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| Blinking lights at 13th and Wabash intersection as of 2.4.2013 |
It's been sometime in the making, but the intersection at 13th and Wabash looks to be getting its functioning stop light:
The new 13th/Wabash traffic light is flashing red this weekend and will be operational soon @gr8southloop @slneighbors @pdnachicago @sloopinFor those not familiar with the drama we have some history here and here.
— Ald. Bob Fioretti (@Fioretti2ndWard) February 2, 2013
43 comments:
This is such an amazing story for Maybury, err I mean, south loop.
Will there be extra lights installed for the 8 or so people who use the bike lanes on Wabash?
As of last night (2/6) the lights were already functioning.
My wife and I were on our way to Jewel coming from 18th and we waited at this light for 8 minutes.... ON A TUESDAY NIGHT.
Thanks to the blowhard nimbys for your "job well done" on this light. Instead of doing what you should be--watching where you walk-- you complain endlessly to the aldreman for years and now we have a massive traffic jam issue. I predict this light gets taken down in 5 years when hopefully all the south loop whiney nimby's either perish or move away.
Our Idiot shakedown artist Alderman should note he didn't have the juice or balls to get this done in a timely matter.. Why? Because there was nothing in it for him.. I hope he won't be around long
yeah, those ungrateful bikers and their lack of biking in the winter... AND we should remove the sidewalks to add additional car lanes because they weren't being used during the ice storm. I had to wait an extra :30 seconds in traffic!!!
The sidewalks are FULL of pedestrians, no matter the weather. The bike lanes? Not so much.
aaaaand cue the 12 south loop bikers who think the world revolves around their needs....
par for the course if you ask me
According to most on this blog, we needs to take all the cars, dogs, and apartment buildings out of the area.
sheesh, the crazy pills some people take!
REALLY?? Please do not rile up the city cycle hipsters.... this blog will almost certianly run rampant with idiotic comments refering to "cars overtaking the streets"
Thanks to the blowhard car drivers for your "job well done" on this light. Instead of doing what you should be--yielding to pedestrians and STOPPING at STOP signs-- you drive like assholes for years and now we have a new traffic light. I predict this light prevents pedestrians from getting hit and hopefully all the south loop whiney drivers either perish or move away.
To my fellow South Loopers:
Where do we see our neighborhood in 10 years? Are bike lanes and street lights getting in the way of us driving all around the South Loop? Do we want the area to be more walkable and lively, or do we prefer it as it is? I am not being facetious, I am just trying to understand what people think constitutes a nice neighborhood.
How dare people driving cars polute our streets with activity! To the bike rack Robin!
barney
I can tell you that I do not believe that the south loops problem is due to "bike lanes" and "too many cars in the streets"
The neighborhood has regressed due to housing crash and over development. Sidewalks and bike lanes do not make or break a neighborhood.....despite what a couple boneheads on this blog would have you believe
yay! Now that the bike lanes and street lights are here we will obviously watch this neighborhood flourish....wait--right????
Wow. When Sloopin would post about people blowing the stop signs, people commented saying they wanted a light. This threadshows otherwise. Since we'reoffering opinios, I'll throw in mine: They should have put in a red blinker to make the stop more visible but not backup traffic as a full-blown light will do during peak times.
Anon@3:28
But is the opposite true? As anon @ 3:14 said, it may not have a significant impact on an area, but I still believe it makes sense to have a strong non car-centric infrastructure in place in a neighborhood.
Congratulations to all who have contributed to this, the dumbest collection of comments on a thread in internet history.
The intersection was a safety hazard, not because of pedestrain inattentiveness and often, to be fair, not just because of drivers (at least southbound drivers). The blue truck in the post's photo is a good example. There would frequently be delivery or city trucks parked on that corner and they blocked the view of the southbound stop sign. There were also plenty of drivers who just blew through the intersection, clear sight lines or not. I crossed it nearly every day on my way to work for 3 years. It wasn't the most pressing issue in the sloop but it was one, now it's been addressed.
Gotta say...I don't understand the vehemence, the sneering or the logic on display here - if you think a traffic signal is going to create massive traffic jams would you suggest we decongest, say, the intersection of Roosevelt and State by turning it Into a 4 way stop? Whenever there's an unexpected traffic reroute Wabash and 13th grinds to a halt. And hating bike lanes? Why not just cut to the chase and hate the whole future? Young people (presumably they will have something to do with any 'flourishing' that is to occur) increasingly do not drive cars. Yes, some bike riders (and 'beard-havers', footnoting 30 Rock finale) are insufferably pious...but who cares? What social group doesn't contain a component of the annoyingly certain and smug (you know, like blog commenters).
I live in this neighborhood and I like it. I like that it's quieter than other neighborhoods. I like that I'm two blocks from a public transportation hub that can take me anywhere in the city. I like that I can easily walk to the Art Institute and, if I feel like it, ride up the elevators in the Fine Arts Building just because they have Elevator Operators and then keep going.
I also like this blog...at least the Posts. They're really working to be a voice for the South Loop. I would encourage other lurkers to come on in and lift the level of discourse in the comments. Please.
There are some really miserable people here
USA USA USA
Very well said, Anon 5:56. I very much agree with your comments. We have a chance to take pride in our neighborhood and work to make it better, but instead commenters on this blog prefer to bash, whine and complain. Let's do something constructive, like supporting local businesses and participating in local events. And god forbid, respect your fellow neighbor.
Damn those anons with their logical responses. ;)
Applause to anons at 5:56 and 12:55. I couldn't agree more.
Such a self deprecating neighborhood.
ANON@ 2:21
Are you blind? You praise the two "logical" responses.... what about the 30 that are absolutely deplorable? Very selective on your part....you personify what is wrong with this blog. Always trying to prove the anons worth. Fact is YES there are some logical responses but 85-90% of anon comments are awful.
Gosh this blog was so much better when the anon's werent able to just post anything. Its obviously done just to get a rise out of people!
So let me get this straight....If I personally happen to think this light will create more problems than it solves....then i'm just a dummy? I dont see the logic....
Fact is, it will create gridlock, and the intersection has no past history or pedestrian fatalities or motorist fatalities. I CAN tell you that just because there is a light there now does not mean it becomes safer...
Anyone who walks here daily can tell you 13th & Wabash was a disaster waiting to happen. Meanwhile, the much busier 13th & Michigan is no threat at all thanks to the stoplight. Of course the light increases safety!!!
However, I'm sure everyone agrees that aesthetically, the light doesn't help the neighborhood. Something had to be done when even cops weren't stopping at the intersection.
You choose to focus on the anonymous trolls (present on nearly every corner of the internet), I choose to focus on the anonymous commenters who have valid opinions to share.
And if I remember correctly, a man in a wheelchair was hit at this location a few months ago (I guess if that man died, you'd be ok with the new lights?). I think waiting for a pedestrian to get run over by a driver and killed before we address the dangerous crossing situation is too late. Great logic there, Emily.
.....and by your logic this intersection now becomes 100% safer because of stop lights..??
What about all the intersections where pedestrians are hit that HAVE stop lights?
So basically the intersection still is dangerous and now the traffic will back up badly as well.... sweet anon logic right there
I was anon 5:56 but now I am anon no more, Chris and Emily have a point. If you're going to post more than once and try, as I did, to steer the conversation in a more constructive direction, why remain anonymous?
To the matter - my opinion of the new traffic light (supportive) is based on my experience crossing that intersection nearly every day. I had to leap out of a car's path once, had numerous drivers nearly speed across my toes, taking off from a dead stop after I had already begun to cross. Now when I cross there I reflexively have my keys out and brandish them if a car starts taking a running stop at me. The traffic light was sorely needed.
Do I think you are a 'dummy' for believing otherwise Emily? No. But I respectfully disagree. I'd like to support Sloopin. With yesterday's loss of Everyblock.com there's one less resource with a micro-local focus. I'll comment when I've got something to add and I simply will not do tit-for-tat angry exchanges. I'm not angry. For the folks who offered supportive comments, thanks...you should go non-anon as well.
YOU KEY CARS?? Do you realize how much damage you do when you key a cars paint job? You should be very careful my friend, if someone catches you doing that they are going to get out of their car and finish you.
Please think before you do stupid things
No one is saying it's 100% safer now. But, I think if you read the comments, a lot of people that cross this intersection on foot now feel much safer than before.
By emily's logic, since we can't eliminate traffic injuries and deaths without (further) inconveniencing motorists, we should give up and accept the status quo. Don't want to make drivers wait a couple more minutes so people can safely cross the street. Of course, the problem here is that drivers were in too much of a hurry to STOP at a STOP sign. Now, there's a light. Deal with it.
"Deal with it"
^^ Comments like these are why people come after you with stupid retorts. Why not just speak your mind and end it there?? Why the constant 1-upping of everyone. Its creating a circle of dumb. This entire thread is like something out of Maury Povich.
Ha, a complaint from Brendan about commenters one-upping people. That's rich.
Yes, deal with it. Surely you've heard of this, Brendan.
http://www.funnyordie.com/lists/62bea1fdd2/the-best-deal-with-it-gifs
We met our daughter for breakfast at Waffles this morning and took wabash over to 14th....went through the intersection and found it to be a nice suprise to drive right through a green light....sometimes a stop sign will back up traffic worse than an actual streetlight so those opposing traffic should keep this in mind....
As for the anons and "lolbrendan" i feel sorry that you cannot post anything constructive but still find the time to cut others down on a blog as if it gives you some type of satisfaction.
@ Brendan
I agree with you about the unnecessary abrasiveness that is often used in the blog comments.
Now back to my socialist agenda. You mention that you went for breakfast at Waffles this morning. This sounds really nice, but if you live the South Loop why would you go there by car?
I know I will probably get a very aggressive response for asking this, but I'd seriously like to know why you (and perhaps others on this blog) prefer to do this instead of walking? Whenever I go for dinner/a drink/breakfast in the neighborhood I walk, and I've noticed that the number of people in the streets compared to people locked up in the condos/cars is small at best. If it weren't for the cars and hi-rises, the area would feel a bit abandoned. Street lights and bike lanes will definitely not change an area over night (as some rather brash commenters already said above), but these small additions will hopefully lead to more people using the streets, frequenting the local retail etc.
Now, shoot me down. explain why I am wrong and why we need more surface parking lots.
good point Brendon, i have noticed traffic flowing through nicely since the change. As long as the crosswalks are timed reasonably then it shouldnt be a problem. Now if we could just get the pedestrians and bike riders to stop and go when assigned then we can all get along!
MAJOR SLOOP NEWS: for the first time in the nearly 7 yrs since we've been living in the sloop, the "south loop nightclub scene" actually made the news this morning! Granted it was because the gang-bangers who operate and patronize the club 22Thirty9 at 22nd and Michigan had jammed almost 150 peeps in a space that is restricted to 80 people per fire code, but hey! now the rest of the city know that we DO have nightclubs down here!
South Looper
I see what you are saying but my wife and I live in Printers Row and she is on her second knee surgury in 5 years. I enjoys walking into dearborn park one but thats about it for me, other than walking to work of course ( which is close and an enjoyable walk in the summer time)
@Brendan
Thank you for you answer, and sorry about your wife's knee. I personally find the South Loop walkable, apart from the area west of clark and just north of the Roosevelt Collection, where some degree of actual urban planning would have been nice (some fascinating historical info on this stretch of the South Loop can be found in the book "At home in the Loop").
So what changes to the neighborhood would make us enjoy it more by foot? A couple of community parks? More destination retail/dining?
How many Brendan's are there. The one who was a totall ass flexed his muscles and gave his full name and said he lived by Michigan or Indiana I think. Now he lives in printer row. Their is no fit guy. I work out at FCC and no brad works there. The world doesn't make sense to me.
ANON @ 950
Thanks for the update on everything and also thank you for your contributions to this blog especially your outstanding grammer.
I was wondering the same thing about "BRENDAN"! Is this one that lives in Printer's Row the same as the one that lives near/on Indiana Ave. and is a PT?
Dear Brendan,
Grammar is spelled with an "ar" at the end, not an "er."
Trust me, I care even less about spelling than I do about stop lights and bike lanes; however, if you are going to call out someone for his/her grammar, you should really try to check yours.
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