Referred to the Committee on Finance Chicago City Council December 12, 2018
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Pedway is the City of Chicago's downtown pedestrian way system. The Pedway is approximately five miles, linking around forty blocks in the Central Business District. It consists of both underground tunnels and overhead bridges connecting about fifty buildings, both public and private, and commuter railway and CTA stations; and
WHEREAS, The Pedway had humble beginnings in 1951 when the City constructed two one block tunnels connecting the Red Line and Blue Line subways at Jackson Boulevard and Washington Street; and
WHEREAS, The Pedway is used by tens of thousands of pedestrians every workday, with volume increasing in inclement weather, helping alleviate pedestrian traffic in the loop and improving vehicular traffic flow; and
WHEREAS, Portions of the Pedway are beautiful, with some parts containing outstanding artwork, while other areas are drab and in disrepair; and
WHEREAS, There is universal agreement that the Pedway is a confusing maze with inadequate signage to assist users in navigating it; and
WHEREAS, There is no one entity responsible for the planning and maintenance of this vital City resource; and
WHEREAS, In the summer of 2018, the Environmental Law and Policy Center, along with its partners Chicago Loop Alliance and Broadway in Chicago, commissioned a report that suggested ways on improving the main stem of the Pedway from the Metra Station at Millennium Park all the way to the CTA Station at Clark and Lake. Recommendations included better wayfinding and easier navigation tools, and upgrades to the corridors with fresh paint, better lighting and signage, and clearly stated hours of operation. The report also mentioned the obvious need for better coordination; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, gathered together this 12th day of December, 2018, call on the Commissioners of the Departments of Planning and Development, Transportation, and 2FM to return to the Committee on Finance at its next meeting'with a plan for creating a commission to improve the Pedway and to ensure its maintenance for many years to come.
