Traffic Guy

The Traffic Guy Hears...
... that there are new bike lanes along Church and down Dodge so far (at least so far as TG knows) as part of the City's comprehensive bike plan. This is a good place to start - so kids (well, any of us) can bike to the high school.

... that the newest parks cited for repair are Torgerson and Foster Field. The field is owned by District 65 but the City gets to maintain it. City Council has decided to postpone approving money for the Crown Park tennis courts until after they find out the future of the building. But they really didn't need to do that, says Doug Gaynor, superintendent of Parks/Forestry and Recreation, because the tennis courts won't be relocated even if the building is. As you recall, the ground under the building is slowly shifting and sinking.

... that we're getting new restrooms at Lighthouse Landing. They won't be designed to comport with the history and character of Evanston, as the lakefront master plan suggested, but they will be ADA accessible - TG just hopes they won't be too tacky.

... that the City is selling four police vehicles and a fire vehicle at the Lake County auction on Dec. 1. It is also replacing one of its tired old SUVs with a hybrid and replacing a fire department van with a crew-cab pickup - getting greener.

... Speaking of green and fire stuff, TG hears that some of the folks at the Administration and Public Works Committee meeting last week seemed to think that part of the "green" in the new fire station (under construction on west Central Street) was money - seems some of the project folks are charging to come to extra City meetings.

... that, starting tomorrow, we can buy our 2008 vehicle stickers on line through the City's website, www.cityofevanston.org. The online service, provided by Credentials Order Processing Services, Inc., accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express cards and charges a convenience fee for each sticker ordered. But folks who also need residential parking permits will not be able to take advantage of the online service. You can also get the vehicle stickers through the mail or in the City Collector's Office and Parking Systems, both located in Civic Center, 2100 Ridge Ave. You have to purchase and display them by Jan. 11, 2008. Call 847- 866-2926 or e-mail finance@cityofevanston.org. Senior citizens are eligible for a 50-percent discount if they meet income qualifications.

... that the police Department has partnered with the Children's Hospital of Illinois and the Illinois Department of Transportation (Division of Traffic Safety) in the expansion of the "Be A Buckle Buddy!" program. Anyone who sees a child not buckled up can call a statewide, toll-free hotline - 888-800-2642 or "333" from a Verizon cell phone - to leave a message detailing the license plate, vehicle description, date, time and location the unbuckled child was seen. The registered owner of the vehicle will then receive an informational packet explaining the violation and corrective ways to comply with the Illinois state law regarding child passenger safety. Since its inception, "Be A Buckle Buddy!" has educated more than 1,250 families throughout Illinois. In conjunction with this program, the Evanston Police Department provides Evanston residents with free child-seat installation instruction assistance; call 847-866-5064 to schedule an appointment.

... that the reason Fountain Square has not yet been repaired is that apparently no one wants to repair it. The City put out one RFP and got no response, so they're trying again.

... that folks driving west on Washington from Chicago Avenue recently could go only about one block. At the Custer/Washington intersection there is a "Do Not Enter" sign, forcing drivers to go either north or south - ordinarily an acceptable range of choices. But there are "Road Closed" signs to the north and the south, because of the sewer repairs. And while the signs also say "Local Traffic Only," backhoes and bobcats and other fearsome machinery blocked even the local traffic. TG suggests a sign at Chicago and Washington warning traffic away altogether.

...that middle-school kids have finished painting the snowplow blades and they are lined up in front of the Civic Center for folks to see. The City again asked the students to paint the plows as a reminder to all of us that winter is coming. This year's theme was "Save Our Trees."

... that a professor of civil engineering at the University of
Arizona has come up with a carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer that can be epoxied onto bridge girders to reinforce weak spots (such as were found in the I-35 bridge). Hamid Saadatmanesh, the inventor said in a recent issue of Scientific American Mind that it works like a Band-Aid - no rivets and not a lot of time or money. The fiber (Carbonwrap) costs $16 per pound. Since a recent study by the American Society of Civil Engineers (the S.A.M. article said) found about 160,000 bridges are either "structurally deficient or functionally obsolete," this could be a life- and cost-saver. Think Emerson Street bridge.

... that these new banners along Custer Avenue invite everyone to come down and look at the interesting architecture and fun parks and meet the fine folks in south Evanston.

... it's Halloween, so watch out for the little goblins and princesses scurrying to your door between 4 and 7 p.m. tonight.