then vote to pass it. So, this is just the first official step.
Check Out Our Plow The Sidewalks Zone Tool:
Under the proposed pilot, four zones of the City of about 2.5 square miles each would be selected to test City-run sidewalk snow removal, with consideration to the percentage of people with disabilities in those zones. Did you know that you can help proposed zones to Access Living? With the help of Ashley Asmus, a campaign volunteer, we created an interactive online tool so that people can come up with their own city zones and send their proposals to Access Living. Check the pilot program tool out at this link.
Building Support for Plow The Sidewalks:
We are also grateful to have the support of thirteen members of City Council and more than 20 organizations throughout the city. We’d like to give a shout out to the following Chicago aldermen, who have confirmed their support of Plow the Sidewalks:
- 1st Ward – Ald. Daniel La Spata
- 12th Ward – Ald. Anabel Abarca
- 20th Ward – Ald. Jeanette Taylor
- 22nd Ward – Ald. Michael Rodriguez
- 25th Ward – Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez
- 33rd Ward – Ald. Rossana Rodriguez
- 35th Ward – Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa
- 36th Ward – Ald. Gilbert Villegas
- 40th Ward – Ald. Andre Vasquez
- 43rd Ward – Ald. Timmy Knudsen
- 47th Ward – Ald. Matt Martin
- 49th Ward – Ald. Maria Hadden
- 50th Ward – Debra Silverstein
If your alderperson is not on the list please reach out and ask that they support the ordinance. If you are not sure which ward you live in, you can look up your ward here. All you have to do is call your alderman or email them, and ask them to support Plow the Sidewalks. Snow and ice-covered sidewalks are still the number one transportation complaint we receive at Access Living in winter. And with climate change, we know not every winter will be as mild as this one. Let’s get Chicago ready to #PlowTheSidewalks!