Logan Square Walks

Logan Square Walks
3601 W. Belden Avenue
Chicago, IL  60647

April 4th, 2005

Chicago Tribune
Voice Of The People Editor:

Congratulations to your transportation reporter, Jon Hilkevitch, for the award he received at the Chicago Bicycle Federation's "Healthy Streets" Conference, held this past weekend, which I attended as a representative of a pedestrian advocacy organization

On the other hand, I would like to take issue w/ Mr. Hilkevitch's story on the front page of today's Tribune regarding a proposal change in the Chicago zoning ordinance which would allow stacking of cars in parking garages.  The article starts with the premise of a "parking shortage" in the city, but this situation could instead be characterized as one of "car excess."  Similarly, Mr. Hilkevitch labels our urban community "car-loving Chicago", but many of us feel that cars and trucks are at best necessary evils and at worst, dangerous injury-causers that continually worsen the quality of the air we breathe.  "Car-dependent" might be a more accurate adjective, given chronic underinvestment in public transportation, resulting in yet another acute crisis for the CTA.

Providing more parking for more gasoline-driven cars means those cars will cause increasing congestion and pollution on the streets and expressways.  The "healthy streets" concept is much different, and envisions a safer, cleaner city with a transportation system that appropriately balances cars and trucks with buses and trains, bicycles, wheelchairs and the great number of us who prefer whenever possible to walk.  The current system is seriously out of balance, and more parking places will not move us in the right direction.  We have the vision and technology to do much better.

A good start would be passage of these two bills by the Illinois legislature:  the Complete Streets Bill (SB508) and the Safe Routes To School Bill (HB744).

Sincerely,

Peter Draper and Ben Helphand
Co-Chairs, Logan Square Walks