>> THE MOST WIDELY USED TRANSPORTATION ROUTE IN CHICAGO.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SIDEWALKS.

BUT WHEN THEY'RE DAMAGED, HOW AND WHEN THEY GET REPAIRED IS NOT AS STRAIGHTFORWARD AS YOU MIGHT THINK.

IT'S LEADING DISABILITY ADVOCATES AND OTHERS CALLING FOR REFORMS W T TW NEWS INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER JERRY WITH TURKEY JOINS US NOW WITH MORE NOW.

JARED, YOU SPEND MONTHS CHECKING OUT DIFFERENT SIDEWALKS ACROSS CHICAGO IN DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS.

CAN YOU TELL US HOW DOES THE CITY CURRENTLY IDENTIFIED DAMAGED SIDEWALKS?

>> GET THE CITY MAINTAINS ITS SIDEWALKS TO A COMBINATION OF ITS 3, 1, ONE INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM AND INSPECTIONS.

IT MAKES REPAIRS IN EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT THE CITY WAS UNABLE TO TELL ME HOW MUCH OF THE EAST SIDEWALK SYSTEM ACTUALLY NEEDED TO GET REPAIRED, WHICH A HUGE GAP IN KNOWLEDGE.

THEY'RE SORT OF ISSUES CONDITIONS ACROSS THE CITY.

AND THERE ARE PLACES THAT DON'T USE THE 3, 1, 1, SYSTEM KIND OF FURTHERING THE GAPS AND IN CERTAIN PERSONALLY SAW YOURSELF LIKE SOME OF THE SIDEWALKS THAT PEOPLE WERE COMPLAINING ABOUT.

SO ONCE THE CITY IS NOTIFIED OF THE DAMAGE SIDEWALK.

>> HOW IS IT REPAIRED?

YES, SO THE CITY MAINTAINS ITS SIDEWALKS THROUGH A PATCHWORK OF PROGRAMS.

RESPONSIBILITY FALLS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, LOCAL WARD OFFICES AND THE PEOPLE OF THE WORD OFFICES CAN USE MENU MONEY EITHER MAJOR STREETS KEEPING PROGRAMS HAZARDOUS REPAIR THERE'S ALSO PROGRAMS TO PUT HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE RAMPS IN PLACE.

THE MOST POPULAR PROGRAM IS THE SHARED COSTS SIDEWALK PROGRAM.

IT NEARS PLANS AND A LOT OF OTHER ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

YOU THINK OF IT AS I PAY HALF THE CITY PAYS HALF ESSENTIALLY OFFERS DISCOUNTS FOR OLDER RESIDENTS AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.

RESIDENTS GET ABOUT A DAY TO SIGN UP FOR THE PROGRAM.

SO ALMOST AS MANY PEOPLE LEFT OUT OF THE PROGRAM IS GET ACCEPTED FOR MOST YEARS.

AND ALSO YOU ANALYZE CITY DATA ON THE SHARED CARS PROGRAM.

WE TALKED ABOUT A LITTLE BIT WHAT THAT THE DATA SHOW YOU ABOUT WHERE THESE REPAIRS >> ARE TAKING PLACE?

YEAH.

MUCH LIKE THE 3, 1, 1, PARTICIPATION IN THE SHARE COST IS MIXED UP.

AS YOU GO THROUGHOUT THE CITY.

SOME COMMUNITIES USE IT MORE THAN OTHERS.

THERE'S A >> SAYING ABOUT THE CITY THAT ALL MAPS OF CHICAGO ARE, IN FACT, THE SAME APP.

AND I THINK IF YOU LOOK AT SHARED COST, IT HAS A VERY SIMILAR PATTERN THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT, ESSENTIALLY THAT I SORT OF LESS BAD MORE GOOD ON THE NORTH SIDE, IN THE OPPOSITE ON THE SOUTH AND WEST SIDES.

SO YOU GET A LOT OF DIFFERENCE THERE THE FACTORS WITH THE HIGHER INCOME COMMUNITIES KIND OF DRIVE THIS A LITTLE BIT FURTHER.

YOU GET MORE SINGLE-FAMILY HOME OWNERSHIP AND INCOME THAT KIND OF DRIVE THESE FACTORS WHERE COMMUNITIES NORWOOD PARK, HAVE A LOT HIGHER USAGE IN THE PROGRAM.

WERE OTHER COMMUNITIES DON'T YOU SEE A LOT AWAY MORE USE ON THE NORTH SIDE THAN THAN THE SOUTH AND WEST SIDES.

MOST OBVIOUS REASON IS OBVIOUSLY MONEY.

I MEAN, IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO SPEND ON THE SHARED COST SIDEWALK PROGRAM AND THOSE SORT OF BENEFITS AREN'T GOING TO COME TO YOU.

AND I THESE PROBLEMS IMPACT PEOPLE WITH VARYING DEGREES OF DISABILITIES ACROSS THE CITY AND TALKING ABOUT CHANGE.

WILL POTENTIAL REFORMS HAVE ADVOCATES AND OFFICIALS PROPOSED SO >> MANY VIEW THIS PROGRAM IS KIND PLACING TOO HIGH OF A PRIORITY >> TRANSPORTATION BY A ROAD AND LESS SO ON A SMALL INCREASE IN FUNDING FOR SIDEWALKS WOULD MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE.

ACCORDING TO A TON OF THE PEOPLE I'VE TALKED TO THE OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL RECENTLY ISSUED A REPORT THAT SAID SERVICE BASED REQUESTS ARE KIND A PROBLEMATIC AND THAT THEY DELIVER SERVICE UNEVENLY AND NOT EFFICIENTLY POINTED TO WAYS THAT A PROGRAM LIKE SHARED COSTS THAT WASN'T SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE SIDEWALK ISSUE.

COULD LOOK AT THE SIDEWALKS TO GET AN IDEA OF WHAT THE CONDITIONS WERE THEY COULD FIX PROBLEMS BEFORE THEY START TO TALK TO AN ALDERMAN WHO SAID THAT MAY BE A GREAT BASE SYSTEM WOULD BE A BETTER WAY OF DOING THIS RATHER THAN RELYING ON COSTS.

AND THIS WOULD BE A ONE WAY TO BRING COMMUNITIES INTO THE SYSTEM TO GET KIND OF BETTER TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM FOR THE SYSTEM THAT PEOPLE USE MOST ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE CITY.

WELL, THANK YOU, GERRI, FOR