Traffic Guy

The Traffic Guy hears...

... that the City's Transportation Department says the statewide CMAQ (Congestion Mitigation Air Quality) Committee has included Evanston's proposed engineering feasibility study for a CTA Yellow Line stop in south Evanston on a list of recommendations to receive federal funding in the 2009 Statewide CMAQ Program. The CMAQ Grant would provide the City with $220,000 in federal funding for the study to determine the preferred location for constructing a new rail station on the CTA Yellow Line.

... that the City plans to clean up the area around the Mulford/Chicago viaduct. Council recently approved about $90,000 in additional funds there (on top of the $93,000 allocated already). The plan is to remove the remaining loose bricks under the viaduct, level the subgrade and regrade the area to improve storm-water drainage, according to the City. Although the City originally planned to allow parking under the viaduct, they decided instead to widen Mulford by two feet on the north side between the cul-de-sac and Callan. This will add 10 parking spaces there. Nice going.

... that Simpson Street between Ashland and Green Bay will also be called "Rev. Dr. Michael D. Curry Way." The honorary street name was recommended by the Citizens' Advisory Committee on Public Place Names "in honor of Rev. Curry's 25 years of service and commitment to the First Church of God Christian Life Center and the Evanston community."

... that six alleys will be paved over the next part of the summer. If the majority of property owners adjacent to the alley are in favor of the resurfacing, the City will pay half the cost. Here are the alleys approved for paving on July 28: north of Grant and east of Cowper; north of Davis and east of Judson; north of Nathaniel Place and east of Fowler; north of Lake and east of the CTA tracks; north of Thayer and east of Lincolnwood and north of Thayer and east of Reese.

... that the City is planning to sell its lot in the 700 block of Chicago Avenue, now leased by a car company.

... that the City has decided to dissolve EVNORSKO, the alternative fuel cooperative of the City of Evanston, Northwestern University and the Village of Skokie. The idea was that the three participants would use the compressed natural gas there for their alternative-fuel vehicles. There used to be 12, but now there is one. According to the City, the problem was "the rising maintenance expenses for service, repairs and inspections, leading to overall excessive operations costs with no potential for payback or break-even opportunity."

This is one time the City failed in its anticipation of greenness: EVNORSKO apparently banked on servicing vehicles fueled by compressed natural gas, but the market in alternatives seems to be favoring propane-fueled vehicles, hybrid technology and the possibility of fuel-cell technology, according to the City. The EVNORSKO equipment, the one CNG vehicle and a traffic department "bucket truck" will be sold on an internet auction site.

... that Great Harvest Bread Company, 2126 Central St., will have an outdoor café.

... that Bravo Restaurant, which is taking over the restaurant space and plaza at Church and Maple formerly occupied by Wolfgang Puck, is planning to open soon.

... that, speaking of downtown restaurants, TG hears that three restaurants in the Carlson Building, La Petit Amelia, Omaggio and Über Burger, closed abruptly on July 23. A sign posted on the door of each of the restaurants, which are commonly owned, says they will reopen Sept. 1.

... that, again speaking of downtown, TG hears that the Parking Committee may look into putting four-hour meters there, replacing the two-hour ones.

... that this Friday night (8 p.m.-3 a.m.) the Evanston Police Department will be conducting a roadside safety check in "a high-volume traffic area of the City." The police will be checking drivers for sobriety, proper seat-belt use, insurance and compliance with other statues and ordinances related to vehicle safety. All this will be done to reduce traffic crashes and the liability associated with violations of vehicular safety laws, according to a statement from the EPD.

... that, thanks to residents Pamela and James Elesh, the Jens Jensen grotto adjacent to the Evanston Art Center will be renovated. The City accepted the donation last week. The grotto is part of Mr. Jensen's original landscape design there.

... that, speaking of donations, the Evanston Baseball/Softball Association will underwrite the cost of purchasing and installing four electronic scoreboards on baseball fields 1-4 in James Park. Of course, there's no such thing as a free anything, so look for corporate sponsorship of the scoreboards - but not by companies manufacturing liquor or tobacco products, EBSA and the City promise.

... that the Metropolitan Planning Council planned to release its latest report yesterday. MPC says the report, titled "Moving at the Speed of Congestion," shows that the economic cost to the Chicago area - estimated in 2007 by the Texas Transportation Institute at $4 million - is really much higher. And the major contributing factor to the cost is not, as one might think, in the higher gas prices, but rather in time wasted. To paraphrase William Wordsworth, it may not be in getting and spending but in coming and going we lay waste our powers.

... that dragonflies were out in great numbers along the lake a couple of weekends ago. Most kept to the air, looking like mini helicopters. Here's one that landed, albeit temporarily.

... that after the pic of the cicada last time, TG received a photo of these two bugs snug (maybe) within a lily bloom. The photographer said her daughter took the picture of one bug in the flower, and then a second one crawled in.

The Traffic Guy thinks ...

... that a good place for a siren-sensor that changes the lights when emergency vehicles are approaching is at Emerson and Asbury. That intersection is just yards away from the fire station, and emergency vehicles will be just getting started when they approach it.

... that the City really needs to re-think its parking policies. Right now the downtown policy seems to be polarized between support of downtown businesses and the City's bottom line. It may be a good thing to have four-hour parking in the downtown area - sure beats two-hour parking. But it was the previous, and somewhat geriatric, Council that thought two hours was enough time to spend on an evening in downtown Evanston. TG would like to see free three-hour parking till about 4 p.m., then four-hour meters till 8 p.m. If the City still needs the money, it could impose draconian fines for overstaying one's welcome at a parking meter. In the meantime, TG is contemplating setting up a quarter store near the edge of downtown Evanston, selling bags of quarters (one evening's worth of quarters per bag) for $5, decorated with TG's signature webding logo:
Who died and made you the Traffic Guy?

Thinking ahead, TG may set up a store that rents wheelbarrows for people to cart around the quarters they will need to feed the parking meters.

Hope everyone enjoyed Gospel Fest on Saturday and the Lakeshore Arts Festival over the weekend.