Safe Streets group asks Arlington Heights to increase Bike & Ped Committee meetings and adopt curb‑cut guidance

At the April 7 Village Board meeting, a representative of the Safe Streets Alliance for Arlington Heights asked the board to increase the frequency of the village Bike and Pedestrian Safety Commission meetings and urged the village to adopt curb‑cut standards for planned road work.

Kevin Burdecki (identified in the meeting as a Safe Streets Alliance member) said the commission meets "once or twice a year and very irregularly" and asked that it meet at least every two months, preferably monthly, to give the group and staff time to consider pedestrian and bicycle safety proposals. He also suggested the village adopt a policy for curb cuts so that people using mobility devices or those with vision impairments are guided directly into crosswalks instead of into intersection traffic; he referenced IDOT guidance as a model for approved curb‑cut designs.

Mayor Hayes and Village Manager Randy Reclaus responded that the proper channel is to present topics to staff or at a board meeting so staff can place them on the commission agenda. "It is agenda driven," the mayor said; the manager invited the group to bring specific proposals so staff can review them and, if appropriate, direct the commission to act. Radman later noted that curb‑cut details are addressed when curb and sidewalk work is designed and permitted for road projects.

No formal action was taken at the meeting; staff said they will consider the request and, if warranted, place items on the commission agenda or incorporate design details in roadway project plans.