Those speed humps can be annoying, but do they make streets safer?
Chicago has relied on speed humps — yes, humps — for decades. While they’ve proven effective they’re not the only way to slow speeding drivers.
Listen — 18:30
Shows
Curious City
Get the podcast
Get the podcast
Follow
About
WBEZ’s Curious City series is an ongoing news experiment at WBEZ, online and on the radio dial around Chicago at 91.5 FM. Its mission is to include the public in editorial decision-making, make journalism more transparent and strengthen multimedia coverage about Chicago, the surrounding region and its people (past or present).
Curious City airs on Thursdays during All Things Considered on WBEZ
Recent
![]()
What’s up with all those billboard ads for lawyers?
From commuter traffic to copycat behavior, here are six reasons why lawyers advertise on billboards along the Illinois-Indiana highways.
![]()
Listen — 18:51Think you know Chicago movie location trivia? Take this quiz to find out.
From chase scenes to breakups, Chicago has been the background for all kinds of movies and TV shows.
![]()
Listen — 26:09Some Chicago restaurants have served split pea soup on the same day for 40 years
At diner after diner, one listener noticed split pea soup was served on Wednesdays. It turns out he was onto something.
![]()
Listen — 15:24A ghostly tale about an Illinois road is likely based on a tragic crash in Utah
The haunting of Munger Road in Illinois involves a bus accident and tiny hand prints of children. But where did the story come from?
![]()
Listen — 23:30Independent Black cinema got its start on Chicago’s South Side
William Foster was the first Black director to make a film with an all-Black cast. But most people have never heard of him. This is his story.
![]()
Listen — 22:00The Lotería doors in Pilsen speak to the neighborhood’s past and present
Different artists have painted a series of murals on doors along 18th Street, inspired by the classic Lotería game.
![]()
Listen — 38:13These buildings made it through the fire but didn’t survive Chicago’s development
A mansion, a bohemian club and a commercial building in the Loop all survived the Great Chicago Fire, but were ultimately torn down.
![]()
Listen — 18:12The Complicated History Of Religious Exemptions To Vaccines
While resistance to vaccine mandates goes back 200 years, state laws allowing for religious exemptions were rare until the 1960s.
![]()
Listen — 21:19Why Are Cicadas So Loud?
Cicadas are known for their loud, shrill noises that never seem to stop. But are they louder than usual this year?
![]()
Listen — 16:11
