Update: The South Council of Mayors / SSMMA Complete Streets and Trails Plan was approved by the SSMMA Executive Committee in June 2017.
The South Council of Mayors, housed at the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association (SSMMA), is one of 11 subregional councils established by CMAP to provide local input into the transportation planning process, facilitate communication between local governments, establish priorities for the local Surface Transportation Program, and implement programmed projects. The South Council is composed of 35 municipalities in South Cook and Southeast Will Counties.
In 2008, SSMMA completed its first bicycle plan, which has guided member communities in their efforts to improve conditions for bicycling and increase the number of persons who choose to bicycle for both recreation and transportation in the south suburbs. Since the plan's adoption, several member communities have completed bicycle and active transportation plans and, in some cases, constructed new bicycle facilities. New approaches to design and policy have also emerged to support non-motorized transportation. Lastly, the 2008 plan was exclusively focused on bicycling and did not directly address walking or non-motorized access to transit.
The CMAP Local Technical Assistance program is assisting SSMMA and the South Council to build on these earlier efforts and develop a Complete Streets and Trails Plan. This plan will update and expand the 2008 SSMMA Bicycle Plan for the South Council of Mayors area, identifying priority regional corridors and making planning-level recommendations for improving pedestrian conditions and access to public transit along them. In addition, the plan will outline a process for incorporating recommendations into the Surface Transportation Program which may include performance-based measures. The final phase of the planning process will be to identify several communities where a Complete Streets policy would be desirable, and conduct outreach activities to help them move toward adoption of a Complete Streets policy with the assistance of the Active Transportation Alliance.
