Hillside's Plan for Accessible Streets & Sidewalks
Hillside is developing a plan for accessible streets and sidewalks. It examines how sidewalks, crosswalks, and pathways serve people with disabilities. The goal is to create streets that allow everyone to safely navigate their community. Please join us in this effort.
Access Hillside is the name of the plan. It has two phases: a self-evaluation and a transition plan. A Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) grant funds the plan. CMAP is leading efforts to develop these plans for several cities. For more on CMAP's work to help people with disabilities, see this link.
What is a Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan?
Title II of the ADA prohibits Hillside from discriminating against people with disabilities. To prevent discrimination, the ADA requires a self-evaluation and transition plan. The plan identifies those responsible for implementing the plan.
Self-Evaluation
The self-evaluation of the streets and sidewalks focuses on identifying existing conditions by:
- Finding physical obstacles and policies that limit access.
- Seeking public input to develop the plan. This includes identifying where people face challenges in navigating sidewalks, crosswalks, and pathways.
Street features that may challenge people with disabilities are:
- Broken (or nonexistent) sidewalks.
- Intersections without curb ramps and crosswalks.
Inaccessible street parking.
These barriers can prevent people from accessing jobs, education, healthcare, and transit. They can also limit access to vital community services and amenities.
Transition Plan
This occurs after the Self-Evaluation is complete. It includes:
- Describing how facilities will meet ADA requirements. The focus is on key streets serving public buildings, parks, and transit.
- Developing a schedule to show when this will occur.
- Identifying policies and programs that impact street access for people with disabilities.
Hillside must also post public notices and grievance procedures required by the ADA.
How can I get involved?
The plan focuses on people with disabilities. We want input from everyone, including those who are caretakers of people with disabilities, older adults, parents, and students. You can visit Hillside and still provide input on where you see access needs.
- Public Input Survey: An online survey is available through this link.
- Sign up to receive project updates through the survey link.
- Public Events: The first input meeting was held on November 13, 2024. An additional meeting is planned for Spring 2025.
- Stakeholder Interviews: We need input from organizations that works with people with disabilities.
Why is ADA compliance important?
Everyone has a right to use Hillside's sidewalks. Providing facilities that follow ADA requirements makes them usable for those with disabilities. It also allows their families and friends to go with them. Safe, accessible sidewalks and crosswalks serve strollers, kids, and seniors.
ADA compliance is also essential because it improves our region's resilience. Meeting federal requirements secures millions in transportation funding for our region.
Other interesting facts:
- New sidewalks, crossings, and traffic signals must meet applicable standards.
- Work zones must allow sidewalks and crossings to be usable. This is especially true when sidewalk detours are in place.
- The cost of improvements is never a reason not to make streets accessible.
- ADA requirements address many street features many take for granted:
- Sidewalk widths, surfaces, and slopes,
- Curb ramps at street corners and mid-block crosswalks,
- Pedestrian crossing signals (audible and vibrotactile features),
- Crosswalk push buttons and signal cycle timing,
- On-street and Electric Vehicle parking,
- Transit stops.
Who's leading this plan?
Hillside is partnering with CMAP and Vitruvian Planning to develop the plan. More than 800,000 people in northeastern Illinois have one or more disabilities. This is why CMAP wants to improve accessibility in our region.
This effort is vital for all. It creates a fair, inclusive community. Northeastern Illinois needs to improve mobility and access. This helps economic opportunity and quality of life.
The ON TO 2050 plan aims for inclusive growth. It suggests ways to improve street access and create accessible housing. It also recommends supporting job pathways for people with disabilities.
We will tackle these challenges by working together. We want a region where everyone can thrive. Visit the main page for ON TO 2050 to learn more about this effort and how it fits into a larger vision.
Pedestrian Challenges Map
Instruction
We want to gain a better understanding of the challenges people face when using sidewalks, crosswalks, and pathways in Hillside:
- Are there certain intersections that you don't feel safe crossing? Or do you feel the ramp needs upgrading?
- Are there intersections where you think new street crossing need to be added or a crosswalk is challenging?
- Is there a bus stop you feel is difficult to access?
- Is there a block or pathway in the Village where the existing condition of the sidewalk can be dangerous to pedestrians?
To get started, go to the map and click the + sign to the left to open the pin menu. Please drag and drop a pin in a specific location on the map and describe in detail what challenge you face there (e..g, no sidewalk is provided, sidewalk is uneven, no curb ramps are present).
Feel free to upload a photo and answer as many times as you would like. The information that you provide will be invaluable as the Village and CMAP start planning a more accessible Hillside.
Please note your comments and photos will be publicly available.