The Northwest Municipal Conference (NWMC) worked with member communities, stakeholders, and residents across the region to create its first Multimodal Transportation Plan. While many of the communities within the NWMC have created inspiring plans and implemented innovative projects related to walking, biking, and improving access to transit, the NWMC Multimodal Transportation Plan furthers collaboration across municipal boundaries and provides shared data and tools to help create a more connected, equitable, and healthy region.

Through a combination of detailed data collection and analysis, in-depth interviews and focus groups with transportation staff throughout the region, and in-person and multimedia community engagement, the NWMC Multimodal Transportation Plan:

 

All of the Plan’s recommendations are supported by an implementation guide designed to empower communities to begin making changes on-the-ground.

The Northwest Municipal Conference (NWMC) encompasses over 300 square miles, 1.2 million people, and 43 different member communities in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, and McHenry counties. The NWMC works to strengthen communities and enhance intergovernmental relationships in the north and northwest suburbs of Chicago.

 

Learn more about the NWMC Multimodal Transportation Plan in this article on Streetsblog Chicago!

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As a part of the NWMC Multimodal Transportation Plan, planners analyzed the sidewalk network throughout the region to identify and prioritize missing sidewalks. These gaps have been added to an interactive map. View the map to see where there are sidewalk gaps in your community!

 

Thank you to all who stopped by our Pop-Up Workshops in Hoffman Estates, Deerfield and Morton Grove. We received a lot of very useful feedback about gaps in the bike network, and input on how the NWMC and the member communities should prioritize different investments. All of the community input received is summarized as a part of the final Multimodal Transportation Plan, which is available in the Documents section below.

Cyclists around the region responded to the NWMC quiz ranking their comfort and confidence level when it comes to biking—and the results are in! While NWMC riders are “enthused & confident”, the majority of cyclists—74%—would ride more if roadways were safer and more comfortable. The results of the quiz informed recommendations for the NWMC Multimodal Transportation Plan which prioritized bike facilities with the highest comfort ranking.  Learn more about the results from the infographic below:

 

Thank you to all who participated in the NWMC Community Survey! The infographics below provide a brief summary of key findings from the survey and informed plan recommendations.