+ Bike Boxes on Lincoln Ave

This item would fund cycling improvements at multiple signalized intersections along Lincoln Ave in the form of green painted bike boxes. Bike boxes are designated areas at a signalized intersection that provide cyclists with a safe and visible way to get ahead of queuing traffic during the red signal phase. This helps make them more visible to drivers, as well as helping them make left turns and avoiding right hook-type crashes.

+ Pedestrian Countdown Signal at Wilson & Ashland - $120,000

This item would update the pedestrian traffic signals at the intersection of Ashland & Wilson to ensure that pedestrian signals include countdown timers. One of the corners of this intersection features a daycare. Improvements could also include pushbuttons that activate audible and vibrotactile signals informing pedestrians of their ability to cross.

+ LINCOLN & ADDISON BIKE LANE IMPROVEMENTS

This item will improve the safety of the painted Lincoln Ave bike lane where it crosses Addison, where the northbound bike lane currently does not exist for several hundred feet. CDOT would use additional space to make the bike lane continuous and more visible, including using green paint and painting bike boxes at the traffic lights, which allow cyclists to queue at the front of traffic at a red light. These improvements would likely impact some on-street parking spaces.

+ LAKE VIEW HIGH SCHOOL SPEED FEEDBACK SIGN

This item would add two Speed Feedback Signs on Irving Park along Lake View High School, one facing in each direction. The signs will show the speed at which drivers are going. Studies indicate that speed feedback signs are effective at slowing 80% of drivers. Directly underneath the speed limit will be posted to remind drivers of the legal limit.

+ WELLES PARK PICKLEBALL COURTS

This item converts the 10 horseshoe pits at Welles Park into a mix of recreational uses. These include two pickleball courts, two sets of cornholes, and three rehabbed horseshoe pits.

+ Pedestrian and cyclist safety items around the Welles Park Fieldhouse

This ballot item dedicated funds to install detached curb extensions at the intersection of Sunnyside and Oakley, in front of the Welles Park fieldhouse. A contraflow bike lane was also installed on Sunnyside to allow cyclists to travel westbound from Lincoln to Western, where a bike traffic signal was installed. Park leadership informed our office that vehicles on Sunnyside often ignored the stop signs at this intersection; accordingly, curb extensions would help decrease vehicle speeds and increase pedestrian visibility and safety. In addition, the bike lane provides cyclists with an alternative to Montrose (to the south) or Wilson (to the north) to cross Western, and connects Sulzer Library and Welles Park to Waters Elementary where bike lanes were installed as the result of the previous year Participatory Budgeting process. The contraflow lane also incentivizes cyclists accessing the fieldhouse from Lincoln to do so on the street rather than biking on the sidewalk.

+ Additional Trees

This ballot item dedicated funds to pay the city's Department of Transportation to install approximately 60 to 80 trees in parkways around the Ward in over two years.

+ Curb Extensions at Ashland & Ainslie and Damen & Belle Plaine

This item will include pedestrian safety improvements at both intersections, which would each receive one new curb extension. Safety improvements at Ashland & Ainslie would benefit the nearby Bethany Retirement Community. At Damen & Belle Plaine, these improvements would make it easier for families to cross Damen to access the Northcenter Town Square. Curb extensions extend the sidewalk out into the parking lane to decrease the distance pedestrians need to cross, thereby increasing pedestrian visibility to oncoming cars and decreasing traffic speeds.

+ Water Fountains at Revere Park

This ballot item will include the cost of purchasing and installing three new water fountains at Revere Park to replace fountains that were removed over a decade ago.

+ Pollinator flower beds on Sulzer Library Campus

We wanted to promote the restoration of natural ambiance to local ward sites. In adding pollinator beds, the library will serve as a focal point for the congregation of seasonal animals like bees, butterflies, and birds, as well as be enriched by splashes of color.” This project will specifically fund the wooden structure for the beds. The 47th ward GreenCouncil will help acquire and plant native plants for this garden. We are in active consultation with the Green Council and Sulzer Library about the precise location and types of plants that may be appropriate for the location. Heart of Lincoln Square Neighbors

+ A brick-colored stamped crosswalk across Roscoe west of Western, between Mariano’s and Jewel Osco

Our office has identified the area around Lane Tech and De Paul College Prep (myDeVry) as particularly dangerous for pedestrians, and we consider this as one of many projects that helped improve safety in this area.

+ A raised crosswalk across Wolcott on the south side of Lawrence

The intersection is where McPherson Elementary is located. It was critical that there was a safer crosswalk there because many children cross it throughout the day and would have been put in danger due to the size of the street and the lack of a safe method to cross. These raised crosswalks mimic speed bumps and slow down motorists while also raising pedestrians above ground level making them more visible to motorists.

+ Striped bike lanes around Waters Elementary

The bike lanes run with traffic on Maplewood from Montrose to Wilson; with traffic on Campbell from Wilson to Montrose. They connect with the future Leland Greenway on Campbell.

+ How were projects selected?

All projects on this ballot were suggested and vetted by members of the 47th Ward Youth Council. This Council was first stood up by Alderman Martin after he was elected. It is made up of young residents of the ward between grades 8 and 12. They consult with the Alderman on legislative priorities, plan community events, and weigh in on the issues most affecting young people in Chicago. Alderman Martin believes in engaging our youth in the democratic process – and he is pleased to provide youth a prominent role to play in shaping their community and ours.

Initial suggestions for projects came out of Youth Council brainstorming sessions coordinated by the Ward Office during which they were asked to reflect on the sort of infrastructure changes that affect ward residents of all backgrounds. Each proposal and location came directly from Youth Council members and reflects how they interact with their built environment. The Ward Office assisted Youth Council members in assessing the feasibility of each project and communicating with the relevant city agencies.

+ How do I vote?

You can register to vote here. Once you register, our team will review your registration and confirm eligibility. Once we've verified your eligibility, you will receive an email address with instructions on how to vote.

+ How are projects funded?

Projects will be funded through 2023 Aldermanic Menu funds. Alderman Martin will submit the two projects that win the most votes, up to $200,000, to the City of Chicago and its sister agencies for implementation. All the projects listed on the ballot are feasible to the best of our knowledge, yet most require final approval from the City of Chicago or its sister agencies. Thus, while Alderman Martin pledges to request funding and advocate for the winning projects, he cannot guarantee that the government agencies will provide final approval to each and every project request.

Reasons that projects may not be approved include: interference with previously planned projects, legal restrictions, and policy decisions of the governmental entities. If a winning project cannot be implemented for any reason, Alderman Martin will use the allocated money to fund the next runner-up project that falls within the budget.

Not all of the funded projects will be completed in the 2023 onstruction season. Required project approval procedures or construction work by utilities or other agencies may prevent some projects from being completed this year. Funds for projects not completed this year will be held in reserve and used to complete the projects in the following year(s).

+ How can I get involved in Youth Council?

Any student grade 8 to 12 can participate in the 47th Ward Youth Council. Participation is open both to students who live in the ward and those who attend schools which serve the ward. You can sign up for updates at aldermanmartin.com/community-councils.

+ What is PB Chicago?

The PB Chicago City-Wide Steering Committee developed the rules and procedures for this process. The organization has been working with ward offices since 2012 to engage residents in the decision making process for how public dollars are spent in their communities. For a list of all members of the committee, visit www.pbchicago.org.