Traffic Guy

The Traffic Guy Hears...

... that lots of alums were back in town for NU's homecoming last weekend, and the businesses were ready for them.

... that a truck knocked over the traffic control cabinet at the Dempster/Dodge intersection last week, screwing up the traffic signals, making the place a four-way stop and provoking a rash of extreme politeness as folks waited their turn. The City's transportation division got everything fixed by last weekend.

... that the City has initiated a three-month "pay-by-space" pilot program at City-owned parking lot 24, 700 Main St. The system allows parkers to pay by coin, currency, credit cards and debit cards. Park at one of the 31 spaces, and then go to the money-taking unit and pay. Now, here are a few things to make this lot even more convenient to use: You don't have to take the ticket with you or return immediately to put up the stub; the instructions are in English and Spanish; and the system runs on solar energy. The Main Street Merchants Association hopes the system will bring more customers. Try it out and the give the City folks your feedback by e-mailing or calling Rick Voss, 847-448-8116. The pilot program will continue through the end of the year.

... that again this year the City has invited Evanston school students in fourth grade or above to paint snowplows. It's the P.E.P. (Paint Evanston's Plows) contest. It's designed, say the City folk, to increase the public's awareness of the upcoming snow season (as if last week's weather wasn't enough of a harbinger). The theme for this year is "Save Our Trees, Recycle Paper." The plows should already be at the participating schools, to be picked up on Oct. 24 and go on display for public voting Oct. 25-30.

... that the City's traffic signals help improve traffic congestion, fuel efficiency and air quality, according to a group of transportation associations known as the National Transportation Operations Coalition (NTOC). The 2007 National Traffic Signal Report Card, issued today by NTOC, gave the City of Evanston a grade of "C." The nation as a whole scored a grade of "D." John Burke, the City's transportation director, expects the City's grades to further exceed national averages in the near future, as we upgrade our signals to state-of-the-art, interconnected, demand-responsive systems. He also points out that the report card grades were based on 2006 signal conditions and operations, and that since then we've upgraded 26 intersections (we have 100 signals altogether). Mr. Burke also says these improvements "will not only improve safety, but dramatically reduce vehicle delay and air pollution." In other words, if the signals are connected with each other and they are programmed to change when there is traffic waiting ("demand- responsive") there should be less waiting time and ergo, less pollution. Does that mean less road rage, decreased honking and more civility? TG fondly hopes. NTOC estimates that poor traffic signal timing accounts for five to ten percent of all traffic delay or 295 million vehicle-hours of delay on major roadways alone.

... that the efficient folks in Japan have come up with a way to make square watermelons. They're grown in little glass boxes to come out the right shape, and they're much easier to pack and store. Does that mean the end to watermelon balls?

Wonder when they'll come up with square pumpkins.

... that the Ig Nobel prizes were given out recently. Here are some of the winners, according to the website www.improb.com: In medicine to Brian Witcombe and Dan Meyer for their treatise "Sword Swallowing and Its Side Effects." In chemistry to Mayu Yamamoto of the International Medical Center of Japan, for developing a way to extract vanillin - vanilla fragrance and flavoring - from cow dung. N.B., Toscanini's Ice Cream, the finest ice cream shop in Cambridge, Mass., created a new ice cream flavor in honor of Mayu Yamamoto, and introduced it at the Ig Nobel ceremony. The flavor is called "Yum-a-Moto Vanilla Twist." Juan Manuel Toro, Josep B. Trobalon and Nuria Sebastian-Galles, of Universitat de Barcelona won the prize in linguistics for showing that rats sometimes cannot tell the difference between a person speaking Japanese backwards and a person speaking Dutch backwards. Glenda Browne of Blaxland, Blue Mountains, Australia, won the prize in linguistics for her study of the word "the" - and of the many ways it causes problems for anyone who tries to put things into alphabetical order. (Librarians, applaud now.) And, move over, Al: The Air Force Wright Laboratory in Dayton won its own peace prize for instigating research and development on a chemical weapon - the so-called "gay bomb" - that will make enemy soldiers become sexually irresistible to each other.

From our readers:  TG: This morning I watched an 18-wheeler flatbed truck run over a street light on the north-west corner of Main and Ridge. The truck was turning from southbound Ridge to westbound Main and used some of the sidewalk to get there. Does the City ever pursue careless truckers and others for the damage they do? Had anyone been standing on the corner waiting to cross they could easily have been killed. (Two workers in the City's Public Works Department vests watched it happen from the south side of the street.) The truck had Indiana plates on an orange cab, but I wasn't able to note its license number. Is this something the City is interested in pursuing? Thanks.

From TG: Here is a reply from Tom Twigg, senior traffic engineer with the City:

The City is always interested in recouping costs associated with hit-and-run damages to City property. We rely on Evanston residents and other vehicle drivers to report any information they witness, from a hit-and-run vehicle, to the Evanston Police Department. Every year the City loses thousands of dollars in damages by hit-and- runs to traffic signals, street lights, traffic signs and other City property. We encourage anyone with information to forward it on to the Evanston Police Department for investigation. - Tom Twigg, Senior Traffic Engineer - Operations Division of Transportation, City of Evanston

TG: How do we lobby to have the green arrows returned to the traffic lights at Main Street and Ridge? I have personally seen two accidents, three near misses and have experienced one case of road rage at this intersection since they put in the new traffic lights. Perhaps you have already dealt with this situation in the paper, but the problem does not seem to be getting better with time.

Thanks for your help, Karen (20-year Evanston resident)

From TG: Here are a similar question and the answer from the City that were printed in this column here on July 25. "TG: Since the City put in new traffic lights on Ridge, there is no longer a left-turn arrow at either southbound Ridge and Main or southbound Ridge and Oakton. What gives? - W. Karpus"

From TG: A lot of thought went into the changes that prompted your question. Rajeev Dahal of the City's transportation division said the original reconfiguration, in which northbound and southbound traffic proceeded separately, caused east-west traffic congestion that spilled over into the neighborhoods. The solutions were to widen the road (not an option) or to change the timing plan (the chosen solution). Now, northbound and southbound traffic both have the same green light, and some of the "green time" that was saved can be used by southbound traffic for left turns. The City's traffic guys also found that more northbound traffic than southbound use the left-turn signals, so they left those in place. The remainder of the saved green-time was given to the east-west traffic, to lessen the congestion there. TG suggests that you contact the following people to see if something can be done: your alderman, City Manager Julia Carroll and Public Works Director David Jennings. The general City number is 847-328-2100; visit www.cityofevanston.org
for direct phone numbers and for phone numbers of aldermen.

TG: Recall the email I sent you (that you published) about the invisible billboard on Green Bay Road near Simpson? I've been relentless in informing companies buying space on that billboard of the invisibility. It appears that Clear Channel Outdoor has come up with a solution that works, but only for them. For quite some time the sign on the billboard has had an advisory to help a group that takes in used cars for the blind. Maybe I'm being cynical, but it seems this would be a perfect way to claim a charity tax write-off for Clear Channel. After all, they are probably offering it for free to this charitable group. The charitable group is denied the viewers that it should have along Green Bay Road, but how can they complain of a freebie? They are receiving nothing but they are paying nothing for it. Ironic, isn't it - that a charity for the blind has a sign up where it cannot be seen. Those folks at Clear Channel appear to be good at making the best of a bad location. - Clif Brown

From TG: TG knows that area and  that billboard. Wish the City would just  get rids of all the billboards, or maybe charge an additional annual "eyesore tax" on each one.

The Traffic Guy thinks ...

... that, in re those Ig Nobel prizes: Thank goodness the RT searches for truth and the finest chocolate. Can you imagine the layers of metaphor and irony if we were looking for truth and the finest vanilla?

... that Arts Week was a wonderful success - truly one of the great things the City of Evanston, and all the creative citizenry. Perhaps this icon from the 1245 Chicago building "We see art" should apply year round.

Happy Halloween, everybody.