Safe Travel for All: Innovations and Demonstrations to Highlight Regional Safety and Active Transpor

Speakers: -Victoria Barrett, Program Lead for Safe Systems, CMAP -Mayor Kelly Burke, Village of Evergreen Park -Eric Mueller, Planner, Epstein -Elizabeth Rocks, Planner, Epstein -Scott Hennings, Assistant Director, McHenry County Department of Transportation In 2024, more than 600 people were killed on the roads in northeastern Illinois. Another 4700 people were seriously injured. Traffic violence continues to be a critical issue in the region. In 2025, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), the Illinois Department of Transportation, and six counties in northeastern Illinois-- Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will concluded work on the Safe Travel for All project, a regional safety action plan funded by USDOT’s Safe Streets for All grant program. A critical focus of the safety work is making active transportation safer with protected and connected infrastructure across the region. Recent bicycle and pedestrian planning projects in suburban and rural contexts highlight the opportunities for local partners to encourage trips on foot and on bicycles, using innovative strategies and demonstration projects to engage and educate the traveling public, with a focus on safe and comfortable facilities. This presentation will feature four speakers: Victoria Barrett, program lead for Safe Systems will share an overview of the Safe Travel for All program of work, including some of the resources available to partners throughout the region; Scott Hennings, from McHenry County Department of Transportation will share his experience of the McHenry County Safety Action Plan process and the county’s recent success winning a federal grant from the most recent round of Safe Streets for All funding; Mayor Kelly Burke from Evergreen Park will share some insights from the Cook County safety action and the community’s recent award to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety.