Traffic Guy

The Traffic Guy Hears...

... that the traffic lights at Asbury and Emerson have been out for a few weeks now. The red lights blink, making the intersection a 4-way stop, a lovely bit of congestion during rush hours, since the block between Emerson and Ridge is fairly short. TG wonders if the light change is because of the construction nearby and hopes that the City is being reimbursed for the trouble.

... that street resurfacing is coming along pretty well. TG notices shiny new street segments from one end of town to another. The sewer projects continue, though. Don't count on going anywhere on Lake Street west of Asbury.

… that the City is installing a new fire alarm system in the Robert Crown Center – a requisite of DCFS since there are pre-school programs there.

Speaking of fires, the City is looking to improve fire safety at North Shore Towing, 2527 Oakton, by providing access for the fire department to the rear of the property in case of emergencies. Fire department representatives pointed out that the property has had two very bad fires and there is fire-truck access only from Oakton. A faster route with increased maneuverability is proposed, allowing fire trucks to drive from Fire Station #4 on Washington and Dodge to Main Street and enter the property on Main Street, taking the proposed drive straight through to the fire. There are four water sources on the property.

… that the City plans to have the  public art sculpture "The Sea of the Ear-Ring" installed at Sherman Plaza in time for Arts Week. The 15-foot-tall piece, which is painted red in the model, will be installed this month and painted on-site. We've been promised that the piece has been certified by a structural engineer for safety and will not bounce in extreme wind.

… that last month provided us Illinoisans with extremes of precipitation – almost 11.5 inches up here, more than 7 inches above normal and topping the 11.02 that fell in 1987. The summer (June-Aug.) averaged just above 20 inches for the northeastern Illinois area – about 8 inches above normal. The Chicago Botanic Garden received 12.6 inches of rain in August. Far southern Illinois south of I-64 received only 1.40 inches, 1.91 inches below normal. All this is based on "preliminary data" from state climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey (http://www.sws.uiuc.edu), a division of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

With all that rain, nonetheless, the City is in such good shape, sewerly speaking, that it has dissolved its Flood and Pollution Control Commission, which was established in 1975 "for the purpose of improving the City's sewer system as a means of preventing flooding events which had damaged property and created health hazards in the City." A memo from Dave Stoneback, superintendent of the Water and Sewer Division, stated, "With the implementation of the Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (TARP) by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, the discharge of storm water to the canal has greatly decreased" – the canal locks were opened only once since 2002.

And more: Since 1991, 34 construction projects entailed the installation of approximately 50 miles of new sewer mains and the replacement of six miles of existing combined sewer mains – at a cost of $211 million. Now that the final contract on this project has been awarded, the Council voted to dissolve the Commission and thank the citizens and aldermen who served on it.

... that some residents on Lincoln Street who voted against having their alley paved because they thought the paved alley would attract more traffic have now found that the City had to install speed bumps in the alley. TG has frequently questioned the wisdom of spending money to fill potholes in streets and alleys only to create "reverse potholes," such as speed bumps and speed humps.

… that, with the beaches officially closed but still attractive, the City has designated official swimming hours and beach hours for all beaches, to wit: Swimming hours at all beaches: 10:30 a.m.- 8 p.m. from the first Saturday after the close of the regular District 65 school year through July 31. From Aug. 1 though Labor Day, swimming hours are 10:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Beach hours 6 a.m.-11 p.m. daily. Fishing is allowed from the north and south walkways at the Church Street boat ramp 5 a.m.-11 p.m. April-October.

… that the City is planning to assume jurisdiction and responsibility for maintenance of two street segments in extreme northeast Evanston after they have been repaired: Sheridan Road from Isabella north to the City limit and Isabella from Bryant to the Ridge/Sheridan intersection.     

… that the City is sending surveys to a random sample of 3,000 Evanstonians to find out their experiences with City services – the quality of the services and their usefulness.
From our readers:

TG: GROOOAAANN !!  You've been had by the infamous "Mars chain e-mail."! 
I'm an avid amateur sky watcher and I've seen this bogus Mars e-mail every summer (especially in August), since 2004. Imagine my surprise to now see the same, more or less, e-mail in the RoundTable, giving the hoax unneeded legs. Oh well, you live and learn, eh? Below are just a few of the many links that can fully explain the genesis of
the Mars sham far better than I.

Correction – I used to be an avid sky watcher (in Evanston). But that's been drastically cut back since February, and the introduction of the "new and improved", GLARING, #!&*$%!!, streetlights!  Who needs to read a book outdoors at night, I ask.
website 1
website 2
website 3
– Larry Korcyl

From TG: Thanks, Mr. Korcyl. TG was as red in the face as you-know-which planet.

TG: In the latest issue you wrote regarding the question of why the Metra overpass at Emerson, Ridge and Green Bay appeared to be wrapped in beige cloth. I remember hearing that this was done to discourage the resident flock of feathered rats (pigeons to some) from using the support beams' crevices as nesting boxes. It does seem to have been at least partially successful. – Jean Woodman

From TG: Thanks, Ms. Woodman. Did you all see the report that pigeon guano (TG knows that is an incorrect euphemism) was partly to blame for weakening the infrastructure in the Minneapolis bridge collapse?

TG: I'm an Evanston crossing guard, and I have some advice for drivers now that school has reopened:    
 1) If you see a yellow flasher working, slow down. The law states that even if you don't see children, you are required to reduce speed to 20 mph in that school zone. And school kids are great "darters." Be aware!
2) Don't decide to make up lost time by speeding immediately after the last kid has crossed. Kids are known to turn on a dime when they realize that they have left their homework or a sibling back at school.
3) Allow the crossing guard to return to the sidewalk before you start through the intersection. If I wanted "FORD" on my body I'd have it tattooed, not imprinted by a hurrying motorist's hood.

From TG: Thanks for this very important information. Slowing down, looking for darting kids (because they may not be looking for cars) and giving the crossing guard some space are all important. Since you did not wish to have your name in the paper, this can be from every crossing guard in the City.

The Traffic Guy thinks ...

... that it's too bad that Wolfgang Puck's on Church Street is closing. Apparently, their sign said, the costs of doing business here were too great for them to deliver the quality they wished.

… that some people have suggested the high taxes in Evanston will make them leave. But with the new real estate transfer tax, maybe no one will buy our houses. TG envisions welcoming Hotel Californiaesque banners on Chicago north of Howard, at all the canal bridges and at the Emerson/Ridge/Greenbay viaduct: "You can check out any time, but you
can never leave.