… Crews from the forestry department were out last week trimming trees along the east side of Sheridan Road in preparation for the lane switch earlier this week.
… that the Library streetscape construction is coming along. The City says the project should be completed shortly. Don’t forget, we’re supposed to be getting bricks with bits of poetry stamped into them (post-modern concrete poetry, TG supposes).
Just west of the Library on Church and north on Maple, construction crews are still working, with the hope of having the repairs and sidewalk-widening done soon. As of this writing, nearly all the relics of construction were gone. Dodge Avenue, though, is still a bit of a dusty maze between Crain and Greenleaf.
… that the Chicago Transit Authority is undertaking a study of the Red Line North and Purple Line – from the Addison Red Line station to Linden on the Purple Line – that will provide guidance for doing major rehabilitation work in the future, pending funding availability. There will be an open house on Dec. 3 from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center, 1655 Foster St. The purpose of this and similar open houses, according to the CTA, is twofold: “to gather public input on existing conditions and issues facing the Red Line North and Purple Line and to provide information on the Vision Study process and long-term timeline.” TG wonders if this really means “where we can cut services and how soon we can do it.”
The Mayor has personally asked TG to to attend (full disclosure: She announced at a City Council meeting that everyone should attend the meeting, which is almost the same thing, since TG tries to be an attentive and good citizen of Evanston). We should let the CTA folks know how important good, reliable, safe public transportation is to Evanston – and maybe ask for a few new viaducts. See the note on the next page for more information.
… that Secretary of State Jesse White reports that about 100,000 persons have signed up for the Emergency Contact Database (ECD), where any Illinois resident with an Illinois driver’s licence, instruction permit or ID card can voluntarily enter emergency contact information through the Secretary of State’s website, www.cyberdriveillinois.com. This information is then made available electronically to law enforcement statewide through LEADS (Law Enforcement Agencies Data System). Residents may list anyone in the United States as emergency contacts.
… that the Daily Northwestern reports that NU plans to construct a new building for the Kellogg School of Management near the sports and aquatics center. NU says this building will be an architectural “bookend” to the Bienen School of Music, coming to the south of end of campus, also facing the lake.
From our readers: TG: I find myself wondering, as the leaves pile up in our yards, why only Evanston refuses to pick them up from the street. Our neighbors in Wilmette and Skokie can just rake theirs into the street while we have to go through the onerous and costly effort to bag them. The street sweepers are already out there, so why can’t they take the extra leaves from our yards? – Ann Mallow
From TG: On Monday, a City official said that 1) the Water Department says leaves in the streets will clog the drains; 2) people might put harmful stuff under the leaf piles; and 3) the leaf piles will take up too much street room and we don’t have enough parking spaces as it is.
But – wait – we already have to move cars to accommodate snow – why not leaves?
TG: Here’s a Friday the 13th pic for you, another scalping, this one on Foster Street. On a serious note, there were certainly economic costs to this mishap, including to one or more workers (the driver, I assume, plus maybe whoever loaded or directed); the contractor who wanted the equipment delivered; the rental company; one or more insurance companies; the CTA (accident report; a bent underpass); and the City of Evanston (police and other time). Not to mention the loss in productivity by everyone who stopped to gawk or take pictures, like me. 🙂 – Jeff Smith
TG: Do you know when the City plans on distributing the new, large recycling bins that are at the old Recycling center?
I would really like one. – Tracy Hubbard
TG: A few weeks ago I observed the parking ticket truck (Friday, Sept 11th I believe) drive behind parked cars on Payne St. that were parked on the wrong side of the street for street cleaning. While most of the cars received a citation, including mine, one was not issued to my neighbor’s car – twice. Both times, the parking ticket vehicle pulled behind their car for several minutes and drove on without issuing a ticket as it had to the others cars parked on that side of the street. Is there a reason why some cars are being issued citations while others are not? – Rachel Powers
From TG: TG apologizes for the lateness of this and the other replies. Ms. Powers, this is something you can check with the City about, since it is your block. Some folks do have dispensations from following parking regulations – because of disability, illness or something else. Otherwise, TG cannot understand why a ticket-writer would forego the chance to help us balance our budget by making someone pay the fine.
Tracy Hubbard, you should soon receive your bin, if you live in a single-family home. If you do not reveive it by mid-December, TG suggests that you call the City’s Department of Streets and Sanitation, 847-866-2940 or email publicworks@cityofevanston.org.
About lane markings on Main Street and traffic lights on Dempster: Although the City has not responded to RT’s request for answers about the lack of lane marking on the Main Street bridge and the lack of coordination of traffic lights on Dempster, TG has the following opinions: We are never going to get the full amount of stripes on the bridge, because at least half of it is in Skokie. As far as the traffic lights on Dempster between McCormick and Asbury, TG has come up with this: The traffic lights are in fact coordinated to help early-morning commuters – not to keep vehicles moving but to allow them to stop at each light so drivers can sip their coffee at each stop rather than having to try to do this in motion. Through a scientific process, TG has discovered that this is true even if the driver is drinking tea or cocoa.
The Traffic Guy thinks …
… don’t forget to buy your vehicle stickers. They don’t have to be displayed until January, but it’s easier to get them onto your windshield when it’s not sub-zero cold, sleeting, windy or snowing (i.e., January).
… speaking of freezing rain, sleet and snow – winter is coming, and TG again reminds folks to pay attention to posted signs, not to the weather, when deciding what side of a street to park on during snowy weather.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.