Traffic Guy

The Traffic Guy Hears...

... that Dempster Street between Dodge and Asbury is looking and feeling very smooth. The new lines have been painted, and it's a pleasure to drive on.

... that the new rates for parking meters in the "outlying" business districts (Central/Green Bay, Main/Chicago and Dempster/Chicago), which were approved last year, are going to go into effect right away; they're doubling, from 25 cents per hour to 50 cents per hour. Look for stickers on these meters when you go to park there, as the time limits may have decreased as the rates increased. The City advises that other meter changes include Lots 38 and 47 at the McGaw YMCA, which will have three-hour limits and 50¢-per-hour rates. Meter rates in Lot 54 along Poplar will increase to 2 Dollars per day for most people, and the time limits have increased to allow customers who park at 5:45 a.m. to pay until 6 p.m. You can call the City's Parking System Division, 847-866-2923, for other information.

... that the City is beautifying the triangle between Ashland and Green Bay at Noyes. They haven't put a "Yield" sign on the spur leading off Green Bay (which TG and others have suggested would improve pedestrians' and bicyclists' peace of mind), but the landscaping should be quite nice. Even moving the pedestrian sign at Noyes just a few feet north would help.

... that City crews have been painting the trademark diamonds on speed humps through town, to warn drivers of what's in the road ahead. Maybe the crews should also paint some of these particularly large patches, which function as speed humps anyway.

... that the City's Christmas tree is all lighted up, after a wobbly start last week that made it list in the wind toward one of the fountains.  Speaking of the tree, TG hears Tony the Tiger attended the tree-lighting ceremony in Fountain Square last week. TG surmises he was visiting Cereality, the new all-day cereal restaurant that just opened in Sherman Plaza.

... that snow parking regulations go into effect on Friday. They're posted on the City's website, available in brochure form at the Civic Center and summarized below. But if you want further information (including, TG would guess, about why the City will not plow alleys), go to the Snow Meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m. tomorrow night in Council chambers at the Civic Center. The City invites "all Evanston community members to find out what they need to know when it snows. Mayor Morton will also honor the District 65 schools whose art classes did such a beautiful job of painting those snow-plow shovels, which until recently adorned the front yard of the Civic Center.

... that these are the snow parking regs, which continue through March 31 of next year: Don't park on snow routes at night; if a snow emergency is declared and you sleep through it, you and possibly your car will suffer the consequences - a fine, plus towing and storage charges. If a snow emergency is declared, pay attention to the signs posted on the residential streets and park on the proper side. - generally, don't park on even-numbered sides on even-numbered days. Remember, if the sign says "no parking," don't park there during the prohibited hours, even if the snow plows have been through. The ban refers to time, not to what is going on in the streets. If your car is towed from a residential street, City crews will try to return it to a place nearby; if it's towed from a snow route, you have to retrieve it (and pay, of course).

Keep your sidewalks clear of snow and ice - this is mandatory after a 4-inch snowfall - and, if you are responsible for keeping parking lots clear, do so without pushing snow into adjacent streets, alleys or sidewalks.

On the kinder, gentler side, snow advice: Dig out the fire hydrant near you and keep it clear, just in case. Clear the walks and steps for frail or older friends and neighbors.

If you need to verify that what's coming down does indeed constitute a snow emergency, you can call 847-864-7669 (that's 847-86-4-SNOW); tune to Cable Channel 16; visit the City's website www.cityofevanston.org; or listen to WPXZ-497 AM Radio 1650. The City's website also features registration for the E-News electronic newsletter that will provide community members with the snow removal status directly to the email addresses. Visit cityofevanston.org/newsletter to sign up.

Direct inquiries and complaints to 847- 866-2940, or email here. One more thing: The City does not use sirens any more to alert us to snow emergencies. If you hear a siren, it's probably Skokie's.

... that there are some other "don'ts" for the holiday season: Don't park in spaces marked for handicapped drivers. It's a tacky thing to do, for one thing, and for another, in the next few weeks, police and others will be vigilant about ticketing violators. Also, locally, the Evanston police will be conducting random seat-belt checks through Sunday.

... that the Alliance for the Great Lakes is leading the opposition to the Coast Guard's proposal to establish 34 live-ammunition sites in the Great Lakes. More than a dozen environmental organizations have joined the Alliance in calling on the Coast Guard to postpone the implementation until more research is done. The organizations sent a letter
to Coast Guard Commander Gustav Wulfkuhle, saying in part, "At a time when regional leaders are rallying around a multi-billion-dollar plan to restore the Great Lakes, the Coast Guard - the Guardians of our Great Lakes - must show leadership to ensure their actions will not result in further degradation." 

The groups are concerned not only about the hazards that live ammunition poses to folks who use the Great Lakes for fishing and recreation but also about the long-term effects of the lead from the bullets, which will sink into the lakes, which, they point out is "a largely closed system in which less than 1 percent of the water is renewed each year."

They say a lot of scientists agree that the Great Lakes "are at the tipping point of ecosystem meltdown. "Some persistent chemicals -- including lead compounds found in bullets -- can enter the food chain at the most basic levels, ending up in humans through the fish we eat and the water we drink.

... Persistent chemicals have been linked to developmental delays in children, attention deficit disorders, impaired immune systems, reproductive disorders, even diabetes and heart disease." For more information see www.greatlakes.org.

From our readers:

TG: Do you know what the small solar panel array on the light pole in the Central Street small City parking lot across the street from the North Branch of the Evanston library is used for?

Oh, and speaking of Central Street, I have noticed an increase in the number and frequency of the CTA/PACE buses, at least at rush hours. -- Leonard Sciarra, AIA, LEED ap

From TG: Regina Lookis of the City's water department said this array powers cell phone transmissions about water usage from customers in the area to the department. "You know we don't have meter readers any more; everything is electronic, which gives quicker and more accurate service, especially when people are having water turned on or shut off when they move in or out." The array seems to be gliding to the east: Ms. Lookis said it used to be on the fire station by Reese, then "too near" the tennis courts at Ackerman Park, so it's ended up near Stewart Avenue.

TG:

Yesterday, one of the Evanston peregrine falcons made a lunch of an also local pigeon in a neighbor's yard,  near Grant and Dodge. I took some photos, which I posted to here -- Larry Sloma

The Traffic Guy thinks ...

... yard waste season ends tomorrow. Are your leaves mulched and protecting your lawn and garden for the winter?

... that the City is doing a wonderful job with its rehabbing of parks. You can tell the ones that have gotten attention. One of the next ones is Adam Perry Park, a pretty little park on Hovland Avenue. It's sure to look great when the redevelopment is done.

... in this holiday frenzy, don't forget to shop Evanston first, and eat, drink and party here, too.