DATING BACK MORE THAN 20 YEARS, THE CITY OF CHICAGO HAS FAILED TO MAKE INTERSECTIONS ACCESSIBLE FROM BLINDS PEDESTRIANS.

THAT RULING CAME DOWN FROM A FEDERAL JUDGE LAST YEAR.

NOW ATTORNEYS FOR THE CITY AND THE PLAINTIFFS HAVE BROUGHT THE CLASS ACTION SUIT ARE GRAPPLING IN COURT OVER HOW MANY ACCESSIBLE PEDESTRIAN SIGNALS CHICAGO HAS TO INSTALL HOW LONG THEY'LL GET TO DO IT.

BTW NEWS REPORTED BLOOMBERG HAS BEEN FOLLOWING THIS CASE AND JOINS US NOW WITH MORE.

NIC, REMIND US WHAT THESE ACCESSIBLE SIGNALS ARE, PARENTS THAT ARE REALLY IMPORTANT TOOL TO MAKE CITIES SAFER FOR PEDESTRIANS.

WITH LIMITED OR NO VISION FIND THEM ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY ALL AROUND THE WORLD.

EVEN THEY HAVE AUDIO CUES THAT LET PEOPLE KNOW WHEN IT'S SAFE TO CROSS THE STREET.

A LOT OF THEM ALSO HAVE A TACTILE GUIDANCE AS WELL.

THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE.

>> WHO HAVE HEARING PROBLEMS NOW LAST YEAR, CHICAGO LOST A FEDERAL CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT ARGUING THAT ITS FAILURE TO INSTALL THOSE ACCESSIBLE PEDESTRIAN SIGNALS KNOWN AS APS VIOLATES THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT AND THE REHABILITATION ACT FEUER THAN 2% OF SIGNALIZED INTERSECTIONS WITH THE CROSSWALK HAVE ACCESSIBLE SIGNALS HERE IN CHICAGO.

ACCORDING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, IT MAINTAINS JUST OVER 2700 SIGNALIZED PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS NEARLY 2 YEARS AGO, CDOT TOLD WBTW NEWS IT PLAN TO INSTALL 150 APS IN 2022.

AND 2023.

BUT THE DEPARTMENT INSTALLED JUST 9 SIGNALS IN 2020 TO ONE OF WHICH WAS AN UPGRADE TO AN EXISTING SIGNAL.

AND IT ONLY INSTALLED 12 SIGNALS LAST YEAR.

THAT BRINGS THE TOTAL NUMBER OF ACCESSIBLE SIGNALS AROUND CHICAGO TO JUST 45 A FEW MORE INTERSECTIONS IN THE CITY THAN THAT MAKE YOU MENTIONED THE CITY LOST ITS CLASS ACTION LAW.

SO WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

WELL, ATTORNEYS FOR THE CITY AND FOR THE PLAINTIFFS, THEY JUST COULDN'T AGREE ON A REMEDIAL PLAN TO FIX THE PROBLEM.

SO LATE LAST YEAR THEY SUBMITTED COMPETING PLANS TO THE JUDGE.

THE DIFFERENCE IS THERE ARE STARK.

THE CITY SAYS IT SHOULD GET 15 YEARS TO MAKE A LITTLE OVER 70% OF INTERSECTIONS ACCESSIBLE TO BLIND PEDESTRIANS.

BUT THE PLAINTIFFS ARGUE THE CITY CAN GET ALL THE INTERSECTIONS DONE IN 10 YEARS.

ATTORNEYS REPRESENTING BLIND PEDESTRIANS HERE IN CHICAGO WON A SIMILAR CASE AGAINST NEW YORK CITY A FEW YEARS BACK.

THE REMEDIAL PLAN IN THAT CASE ORDERED NEW YORK TO MAKE 10,000 INTERCEPT INTERSECTIONS ACCESSIBLE WITHIN 10 YEARS.

AND THEN ANOTHER 4,000 OR SO BY THE END OF 15 YEARS.

SO THE PLAINTIFFS SAY THE FACT THAT NEW YORK CITY IS DOING ABOUT 4 TIMES AS MANY INTERSECTIONS WITHIN THE SAME 10 YEAR TIME FRAME, A PROPOSED FOR CHICAGO MEANS THE WINDY CITY CAN ABSOLUTELY GET THIS DONE.

AND HOW LONG HAS THE WINDY CITY HAVE BEEN INSTALLING THESE SIGNALS?

WELL, ATTORNEYS WROTE IN THE FILING THAT THE CITY STARTED INSTALLING APS ON REQUEST IN 2015, CHICAGO STARTED A PILOT PROJECT IN 2016 PROJECT THAT WASN'T PUBLICLY ANNOUNCED FOR ANOTHER 3 YEARS.

BUT COURT DOCUMENTS SHOW THIS ISN'T SOME NEW PROBLEM.

THAT'S JUST COMING TO CHICAGO.

THE TENSION, THE EXHIBITS INCLUDE REQUEST FOR ACCESSIBLE SIGNALS AS FAR BACK AS 2001 IN A STATEMENT TO WTW NEWS, THE CITY TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT ACKNOWLEDGED THE IMPORTANCE OF EXCESS OF PEDESTRIAN SIGNALS, QUOTE, CDOT INCORPORATES APS SIGNALS INTO ALL NEW TRAFFIC SIGNAL INSTALLATIONS, ROADWAY, RECONSTRUCTION, RECONSTRUCTION PROJECTS AND SIGNAL MODERNIZATION PROJECT.

THE DEPARTMENT CURRENTLY HAS 135 INTERSECTIONS WHERE APS IS IN VARIOUS STAGES OF CONSTRUCTION DESIGN A PROCUREMENT AND WILL BE COMMENCING A CITYWIDE RETROFIT PROGRAM, WHICH WE CANNOT COMMENT ON FURTHER DUE TO ONGOING LITIGATION.

NOW THE ATTORNEYS ON BOTH SIDES HAVE SUBMITTED THEIR REMEDIAL PLAN'S.

THEY'LL GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO RESPOND IN COURT FILINGS DUE NEXT MONTH.

AND THEN PARIS.

IT IS IN THE JUDGE'S HANDS.

ALL RIGHT, NICK, MORE TO COME.

THANKS