Back in May we posted about "The Danger Zone at 13th and Wabash" where a concerned emailer sent us a note about the amount of cars not stopping at the stop signs. This post garnered a lot of opinions.
Many residents wanted something done and "Timothy" posted a comment saying that the Alderman requested that the CDOT look into safety issues at the corners of Wabash/13th and Wabash/14th. That was the last we heard about this topic...
Until yesterday. A reader sent us this email:
Until yesterday. A reader sent us this email:
Sloopin-
Just wanted to share some news about the repaving on Wabash. You might have noticed that after pouring the initial blacktop layer & working on the man holes, construction seemed to slow down & then they actually started digging things back up at the corners of Wabash & 13th and Wabash & 14th. Wondering what the deal was, a friend of ours spoke with the project foreman. He said approval had been giving to put stoplights at those corners to replace the (always blown by cabbies) stop signs so they were tearing up part of the new road to get the pressure pads & wiring in for the new stoplights. Just a few more weeks!
DC
Pretty interesting stuff and it seems like this is what most readers wanted. Hope this helps with the problem.
The other interesting thing we noticed was that the lines on Wabash now have two "official" lanes of traffic (see image below looking North at Wabash and 14th). It makes sense now that they have lights going up.
(Hat tip: DC!)
53 comments:
I am glad that the city bosses are doing something about this mess and these crazy pick-up truck cowboys running us seniors off the road. Next time it happens to me i'm throwing my walking cane through their damn window.
Chester
As a pedestrian, I love it. Not just cabbies but all drivers roll those stop signs making crossing feel like a game of frogger. As a driver, I'll make sure to avoid Wabash at all costs. That's way too many lights to deal with.
A NEW TRAFFIC LIGHT IN THE S. LOOP, SWEET!! I have been waiting and hoping for this since I was just a boy.
Someone pinch me so I know this isn't just a wet dream.
No more one "one light" town jokes for this hood. Looks like we made it!
The excitement is palpable.
Great news! Even the cops will have to stop now. Thanks for the heads up Sloopin.
First off, the cops/buses will roll through any light in the city if they so please...
Next--What is the big deal with this intersection? Has there ever been a pederstrian killed here or a bad car accident? You DO realize that living in the city you have to watch where your walking, right?
Im all for safty and in the long this will not HURT the sloop in any way --- but it seem the reactions to this intersection are a little dramatic. I'd rather the city focus their time on getting more beat cops in the south loop to combat the robberies/muggings...
That intersection is pretty damn gnarly, I personally avoid crossing Wabash there. Lights are a good thing here, there's a bunch of restaurants there with a good amount of foot traffic that will be much safer now. There's no reason for Wabash to be a major thoroughfare when it's flanked by Michigan and State. I'm down with making Wabash as annoying as possible for vehicles.
I wasn't killed but only because I jumped out of the way of a woman talking on her cellphone while driving that never even slowed down for the stop sign at 13th while I was crossing the street. Would she have went right through a light? Maybe but at least the trucks shouldn't block the view of the lights like they do the stop signs many times.
I've had too many close calls at these intersections. Last Saturday night some jag-off in a pickup truck nearly ran my girlfriend and I over after a bit of hesitation on my part to cross in front of him at 14th. The best part was he was in a hurry to park a block away!
Yes, one needs to pay attention while walking, but if it reduces the amount of "near hits" I'm all for it.
yes! We need new lights at these intesection. I would also like more ice cream and cake places in the south loop.
I'm glad to hear there are more lights coming in to slow down drivers on Wabash, wish there would be some on Michigan too or at least a cop now and then to give out speeding tickets. Lights aren't a bad thing, now people will be forced to stop and find out that there are a growing number of places to eat in this 'hood and maybe even try one.
Only new traffic lights? I think we also need a crossing guard there, ya know like the one's for elementary school kids ;)
Scottyboy,
I bet you that;s one of those pick-up truck cowboys that have been trying to run down us seniors. You see him again you throw something at him. I see them again and they are getting wacked with my walking cane. I'm not rellying on a traffic light when I can dispense my own justice.
Chester
Obviously, a lot of these comments about how traffic kights are boring or unnecessary come from people without small children. Otherwise one day when you procreate, you might know what the f*** you're talking about and realize what life is about....
Waste of money on lighting and paving.
Other beautification and traffic calming solutions would have been mutch better and enhancing to the South Loop businesses and residents in this area. The street was pulled up already, and the ease to go back with narrowing this stretch, adding nice islands with landcaped or architectural element bump-outs, angled parking, and expanded sidewalk cafe area, along with putting in nice recycled pavers from middle of Jewel to 14th would have been a boon for the area.
Lack of good planning goals and committment. Give the streets back to the South Loop residents, not Suzy Wrotten-Crotch Commuter from Hinsdale
Anon @ 9:32
Nobody is arguing the importance of saftey all on our city streets but please don't pull the "well I care about this because I have kids and you are just a concrete jungle gorilla for not understanding--card".
If the saftey and importance of your children is as important to you as you say it is then you could easily move OUT of the downtown area and into a more secluded, safer part of town or just as easily move to the burbs. Isn't that what the majority of parents do?
News flash people-- its downtown Chicago! Cabs/cops/busses/people drive fast and honk horns. Its a more condensed area and that adds to the environment being "unsafe". Again, this isnt Naperville, wake up.
The 13th and Wabash intersection is terrible. The stop lights are definitely needed. I use this intersection on near daily basis and constantly see cars not even slow down for the stop signs, but just drive straight through going 30-40. That total disregard for the stop sign by so many drivers is uncommon at most intersections in the City, which indicates there is something wrong with the current design of this particular intersection. This intersection is a particular problem as many drivers obviously don't even see the stop signs - the wide spacing of the street and location of the stop signs, some behind tree braches and area where trucks park near Jewel, obscures them, particularly southbound. I have seen numerous near deaths at that intersection and was almost killed there myself.
I agree with anon @ 10:27pm. There are would have been much better ways to improve this intersection. I really don't see how turning a 2 lane road into a 4 lane road and adding traffic lights makes this better for pedestrians. Now we are going to have calls flying through the intersection at 30 plus mph while as a pedestrian you have to sit there and wait for the light.
It would have been much better to put in one of those new separated bike lanes while the had the road torn up. That would have prevented cars from using the bike lane. This section of Wabash has/had the potential to be a pedestrian friendly restaurant/night life area in the South Loop, but 4 lanes of traffic and traffic lights is not what I would call pedestrian friendly.
I agree with anon @ 10:27pm as well. A 4 lane road and cars idling at a traffic light definitely doesn't appeal to the outdoor dining right in that area. Would have preferred better planning than just an easy fix of adding a light.
"News flash people-- its downtown"
"Downtown" isn't an excuse for poor planning. Earlier in this thread you complained about muggings, that too can be handwaved with "downtown".
I also agree with everybody saying it needs to be way more pedestrian friendly. A light is a step into the right direction and hopefully in a couple years when money isn't so tight anymore we get the great Wabash beautification project with wider sidewalks and all that good stuff.
There are plenty of busy areas north and west of the south loop ( with much more bustling bars/resturants) than wabash that have idling cars and traffic lights
These areas have done just fine.
Just a reminder-- Streets are for vehicles, not bikes and people.
I agree that making it a two lane road won't help matters and I too wished they had made it narrower and created angled parking. I still think the traffic lights will help due to the fact that people going south cut over to Wabash (especially during rush hour) to avoid traffic lights on State and Michigan.
If the intersection is set up like the one at Polk and Dearborn, I think it'll work for both cars and pedestrians. During non rush hour times that intersection gives pedestrians the first consideration as long as they press the cross walk button.
I think the issue was that the stop signs were difficult to see. A simple flashing red light highlighting that there was a stop sign would have been enough. A new full street light seems like too much to me.
Brendan, I'm not exactly sure how you came to this conclusion "Just a reminder-- Streets are for vehicles, not bikes and people.", because you are wrong about both bikes and people.
I don't think there is any question about whether or not bikes belong on the street. Of course they do. And of the North/South streets in the area, Wabash is the most bike friendly of the streets with the bike lane it currently has. The city should be doing everything it can to make Wabash as bike friendly as possible.
Also, in regards to people (assume you mean pedestrians, since people are in the cars too). This isn't just a street we are talking about. It is an intersection, with cross walks. And guess what? Cross walks are for pedestrians. And these cross walks happen to get a lot of foot traffic. So when making changes to this intersection it would be pretty stupid to just say "Streets aren't for people" and not think about the pedestrian traffic in the area.
Bikes do NOT belong on the sidewalk, they belong on the street.
9-52-020- Riding bicycles on sidewalks and certain roadways -
(a) No person shall ride a bicycle upon a sidewalk within a business district. (b) No person 12 or more years of age shall ride a bicycle upon any sidewalk in any district, unless such sidewalk has been officially designated and marked as a bicycle route. (c) Bicycles shall not be operated on Lake Shore Drive or on any roadway where the operation of bicycles has been prohibited and signs have been erected indicating such prohibition. (d) Whenever a usable path for bicycles has been provided adjacent to a roadway, bicycle riders shall use such path and shall not use the roadway.
Added Coun. J. 7-12-90, p. 18634
Brendan,
I feel bad for you that you think so little of your city living self and your neighbors that you believe safety to be a right of those living in the burbs or other areas of the city. I don't have kids, yet I love myself enough to demand that a car wait until I have safely crossed (or at the very least made it half way) the street before gunning it and almost running into me. You are right that streets are for cars, and so are stop signs-cars are supposed to...stop! Since these don't work here, the stop lights seem like a necessary evil. If only more drivers would have simply paid attention to the law of the road and stopped when signaled to, we would not need the lights at all!
Im not saying that no pedestrian or "ten speed rider" should ever be near a road in chicago....stop twisting my words. If thats the only way you know how to discuss this matter then sucks to be you.
I just think its borderline juvenile to treat WABASH Ave in downtown Chicago like its an amusement park! You guys have planters getting built, bike lanes, hell I don't know if you plan on having flash mobs in the middle of the intersection but I wouldnt be suprised.
Just ease up on this topic....why are streets there...ask yourself that.Streets are throughfares for VEHICLES so stay out of the damn street. I understand that cars are blowing lights there but as stated earlier (geeez) its downtown chicago, there is alot of traffic and jerk(s) is bound to blow a stop sign. get over it and just keep your head on a swivle instead of yelling at the alderman or on blogs to have traffic stopped every 100 yards
Some of you people are absolutely absurd in your opinions. Its not to the point YET of laughable but its getting there.
"omg the other day i tried crossing the street and there were cars driving around---this has got to stop!!!!"
oy ve
If bikes belong on the street people should have to buy a city sticker for their bike just like motor vehicle operators do. Not to mention cyclists should be required to obey the same rules of the road.
I don't really care one way or another. But why are some people here so vehemently opposed to another traffic light on Wabash? The city is full of traffic lights, so what's the big deal?
In cook county the blame for an accident involving a car and a bike is almost automatically on the vehicle. It doesnt matter where on the road, bike lane or not, the accident occurs. This being true why do people operating vehicles who pay for use of the roads suffer while freeloading cyclists feel they own the road and have unlimited rights? I moved to the sloop and not lincoln park or bucktown because I dont want to be around these cyclists worrying about a lawsuit everytime I pull out of my building.
i'm not opposed to a traffic light--- just the dramatic nimrods that act like wabash ave is a sidewalk and that cars and trucks dont belong there. Like Brendan said--remember that these cars are what you usually fins in a CITY STREET.
And yes..i would like to see bikes taxed and enforce the same laws as cars and trucks.
"And yes..i would like to see bikes taxed"
Thankfully we have competent leadership who think that idea is completely absurd and retarded.
This is exactly why I left andersonville! Stupid bikes are all over the city--- like the previous poster said-- if I hit a cyclist on my way to work I am 99% at fault. I pay taxes for registering my car here and to use these roads. Yet the bike riders just blow stop signs and cut in and out of lanes and cause an accident
What is wrong with some of you--- who the hell cares about bicycle riders anyway?? Why are there still these ignorant, stubborn people that will not give up until our city is one big bike track!
I also think the idea of taxing/registration fees for bicyclists is well justified.
Um excuse me--
I just payed to have my *%$#@ DOG registered with the city of chicago so PLEEEASE excuse me if I feel the city should tax and ever growing nuisance (bikes)
hilarious man, unreal
Steve- You left Andersonville because of bikes?... Excuse me while I roll my eyes.
As so many here are quick to point out, why not move to Naperville? Don't see too many bikes on the big old highway-like streets out that way. You can just cruise anywhere you want to go in your car, Steve. Head-in parking. Woot!
I’m not exactly sure how bike lanes and planters equals amusement park in your eyes. You say how this is downtown Chicago. Well, where exactly do you think you find bike lanes? They are usually in densely populated urban areas, like downtown Chicago. And planters? Have you ever been in the loop? There are planters all over the place.
You tell people that are concerned about safety to move to the suburbs and then think four lane roads completely geared around motor vehicles sounds like a good idea. That to me sounds very suburban. I see lots of 4 lane roads in the suburbs leading to strip malls and everybody drives. In downtown Chicago, people drive, walk, ride bikes, take public transit, etc.. and streets and intersections need to be built to accommodate that.
This is an angry old lady thread.
I bet some of you sit on the front steps of your condo staring at and shouting at kids playing, skateboarding and enjoying life. "get off my sidewalk you little jerks"...
I love that there are so many passionate south loopers on this blog. If only we could come together and get things done that matter more then traffic lights. How do we harness this outrange about the lights, crazy drivers etc. into something more constructive?? Honestly, I don’t really care if we have lights or not, just so long as when I drive, I don’t have to wait a crazy amount of time at one, and when I walk my dog around the neighborhood she and I don’t get run over by a distracted or Pis*ed off driver. Either way, just so long as those two things hold true! Now, how about talking about some real problems we have, such as the increase in tagging all up and down Wabash (maybe on other blocks as well?), the fact that we still have such a foreclosure problem and how to bring more people to the SL so that we can attract more buyers!! This is what I care about and please, no one try to tell me how better planning for the lights or no lights at all would result in improvements in any of these more pressing concerns…Come on people, focus on what matters!!
Unfortunately this thread is more about Brendan's bigoted comments, but I must add, they (isn't it Brandon) sound pretty ridiculous:
"Streets are throughfares for VEHICLES so stay out of the damn street."
I can only assume Brendan has secret underground tunnels or invisible overpasses to get him thru every single intersection he crosses. I guarantee he's given the cross-walking evil eye to the occasional vehicle that's got its hood halfway across the intersection. But hey, we should all just stay out of the damn street, right?
Remember everyone, it's a just a light. Anyone who argues this addition does more harm than good needs a little perspective.
brendan...dumbest arguments ever written. Please stop typing.
Lily @ 3:02 PM : "Like Brendan said--remember that these cars are what you usually fins in a CITY STREET."
Again, Stop signs are also found in the CITY at CITY INTERSECTIONS where a lot of people in cars have total disregard for them and the pedestrians who happen to have the right of way (see below) at those same CITY INTERSECTIONS...
Illinois State Law: (e) Whenever stop signs or flashing red signals are in place at an intersection or at a plainly marked crosswalk between intersections, drivers shall yield right-of-way to pedestrians as set forth in Section 11-904 of this Chapter.
(Source: P.A. 96-1165, eff. 7-22-10.)
On the flips side, I find it equally annoying that people getting off the bus at Roosevelt J-walk en masse across that street to catch a bus on State Street. Especially during rush hour, they block traffic turning left off of State and just create more congestion.
DECHNE...
Guys, don't feed the trolls... you know who I'm talking about...
the same 3% who hate the scout are probably the also against cars being in the streets in the southloop. Maybe we should sidewalk off the entire street and have picnics everyday?
Did somebody just call me a bigot because I don't want bikes running around all over the place causing accidents? WOW-- could be the dumbest damn thing i've ever heard.
Brendan, you're absolutely right. Everyone with kids moves out to the suburbs. That explains why there are no playgrounds, daycares or schools anywhere in our neighborhood (or in the rest of the city). I know you'd like to wait until someone does get killed or hurt before anything is done (like what happened on 14th & michigan) but other people would like to avoid that. Safety IS the reason for the lights! Period.
If you want to be in an area where streets have 2 lanes w/ an only lane & no one bikes or walks around, then hurry up & move to the burbs.
I agree with the idea of Anon 11/1, 10:27 PM. It would bring a better sense of being a neighborhood rather than an alt route for people from michigan.
listening is a beautiful thing...
I'm not saying "if you have kids, then move to the suburbs" but some people who do have kids expect their city neighborhood to function like its Orland Park.
Its WABASH freakin ave! I think it is crazy to bitch about cars and people honking horns and blowing stop signs. It is too be expected in the south loop or any other neighborhood!! Duh we live in a major metropolis--- and i'm sick of people trying to change it into naperville. I think its great that the southloop has families and parks/elementary schools but that doesnt mean you get to stand around on your soapbox damning everything that goes on in a city. My frustration stems from your ignorance to expect anything less....not the actual reality of wabash ave. Go get some rest.
Brendan, it sounds to me like you are the one trying to turn this into Naperville. Its WABASH freakin ave! I think it’s crazy to bitch about bikes and pedestrians. I personally would prefer that the stops signs stay at this intersection instead traffic lights being installed. I like that it always gives the right of way to the pedestrian, but I also think it is a legitimate concern that cars routinely blow through the stop signs at this intersection with there being so much foot traffic there. On the other hand I realize this is the city and there are going to be vehicles driving down Wabash, but I just don’t think there is enough traffic in the area to make Wabash more vehicle friendly and less pedestrian and bike friendly. There are plenty of alternatives for faster moving traffic. One block east or west you have State and Michigan both of which have four lanes and traffic moves pretty well on at all times of the day. And if that isn’t fast enough for you there is Clark St, Lake Shore Dr and 90/94.
It doesn't matter if there is a traffic light or stop sign, either way the street is just way to wide. It really is too bad they didn't add an island in the middle (similar to Indiana Ave) to curb the rush of traffic. I also like the idea of putting in slanted parking spots (similar to Lincln Square) which seems to promote more of a neighborhood vibe.
Like I said, angry old lady thread....blah, blah, blah.
Bunch of mean old bitty's
Perhaps, CDOT is installing these as a traffic management tool? Did anyone else consider this? During Bears games and other large events, traffic around the South Loop does get quite congested.
Either way, they seem to be going in and no amount of trying to tear down anyone's opinion is going to change that...
Your frustration "stems from your ignorance to expect anything less"?! I'm sorry if people expect too high of a degree of safety for human life. I feel sorry for you Brendan that you have to live with that level of stupidity every day.
and i'm sorry that Im not nieve enough to think that downtown Chicago could be transformed into a subdivision of Orland Park. You're a waste of time... get back to Occupying Chicago.
The word is "naive".
Brendan, it looks like angry, mean old bitty's are good at spelling
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