PB39th Ward
#SpendSomeTimeIn39 Participate to the 39th ward's PB!
Central, from Elston north through the Forest Preserve
North Central Avenue is a car raceway from Elston north to Indian Road and then from there through the Forest Preserve to Lehigh. There is almost constant speeding, and it is terribly dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians. It's especially worrisome for the many young families in our area with strollers and young cyclists. This roadway could really be an asset for our area if it was transformed into a parkway with islands, bump-outs and improved signage. Though we have the light at the North Branch Trail crossing at Central (near the entrance to Edgebrook Golf Course), there's almost nothing here that encourages the use of bikes or walking. Imagine the possibilities if people felt more comfortable in this area accessing the Edgebrook Metra station on foot or by pedaling. The area is in need of better planning, or at least some signage to denote our wonderful Forest Preserve, the North Branch Trail, the North Branch of the Chicago River and more.
This proposal has been not selected because:
This road is under the jurisdiction of the Illinois Department of Transportation and is not eligible for funding through PB.
List of Endorsements
Report inappropriate content
Is this content inappropriate?
Comment details
You are seeing a single comment
View all comments
Conversation with Tariq Shihadah
This roadway is certainly overdesigned for existing traffic, encouraging speeding and reckless driving behaviors. According to the Chicago Data Portal, traffic along this road is around 18,000 AADT, meaning it is likely within a reasonable range for a road diet/complete streets conversion. I've also noticed that driving down this portion of Central Ave is very uncomfortable and vision around curves is very poor due to the proximity of the road to the tree line. Consider converting roadway to two-lanes with a raised median and turning lanes at driveways and residential streets with a painted shoulder buffer and bumpouts at intersections. As this roadway is adjacent to public parks it may be a candidate for automated speed enforcement depending on applicable policies related to these installations.
Thank you so much. I couldn't agree more. Thank you for putting my ideas in more eloquent form from a planning and engineering perspective.
Glad to help. This is a great proposal, thanks for sharing, Bob!
Loading comments ...