The Tribune Editorial Board’s argument against lowering Chicago’s speed limit from 30 mph to 25 mph (“Drive safe, but we don’t need a blanket speed limit change. Alders should vote no on La Spata ordinance,” Jan. 15) misses the mark on several crucial points and skims over the lifesaving benefits of this proposed change. The editorial fails to mention the examples of other cities implementing lower speed limits. Cities such as New York; Portland, Oregon; Boston; Seattle; Minneapolis; and even nearby Oak Park and Evanston have already lowered their speed limits to 25 mph with success. New York, for instance, has seen a drop in yearly pedestrian fatalities since lowering its speed limit to 25 mph. The editorial’s emphasis on drivers receiving tickets for going 27 mph or 28 mph on a road with a 25 mph speed limit is misleading. The city’s speed cameras issue tickets only for speeds 6 mph or more over the posted limit. It’s important to note that the proposed change is not about generating revenue or “criminalizing” drivers, as the editorial suggests. Rather, it’s about creating a safer environment for all road users — people walking, biking and driving. Data shows that a person struck by a vehicle traveling at 20 mph has more than a 90% chance of survival, compared with only a 60% chance at 30 mph. This significant difference in survival rates underscores the potential lifesaving impact of lower speed limits. According to the Chicago Department of Transportation, 68% of traffic fatalities in 2023 involved speeding. By lowering the default speed limit, we would create a culture of slower, safer driving that could help prevent these tragedies. The toll of speeding is tremendous. The trauma ripples into our neighborhoods in lasting ways: lost family members, classmates, teachers and coworkers. Victims and their families experience lost wages, financial instability and medical debt. There’s also the strain on the health care system and emergency responders, and resulting costs to communities. These tragic incidents disproportionately affect children, seniors, individuals with disabilities and people of color. The disparity is particularly stark for Black Chicagoans, who face more than double the risk of traffic-related fatalities compared with their white counterparts. Lowering the speed limit to 25 mph is a proven, effective strategy for improving road safety and saving lives. This small change in Chicago would have an outsize impact on the safety and quality of life in our city. — Amy Rynell, executive director, Active Transportation Alliance, Chicago Follow rules of the road I agree with the Tribune Editorial Board that lowering the speed limit for the whole city would not be in the best interest of all citizens. Obviously, we are all concerned with pedestrian and bicycle safety. However, pedestrians and bicyclists need to obey the rules of the road that apply to them. Pedestrians who jaywalk, cross against the light and walk with their phones in their faces seem not to be concerned with their own safety. Likewise, bicyclists who run red lights and stop signs, make right or left turns from the wrong lane, ride outside their bike lane and ignore bike traffic signals are just asking for trouble. Why put the responsibility solely on the drivers? Pedestrians and bicyclists need to act as responsibly as the people driving cars. However, if the only reason City Hall wants to lower the speed limit is to increase the number of speeding tickets and thus revenue, why not just say so and collect the money? Maybe Mayor Brandon Johnson would be able to finally balance the budget. — Michael Smith, Chicago Lake Shore Drive speeds Regarding the editorial on Ald. Daniel La Spata’s idea to impose a 25 mph speed limit citywide, I couldn’t agree more. How about enforcing the 45 mph speed limit on DuSable Lake Shore Drive? The wink/nod speed limit on the drive now is somewhere between 55 mph and 65 mph. An additional benefit would also be not having to replace all the existing speed limit signs. Also, there are plenty of light poles along the drive for speed cameras, and there are many ramps for Chicago patrol cars.  And the city would not have to spend $2.5 million on citywide speed limit sign replacement. It would be a win-win, right? — Russ Haak, Park Ridge Steering away from cliff Thank you for the excellent summary of the Civic Federation report on Chicago Public Schools finances (“CPS on ‘financial brink,’ Civic Federation report says,” Jan. 14). It’s time to ask: Are the local, democratic institutions of our city and state capable of addressing the pressing financial issues of CPS? The robust evidence indicates they may not. The well-documented financial perils of CPS are widely known. The credit rating agencies are circling, knowing that the city and school district are running out of one-time funding sources. Perhaps the Chicago Teachers Union has done the city a favor by advancing its outrageous contract demands, accelerating fundamental change. The Civic Federation’s recommendations suggest an orderly but forceful multiyear action plan to address operations, finances and state funding advocacy. Facing a total $1 billion budget deficit over the next two years, CPS does not have the luxury of time. Alternatively, the state could assert its role by reinvoking the 1980 Chicago School Finance Authority, as cited by the Tribune. Unfortunately, this is a different era, with the state confronting its own $3 billion budget deficit and pension shortfall and debt obligations exceeding $220 billion, close to the gross national product of Greece. The threat of insolvency and court-appointed management is real. Based on my own experience, it would be a long, costly and uncertain journey. The state’s limit on city bankruptcies is a mere speed bump, given the magnitude of the issues. It’s time to peer over the CPS financial cliff, consider the terrible alternatives that diminish the roles of our institutions and act. — Steve Eastwood, Chicago Stop the grandstanding As Chicagoans suffer through an endless blame game surrounding the teachers contract negotiations, Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates seems to want all the attention but not the accountability. Davis Gates is the lead puppeteer for the union and the mayor and chief antagonist to Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez, and her mean-spirited grandstanding is little more than a series of contrived media stunts. Hurling a barrage of insults and divisive hyperbole, she is exploiting these very complex, emotional negotiations to distract, delay and fuel conflict — all at the expense of teachers’ livelihoods and students’ education. End the finger-pointing. It’s unproductive and a smokescreen for inaction. Put egos, showmanship and petty politics in the rearview mirror. It’s time to get to reasonable solutions through collaboration and contract closure through good faith negotiation and, most importantly, make classrooms the focal point for exceptional education for Chicago’s kids. — Lindsay Resnick, Chicago Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email [email protected].