Traffic Guy

The Traffic Guy Hears...

... that it's summer slalom season for cars, as drivers try to avoid the raised personhole covers on partly resurfaced streets. Also, where the new curbs are going in, it almost feels like the luge-straight and narrow, don't look, don't swerve. The repairs are paid for through the City's Motor Fuel Tax funds and are expected to be completed by Sept. 5. Also, the tunnel/sewer work continues around town. Don't think of using Orrington north of Emerson, Lake west of Asbury or Maple south of Foster (for the most part) for a while. Also, getting into or out of downtown on Emerson can be a bit slow. Asbury south of Dempster can be stop-and-go. Check the City's website for construction updates: www.cityofevanston.org.

... that the Disabled Services Division of the City's Department of Health and Human Services is again working with the Public Works Department to identify curb ramps in need of replacement, and they would like your help. Submit the following information to Brian Barnes, disabled services specialist, 847-448-8054 or emailstreet corner proposed for replacement, nearest cross street, direction of curb to be replaced (north, west, e.g.) and contact information. Replacing curb ramps at street corners throughout the city ensures that the ramps meet the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG).

... that the City recently codified its plan for bike lanes and bike routes. Remember, the routes are the recommended streets but they may not have specific lanes for the bikes.

... that the City plans to improve the tennis and basketball courts at Mason Park (Church and Florence), Bent Park (Central and Cowper) and Larimer Park (Crain and Oak).

... that the Mather and the old Central Street theater buildings are slated for demolition shortly.

... that the City and IDOT (Illinois Department of Transportation) will undertake repairs to the Emerson Street bridge over the canal, which is owned by the state and termed "substandard." It was constructed in 1961, and at present, trucks weighing more than 15 tons cannot use the bridge (per posted signs). There is an alternate truck route through the City, with signs posted at Emerson and McCormick. You'll see signs for it at Dempster and Dodge, pointing trucks northward again, but there's nothing at Dempster and McCormick to entice trucks to turn east.

But the new bridge will be designed to allow truck loadings up to 180,000 lbs. It will also have 5-foot concrete sidewalks, 5-foot bike lanes separated by a concrete curb and gutter. The plan is also to extend the westbound-Emerson left-turn lane from McCormick "to provide additional vehicle storage," which TG thinks means more cars can hang in the lane to wait for the light. The state is going to pay for everything except street-lighting improvements, so the City estimates its costs will be $80,500.

... that these are the dog days of summer, when Sirius, the brightest star in Canis Major (the Big Dog constellation) shines as the brightest star in the night sky. This time of year Sirius rises and sets with the sun, and the ancients believed that its heat added to the heat of the sun, creating a stretch of hot and sultry weather. They named this period of time, from 20 days before the conjunction to 20 days after, "dog days" after the dog star.

August is also the best time to view the Milky Way, according to "The August Sky Show" at starryskies.com. "Here's what Kathy A. Miles and Charles F. Peters II at starryskies.com say about the Milk Way: "Our ancestors were mesmerized by this band of light stretching across the dark sky. Many Native American tribes thought it was the path which slain warriors followed. The Bushmen of the Kalahari told a story about a time before there were stars in the sky. The night was so dark no one could move about and had to stay in their huts. One small girl, left alone in a hut, could not bear to be so alone. She was visited by a spirit who instructed her to take a ladle of glowing embers outside and to throw them up into the sky. The little girl did so and the embers were changed into the stars and the Milky Way."

And don't forget the Perseid meteor shower on Aug. 12, according to stardate.org.

... that three more sidewalk cafés are in the offing: two for The Italian Coffee Bar, 940 Church St. and 1549 Sherman Ave., and one for "S-Paragon" at 503 Main St.

... that two new "Type 2" (fast food) restaurants could be coming to west Main Street, "Sarpino's Pizza" and "Wing Stop." Also, the Evanston Enterprise Center, 1840 Oak Ave., is expanding its Café Enterprise to include carry-outs.

... that a "desperately needed" boiler might soon be installed on the fifth floor of the parking garage at the Rotary Building, 1560 Sherman Ave.

... the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) received three Platinum Peak Performance Awards from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies; platinum is the highest acknowledgement. The District's Lemont, Stickney and Calumet water reclamation plants received the awards for "outstanding compliance with the national pollutant discharge elimination system permit, which monitors discharge from water reclamation plants." Now if only BP Amoco (the "Amoco" is silent) would care about dumping pollutants in the water.

... Speaking of polluters, TG hears that Citizens for Lake Safety is proposing a boycott of BP. The group says they received more than 500 signatures within the first 48 hours of their posting the proposal on their website (citizensforlakesafety.org). Citizens for Lake Safety is a "working group" of the Illinois Coalition for Peace and Justice, which, in cooperation with groups in other states, managed to make the Department of Homeland Security change its mind about allowing live-target practice (using lead ordnance) on the Great Lakes.

... that, perhaps of interest to those who don't need so much BP or other fuel, the Regional Transportation Authority has moved its customer service center in Chicago from 175 W. Jackson Blvd. to 165 N. Jefferson St. (at Lake Street) in the CTA headquarters building. Reduced-fare applications and replacement permits for seniors (65 and older) and for people with disabilities will be processed in the new location.

From our readers: TG: Please ask police officers to issue tickets to people who ride their bicycles on Ridge Avenue. Apparently they do not see or cannot understand the "No Bicycles" signs posted along Ridge. Perhaps a ticket -and a hefty fine -will make them wake up and choose an alternate route.

The problem is especially bad on weekends, causing increased congestion along the busiest street in Evanston.
-An Evanston resident.

The Traffic Guy thinks...

... that there are some very sharp RoundTable readers out there. One spotted a layout faux pas, where we filled a hole in the fishin' story (which was about legal fishing) with a photo of the NU carp (at NU's lagoon, where it's illegal to fish). Wonder how he knew it was an NU fish?

... that this piece of concrete advice has many uses. Maybe it's the end of re-use, reduce, recycle, or maybe it's a metaphor about the present Attorney General:

... hope everyone is enjoying the rest of the summer, the downtown dancing, the Starlight concerts and the Lake Shore Art fair (those last two, as well as the Ethnic Arts Fest, sponsored in part by you-know-who).