Chicago’s recently passed Complete Streets program contains what may be a seismic policy shift. City guidelines for every effort from major streetscape projects to minor roadside electrical work must now defer to a “default modal hierarchy” where the pedestrian comes first. Road crews resurfacing a street must consider striping new bike lanes; electrical engineers optimizing streetlights for car traffic must also rethink pedestrian crosswalk times; and construction teams rebuilding an entire boulevard must evaluate pedestrian islands in the roadway.
To learn more: http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2013/04/chicago-commits-put-pedestrians-first-transportation-planning/5256/