Sidewalk committee recommends renaming to 'Pedestrian Safety Committee' and forwards resolution to council

The Bloomington City Sidewalk Committee voted 4–0 on Dec. 9 to recommend that the Common Council adopt a resolution renaming the committee the “Pedestrian Safety Committee” and broadening its scope beyond sidewalk construction.

Committee members said the renamed committee would cover a wider set of pedestrian-safety priorities — from sidewalk gap completion to crosswalk upgrades, traffic calming and tree-plot improvements — rather than focusing narrowly on new sidewalk connections. Staff said the draft resolution’s language directs work to “consideration of pedestrian safety, including but not limited to sidewalk installation and improvements, pedestrian access points, traffic calming, and other safety improvements.”

Sydney Soulek (City Council District 6) moved the recommendation and it was seconded; the roll call vote recorded Andy Roth (Common Council at‑large), Sydney Soulek, Isabelle Pete Monoclek (City Council District 1) and Kate Rosenbarger (City Council District 1) as “yes.” The committee’s recommendation will be reported to the full Common Council, which must take the formal vote.

Supporters said narrowing the definition to sidewalks in past years limited the committee’s ability to address broader pedestrian-safety needs. “These projects will focus on pedestrian specific projects, that being sidewalk gap completion, crosswalk improvement, tree plot construction,” Hank Duncan, Safe Streets program manager, told the committee during his staff presentation.

Members agreed the proposed change still allows coordination with bicycle and micromobility efforts funded elsewhere, but emphasized the committee should prioritize pedestrian outcomes. The committee will include its discussion and recommendation in the report it forwards to council before the council’s formal consideration.