Nearly ten years after Chicago launched its Vision Zero plan to end traffic deaths by 2026, the city has made little progress. Despite upgrades to intersections and the addition of bike lanes, traffic fatalities and injuries remain high, according to a recent story in the Chicago Sun-Times.
In 2024, 109 people lost their lives on Chicago’s roads — 38 pedestrians, two cyclists, and 69 motorists. While that’s slightly down from the height of the pandemic, it’s only a modest improvement from 2017, the year Vision Zero was introduced. At the same time, more than 23,000 people were injured in crashes in 2023, nearly 2,000 more than in 2017.
Joseph Schwieterman of DePaul University describes this fact as “incredibly frustrating, given the emphasis the city has placed on safety.” His sentiment reflects a broader concern: Chicago’s safety efforts have not kept pace with the realities of its roadways.
Experts say the underlying problem is investment. While Vision Zero has succeeded in other cities such as Hoboken, New Jersey — which hasn’t seen a traffic death in seven years — Chicago hasn’t committed enough to meaningful road redesign. Research shows that safer street layouts, lower speed limits, and protections for pedestrians and cyclists are among the most effective ways to reduce fatalities.
Instead, several factors are undermining progress. Larger SUVs and heavier electric vehicles pose greater risks for those outside of cars. The city recently rejected a proposal to lower neighborhood speed limits from 30 to 25 mph, even though speed is the single largest factor in whether a crash is fatal. And traffic enforcement lags: in 2023, less than 1% of CPD-issued tickets targeted speeding.
Despite ongoing investments in bike lanes and intersection upgrades, experts warn that without bolder measures, Chicago is unlikely to meet its ambitious – and increasingly urgent – Vision Zero goal
"*" indicates required fields