Traffic Guy

The Traffic Guy Hears...

...that construction is coming along on the Howard Street condos.

...that demolition of Fire Station #5, on west Central Street, has begun. That station crew will operate out of Station #1, on Emerson Street. A couple of weeks ago, firefighters were conducting training drills at the Mather on Davis and Hinman, something they often do in a building before it is razed.

...that the City is back to testing its emergency siren at 10 a.m. on the first Tuesday of the month. Other municipalities test their sirens at the same time. It must be the time disasters are least likely to strike. The City advises that if you hear sirens any other time, take shelter immediately. Sirens at those times mean a tornado has been spotted in the area or "because there is an imminent threat to the safety of Evanston community members." The note from the City adds, "The only other time a siren might sound is when the City's is in a snow emergency; but we don't want to discuss snow in summer, do we?"

...that there's movement afoot (apedal?) to ask Governor Rod Blagojevich to sign into law a bill that requires the state to include walkways and bicycle ways with the expansion or reconstruction of any state road in urban areas. The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation calls Senate Bill 314 a "complete streets" bill. We could use that in Evanston. Speaking of bicycles, TG hears that the bike rack for the new Sherman Avenue garage is on the second floor. Who knew? TG hears you can take your bike up and down on the elevator.

...that over at NU, they've begun a "comprehensive redevelopment" the University's north campus lakefront athletic and parking areas. Here's how it will affect Evanstonians and others who enjoy that area: The two existing intramural fields will be redeveloped, with one becoming the new soccer/lacrosse field. NU says the existing lacrosse/soccer field will remain open until the new turf surface is usable. The existing field hockey field will remain in its location.The south intramural field will be shifted slightly to the south. The entire area will be re-seeded and will need to remain closed until the grass fills in, possibly until Spring 2008.A portion of the lakefront walkway that is east of the intramural fields will be closed until the first phase is completed, probably September.The lacrosse/soccer field will be converted to a 410-space parking lot.

Also a section of Tech Drive will be closed until Sept. 28. The asphalt service drive will be replaced pavers on the drive surface and the sidewalk, new landscaping, site lighting and new bike parking (a total of 186 new ones).No mention of whether they're going to fill in part of the lagoon, a plan that caused a ruckus a few years ago.

...that Senator Jeff Schoenberg helped pass Senate Bill 1617, which creates an Emerald Ash Borer (EAB)Revolving Loan Program, which would provide low-interest or interest-free loans to municipalities and counties to assist them in reforestation of trees on public land.

That will help Evanston. As you know, EAB trees are cut down and disposed of immediately - not even the wood chips are available. TG hears there may be a wasp whose larva eat EABs. Bring them on.

...that chairs for the Fourth of July parade can go up beginning at 6 a.m. next Sunday. Remember to use chairs and blanket only and put them only in the parkway - and to remove everything after the parade. The RT staff won't be in the parade this year but we'll be cheering on the side.

...that the U.S. Senate just passed a law requiring automobile makers to increase the mileage of their cars to 35 mpg within the next few years. While that's a step, TG thinks folks ought to pay more for gas, not less. Using all that gas creates pollution,
and we all ought to be taxed accordingly, and the money used to enhance public transportation.

...that the developers of the proposed 49-story tower at 708 Church St. met with City folks for a "pre-application" conference recently. Here's some of the scoop: The developers commissioned a shadow study and found there would be a "long, thin shadow, always moving." The wind study will be pursued further, as will the issue of what do about migratory birds. The "Chicago Lights-Out Program" requires residents to close blinds at 11 p.m. There will be further study on this; it was said that certain types of glass work better than others (mirror reflective is worst), and a little variation would make the building more visible to birds. The developers also said they may use wind-turbine generated power and that there will be 1.1 car-spaces and 1.5 bike-spaces per unit - so it will be somewhat green. But it will be big. They said the base (retail and enclosed parking) is "about as tall as the [former] Marshall Fields building."

From our readers: TG: What's going on with the signal at Church and Ridge? For months (seemed like a year), preparations were underway to replace the free-standing traffic lights with the hanging type - although it was clear that in summer the tree on the northeast corner would block the signals governing cars traveling on Church from view in summer.
Several weeks ago (possibly April?), the replacement lights were finally activated (and sure enough the tree did partially hide them). More recently, new post lights were installed. On June 15, the hanging lights were removed and the new post lights were activated.
What exactly was the point of this exercise? Thanks for any insight. - Liese Dallbauman

From TG: Read on:

TG: There are new traffic signals operating at Ridge and Church and at Ridge and Davis. They seem to be working their way south. St. Francis Hospital is getting painted - one brick at a time. The paint crew is very careful not to get any paint on the mortar between bricks. I'm not sure what was wrong with yellow bricks. The west wall has two lighter stripes about three bricks tall, and the north wall has random bricks a few shades darker. Seems like a lot of bother for a hospital that sends collection agencies after poor people for emergency room use. - Jim Weiland

From TG: Well, maybe the painters remember that part of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" where the young woman stared at a brick wall for days and then was enlightened about what to write. TG will ask the City about the new lights, although few folks over there respond to emails from the RT staff on TG's behalf.

The Traffic Guy Thinks...

...everyone enjoyed the Custer Street Fair (aka Custer's Last Stand Festival of the Arts) and the Fountain Square Art Festival. A word to festival planners, though: If you dun folks for money and won't let them into a festival until they've paid you something, you can't call it a "donation."

...this is an interesting place for a parking ticket.

...that the City has to figure out what function they want Fountain Square to have: a war memorial or a public plaza. The busier Evanston gets, the more incompatible the two will become. TG suggests that, if the City is going to revamp FS into a public plaza, the memorial pillars should be moved to Patriot's Park, where they can join the flagpole base dedicated to the Civil War veterans - or move all the memorials to the Rose Garden. Someone suggested that if the memorials are moved to the boulevard space south of Davis - the location will be known as the "war memorial U-turn."

The original fountain - well, a replica of it - is there, and it's already a place for contemplation. TG hopes, however this is done, that the memorials will be a remembrance of those who served this country and died for it and not a glorification of ward.