Small improvements for people walking in Lincoln Park

by Michelle Stenzel

We're eagerly waiting for the re-paved Lincoln Avenue to materialize, and when it does, I'll be sure to post "after" pictures. In the mean time, I noticed a few small improvements made lately in the neighborhood.

There are new "Stop for Pedestrian" signs installed on Armitage, at Mohawk Street and at Cleveland Avenue:

New "Stop for Pedestrian"signs on Armitage at Cleveland. (Photo: Bike Walk Lincoln Park)

The signs are on both crosswalks, alongside the zebra-stripe markings. These intersections are "uncontrolled", which means that there is no stop sign or red light for drivers. 

I also noticed new faux-brick stamped crosswalks at the intersection of Clark and Webster:

New crosswalks on Webster at Clark Street. (Photo: Bike Walk Lincoln Park)

This is a very busy intersection, especially before school starts at neighboring Francis Parker School. It's nice to see the fresh striping, paint and stamped asphalt. Families with kids at the school and all the neighborhood people likely appreciate the increased visibility of the crosswalks.

I'm walking here! Improving the Halsted and Armitage intersection

by Michelle Stenzel

One of our goals this year for Bike Walk Lincoln Park is to continue to encourage Alderman Michele Smith to use a portion of our ward's $1.2 million in annual menu funds to improve conditions for people walking, and we decided the best way to do that is to evaluate one important intersection or stretch of street at a time. The plan for each location is to observe and document current conditions, and produce written recommendations for Alderman Smith to use when planning infrastructure upgrades for the year. The changes we'll be suggesting are all tools included in Chicago's Pedestrian Plan (download the plan from the official website here).

We evaluated the sidewalks and crosswalks at the intersection of Armitage and Halsted.
(Photo: Bike Walk Lincoln Park)

In gray and damp weather this past weekend, BWLP Co-Chair Michael Reynolds and I tackled the first intersection: Halsted and Armitage. This is an important intersection for pedestrians at all times of day, on weekday and weekends, largely due to the CTA Brown line stop three blocks to the west, two active bus lines, nearby shopping and dining destinations, density of residences in the area, and the location of Lincoln Park High School two blocks to the east. 

More ---->

Pedestrian signs are taking a beating but are still working well

by Michelle Stenzel

The Stop For Pedestrians crosswalk signs went up in Lincoln Park about seven months ago, in July 2012. You may have noticed that they've already taken a beating. Many are scratched and bent, and I  presume that it's from people driving into or over them.

This "Stop for Pedestrians" sign has already suffered damage during its seven months of service on Stockton Drive.

My first thought upon noticing this is that it's unfortunate that there will be yet another piece of worn-out looking infrastructure our streets. So many of our street signs are bent, hanging askew or upside down, faded, obsolete or otherwise in a pathetic state, and this will just add to the decrepitude. 

Pedestrian signs update: New locations, and some wear and tear

by Michelle Stenzel

More "Stop for Pedestrian" signs have been placed in Lincoln Park, and they're working well. From my observations at various installations over the past few weeks, it seems that most drivers are much more likely to drive slower as they approach, and stop when needed to allow pedestrians to cross. Sure, there are always the occasional drivers who have no problem buzzing past people in the crosswalk in spite of the signs, but that's now the exception.

There are now five signs at uncontrolled intersections (where there is no stop sign nor stop light) on Clark, between Fullerton and Diversey. These crosswalks see a very high volume of people crossing due to the wonderful variety of shops and restaurants on both sides of Clark.

More after the jump!

More crosswalk signs installed!

by Michelle Stenzel

Why yes, we are excited about these signs. This month marks the two-year anniversary that it's been state law that drivers must STOP for pedestrians in crosswalks, not just swerve around them. These signs are helping to finally educate drivers, and make life easier for people walking!

In-street "Stop for Pedestrians" signs are appearing all over Lincoln Park. (Photo: BikeWalkLincolnPark)

In addition to the first in-street stop for pedestrian sign that we reported about in this post, we've now spotted five more locations.

More after the jump -->

First "Stop For Pedestrian" sign appears on Stockton!

by Michelle Stenzel

As you may recall, we asked Alderman Michele Smith to allocate a portion of her annual aldermanic menu funds to install "Stop for Pedestrian" signs at unsignallized crosswalks, to help drivers remember that it's the law to stop for people crossing the street. She committed to installing 19 of them, listed on Alderman Smith's 2012 menu request document, which you can find here. You'll see them soon on Stockton, Lincoln, Clark, Diversey and Belden. 

The first sign appeared today! (At least, it's the first one we've seen. Tell us if you've spotted any others.) It's on Stockton Drive, at about 1700 North, near the surface parking lot owned by the Chicago History Museum.

 More pictures and post after the jump --->

In-street pedestrian crosswalk signs? We’ll take a few dozen, please!

by Michelle Stenzel

It’s been Illinois law now for nearly two years that drivers of motorized vehicles must stop for pedestrians crossing the street in a marked crosswalk, even on crosswalks where there is no stop sign or stop light. That type of crosswalk is called an “uncontrolled crosswalk”, an apt name that reflects the often-chaotic feel fro the perspective of a person on foot trying to cross it! So under the law, when a person is on a crosswalk trying to cross the street, a driver must stop completely to allow them to cross, as if there were a red stoplight signal that had suddenly appeared.

Portable pedestrian crosswalk signs on Wells Street near
Walter Payton College Prep high school.
(Photo: Bike Walk Lincoln Park)

Of course, we know this rarely happens.

Perhaps it’s because drivers are unaware of the law. Perhaps they need a visual reminder of the law. Perhaps there needs to be a physical object present that registers in their mind and makes them suddenly recognize that there’s a crosswalk and other street users present who have the right of way.

There’s now a tool available that covers all three of those factors: The in-street stop for pedestrian signs. These are three-feet-high signs that are permanently mounted in the middle of the street at a crosswalk and that clearly proclaim “State law/Stop for (pedestrian symbol) within crosswalk”.

You may have seen the non-permanent version on Wells Street south of Division, which we featured in this prior post. We have learned in an interview with a staff member of the community center nearby that they purchased the signs after a woman picking up her grandchild from their daycare was hit and injured by a car driver. The staff rolls the signs out each morning and takes them in at night.

The permanent in-street pedestrian signs are one of the items available to aldermen citywide to be purchased using their annual menu funds. We have requested Alderman Michele Smith use a portion of her menu funds to install them in our ward, and she has expressed support for the initiative. Her staff is currently working to analyze the best spots to place these new pedestrian safety tools.

Aldermanic menu walks in the 43rd ward!

By Michelle Stenzel

Alderman Michele Smith is hosting "walkabouts" open to all residents of the 43rd ward. During the walks, she and her staff will be taking suggestions for ways to allocate our ward's annual $1.2 million in menu funds. The menu funds are provided so that an alderman can pay for infrastructure improvements for things like street resurfacing or sidewalk replacement. Ald. Smith says these walks will help in developing the submission to the city for this year's funds as well as inform a multi-year plan for future improvements. See the details on Alderman Smith's newsletter here.

Pedestrian countdown timers like this one at Clark and Armitage help people decide if there's enough time to cross.
(Photo: Bike Walk Lincoln Park)

We're very excited because many of the menu items are upgrades that we could sorely use to help make our neighborhood even better for walking and riding bicycles. 

For example, if a resident or block of residents feels that car drivers speed down their street, they could request that a speed hump (formerly known as speed bump) be installed, for $3,700. 

STOP for pedestrians in crosswalks

Have you heard the news? Drivers approaching a crosswalk with pedestrians present must now stop for them, and no longer merely “yield”. You haven’t heard that news? That’s not surprising; most people haven’t.

These cab drivers on Monroe Street near the Art Institute apparently have not heard about the new law.
(Photo: Bike Walk Lincoln Park)

Here’s the wording of the Pedestrians' Right-of-way at Crosswalks law as it currently applies in the entire state of Illinois since July 22, 2010:

"When traffic control signals are not in place or not in operation the driver of a vehicle shall stop and yield the right‑of‑way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within a crosswalk when the pedestrian is upon the half of the roadway upon which the vehicle is traveling, or when the pedestrian is approaching so closely from the opposite half of the roadway as to be in danger."

The difference is that “the driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way” was changed to “the driver of a vehicle shall stop and yield the right-of-way” (emphasis added).

First, what’s the difference between merely yielding and stopping-and-yielding for a pedestrian? The text of the law does not define it. Interpretations vary, but this is what we believe. Before, it was acceptable for a driver to swerve around pedestrian crossing at a crosswalk, and as long as the vehicle did not hit the pedestrian, they were abiding by the law. Near hits were OK.

Under the new law, we believe that when a pedestrian is in the crosswalk, the driver must come to a complete stop before reaching the crosswalk (not in the middle of it!) to allow the pedestrian to cross safely.

That is, under the new law, the driver should respond to the presence of a pedestrian in a crosswalk as if a stop sign appeared magically. Wouldn’t that be fantastic, if a pedestrian could hit a button and make a hologram of a stop sign appear? Ahhh, we can dream, can’t we?

Back to reality.

A good piece about the issue published in Medill Reports Chicago includes video of pedestrians crossing Clark Street at St. James Place (2500 North) in Lincoln Park. It’s a great illustration of how common it is for cars fail to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks.

The new law was passed in July 2010, and there was a little media coverage about it, but not much since. There has been no PR campaign to spread the word to Illinois drivers, as far as we know. Locally, the Chicago Police Department has regular “sting” operations with the goal of issuing citations, but no routine enforcement from day to day.

Importantly, some official agencies haven’t even updated their websites to reflect the new law, including the city of Chicago. On the city’s page describing their Crosswalk Enforcement Initiatives, they refer multiple times to the need for drivers to “yield” to pedestrians, and the word “stop” is never used. Here’s an example:

"The crosswalk awareness initiatives involve an off-duty, undercover police officer posing as a pedestrian crossing at a crosswalk.  If oncoming drivers don’t yield to the pedestrian—as required by law—the vehicle will be pulled over by a police spotter further down the street."

This website page should be updated to highlight and reinforce the existence of the new requirement to stop. Seemingly little details like this matter. If the city’s website doesn’t yet reflect the change, we question how much effort has been made to educate police officers who are supposed to be enforcing the current laws. Publishing old information is a failed opportunity to notify members of the media and the public about the new law.

Finally, the signs that drivers see on Chicago’s streets haven’t been replaced or upgraded. Most crosswalks’ bright yellow pedestrian signs are silent on the “yield” vs. “stop” issue. Those that do weigh in are still the old signs that tell drivers to “yield”.

Signs tell drivers to Yield Here To Pedestrians on Stockton Drive.
(Photo: Bike Walk Lincoln Park)

Signs that reflect the new law are available for purchase, and are in use elsewhere. Here's one in Champaign, Illinois:

Stop Here For Pedestrians sign at a crosswalk in Champaign, Illinois.
(Photo: Bike Walk Lincoln Park)

Is changing website wording and street signs really a priority, you ask, when the city has so many other problems it must tackle? We say that it is, because it’s a matter of public safety. 

The grim statistics according to the latest CDOT Pedestrian Crash Analysis  (PDF) is that in 2009, in the city of Chicago alone, there were 1,993 pedestrian/vehicle crashes that resulted in injuries from lacerations or bruises to death. That’s 5 or 6 crashes in Chicago every day of the year.

That’s way too much carnage, and every step that helps solve the problem is important.

We’re working toward solutions in the 43^rd ward and beyond, and we invite you to join in by contacting us at bikewalklincolnpark@gmail.com

Chicago's dangerous crosswalks

We were very saddened to read earlier this week about the death of Coral Kier, 86 years old, of Lake View, after having been struck by a taxicab while she was crossing Sheridan Road. According to the Chicago Tribune article linked here, she was in the crosswalk on Sheridan Road at about 11:00 am on Monday morning, August 22, when a taxi driver who was turning left (south) onto Sheridan from westbound Briar Place struck her. She died less than 24 hours later.

We are all vulnerable as pedestrians in Chicago. Anyone who has walked on our sidewalks and in our intersections has troublesome stories about being honked at, yelled at, or cut off by motorists overeager to make a turn. Our senior citizens, many of whom walk slowly and have slower reaction times, are among the most vulnerable. A pothole in the sidewalk that a younger person can easily step over can be a big hurdle for someone with a walker or cane. In winter, an unshoveled sidewalk may mean that a senior citizen has to avoid venturing outside altogether.

Older pedestrians face enormous hurdles navigating Chicago's streets. (Photo: BikeWalkLincolnPark)

We traveled to the Lake View intersection where the incident occurred to see whether the street is accommodating to pedestrians. Frankly, it was not bad by Chicago's standards. There were curb cuts so that pedestrians could avoid stepping off and onto curbs. The crosswalk paint was visible. There were traffic lights for the cars, and pedestrian lights signalling Walk or Don't Walk. There were even bright signs on numerous corners notifying drivers that senior citizens may be present. The only thing it could use is a countdown timer.

Intersection of Sheridan Road and Briar Place, facing east. (Photo: BikeWalkLincolnPark)

So how could the taxi driver nevertheless hit a pedestrian in a crosswalk in broad daylight? Briar Place is a  one-lane, one-way side street that is only one block long before it reaches the intersection with Sheridan. Perhaps the light had turned yellow as he was approaching and he was rushing to complete the turn before the red light? Maybe he was distracted by his smart phone or radio dial and looked away completely while he was driving? It seems safe to assume that excessive speed was a factor; otherwise, wouldn't he have been able to stop before he hit her?

Sign alerting drivers of the presence of senior citizens on Sheridan Road. (Photo: BikeWalkLincolnPark)

The taxi driver was issued two tickets after the incident. It's astounding that a driver who hits an elderly woman with a metal object weighing about 4,000 pounds is simply issued two tickets and sent on his way. Is there no difference between being guilty of something like failure to renew one's license plates, say, and causing someone physical injuries that lead to their death? When this is the normal pattern, the message to drivers is this: As long as you can afford to pay a few hundred dollars in fines, you can feel free to drive distracted and at excessive speeds, and even cause people to die.