As part of an ongoing initiative to make Chicago streets safer, the Chicago Department of Transportation is partnering with Arity, a tech subsidiary of Allstate Insurance that collects billions of miles of sensor data from smartphones and vehicles, the city announced Wednesday.
Through the partnership, CDOT will have access to Arity data on Chicago streets that will help it accurately identify crash-prone locations and share crash data with the public. The partnership is part of a larger project called Vision Zero that the city has been working on over the last year.
“Working with CDOT to achieve Vision Zero hits close to home for our entire team at Arity. This partnership gives us the chance to make transportation smarter, safer, and more useful for everyone in our backyard,” said Arity President Gary Hallgren in a statement. “Using the power of data and analytics will enable CDOT to prioritize traffic safety resources, investments in infrastructure and identify where critical road improvements are needed. Together we’re improving road safety in Chicago.”
Since the Vision Zero project started, the city says it has completed more than 90 pedestrian safety improvement projects and has 200 more scheduled for this year. Its also installed 16 miles of new bikeways and worked with the Chicago Transit Authority to plan train station upgrades. Vision Zero is based on an international movement that addresses traffic safety.
In addition to announcing the Arity partnership on Wednesday, the city said CDOT is also launching an initiative with help from the Chicago Police Department to make the city’s online open data portal more transparent by making crash data available within days of a crash. It will include citywide crash information dating back to 2017, and 2015 for some districts.
Through these combined efforts, the city says it aims to eliminate deaths and serious injuries from traffic crashes by 2026. Data collected over the last year helped to idenfity 43 high crash corridors. Seven of the eight are on the West and South Sides of the city. The other one is downtown.
And based on data the city collects through its new initiatives, the information could help them identify what risk factors make particular roadways more dangerous, and help determine which infrastructure improvements need to be prioritized.
“We know our goal is ambitious, but we must do everything within our power to avert these terrible tragedies that occur every day on our streets,” said CDOT Commissioner Rebekah Scheinfeld in a statement. “These new data sharing initiatives will support more detailed analysis of driver behavior and help us prioritize resources as we work toward our goal of making Chicago’s streets safer for everyone who uses them.”
To view the city’s full plan, go here.
