On Wednesday, a conference about traffic protection enhancements in the 47th Ward was held at Martyrs’. Speakers included Alderman Matt Martin and main of personnel Joshua Mark. The Chicago Division of Transportation, Chicago Protected Ambassadors, Superior Streets Chicago, and Chicago, Bicycle Grid Now! also had information tables for attendees to go after at the occasion.
“We actually want to make absolutely sure that as we’re creating conclusions, we’re prioritizing the basic safety of our most susceptible consumers at susceptible spots and aim to strengthen pedestrian consolation in the course of our community areas,” explained Martin. “Part of how we do that is by way of significant conversations to see what your encounters are in our Ward. We also having a info informed technique in terms of the intersections that are most problematic for residents. We want to make positive we’re participating our local community and focusing on our youth to enable variety and prioritize our assignments.”
A big protection priority for the Ward has been enhancing pedestrian infrastructure on Irving Park next the loss of life of volunteer Peter Paquette, who fatally struck by a distracted driver although trying to cross the road at Hoyne Avenue. Safety enhancements set up on Irving Park west of Ravenswood Avenue involve pedestrian islands, control extensions, new crosswalks and Rectangular Fast Flashing Beacons (RRFB). New infrastructure will keep on to be developed eastward: the crosswalk at Hermitage Avenue will get a new a refuge island, RRFB, and a pedestrian bump out will be included to the east side of Greenview Avenue.
A list of enhancements that have not long ago occur to Clark Avenue between Irving Park Road and Montrose Avenue incorporate protected bike lanes, shortened pedestrian crossings, bus boarding islands, and a decreased, 20mph velocity limit. The bicycle lanes are be control-safeguarded on the east aspect of the road and parking-guarded on the west. Some parking has been taken out from the east facet of Clark Avenue to accommodate these improvements, but CDOT parking counts found only about half the spots have been occupied on a regular foundation.
Another precedence for the 47th was incorporating security actions around educational facilities. Improvements produced to streets and sidewalks all around numerous colleges in the Ward include things like bump outs, bus bulbs, and a new visitors signal. The Ward’s first concrete safeguarded bike lanes had been set up near Lane Tech and DePaul School Prep Substantial Educational facilities.
“We required to say ‘okay, where are the most susceptible pedestrians and residents?’” Martin claimed. “It’s typically our senior centers and around our colleges.” Martin mentioned his staff members worked with these community customers to get suggestions and prioritize initiatives. “I think we are performing along with CDOT and were being in a position to make some truly meaningful advancements in this article.”
CDOT is arranging to resurface Damen Avenue in between Belmont and Addison and numerous bicycle and pedestrian enhancements are section of the task. This involves changing non-compliant ADA ramps, incorporating suppress extensions, and a paint-only dashed bicycle lane. CDOT also ideas to repave Ainslie Street in between Wolcott Avenue and Western Avenue, and Cornelia Avenue involving Paulina Road and Western Avenue.
Mark then took the mic to talk about bike projects coming to the Ward. The lengthy-promised Leland Greenway is last but not least coming, verified by CDOT past week. The installation of this greenway will present a serene and linked bike route from the west conclusion of the Ward all the way to the lake. The challenge involves elevated crosswalks, contraflow bike lanes, and a protected bicycle lane from Lincoln to Western Avenue.
Mark also included transit improvements, including the $20 million Western Brown Line CTA station renovation. Martin and Alderman Andre Vasquez (40th) are pushing for focused bus lanes on Western Avenue—part of a Bus Fast Transit tactic enthusiastically supported by advocates and not too long ago re-embraced by the CTA. While which is not likely to transpire this year, Mark reported the Ward is pushing the town, CDOT, and CTA to use for federal funding for BRT actions.
“They just announced [BRT] funding for Indianapolis,” stated Mark. “We shouldn’t be slipping driving. Even in the Midwest. There are a lot of towns in the country—let by itself the world—that have understood that you want to give dedicated space to buses, so they are substantially more economical and don’t have to get caught in traffic. That’s something that we’re pushing for on Western Avenue and we hope to be in a position to share a lot more.”
When questioned by Streetsblog, Martin said he was happy with turnout at the occasion, that they were being in a position to get by way of a good deal of written content, and experienced “terrific engagement” throughout the Q&A part afterwards.
“There are loads of overlapping improvements to our general public roadways taking into account safety involving pedestrians, bikers, transit, and drivers,” Martin reported. “And we’re operating on a large amount of things simultaneously. Some things may possibly take numerous, a lot of a long time, but I just want [residents] to know that this has been a genuine aim of my business office. That it is an vital assortment of issues for our community. That at any time persons have inquiries, worries, frustrations, with how our streets are functioning, they really should attain out to our place of work. That enter allows us to choose what to aim on and, at the end of the day, what security advancements are community wants.”
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