The Lighthouse Keeper sees …

… that interspersed among the many houses decorated for Halloween are homes that serve as canvases for art installations as part of Terrain Exhibitions. The theme of the 2021 biennial show is “Keep in Touch.” Running concurrently in more than 50 cities around the globe, the installations will be displayed through Nov. 15. Twenty-six of the more than 250 works can be found on and around Evanston homes.

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… that one Evanston home features both Halloween decorations and this Terrain Exhibition work by Rebecca Grace Hill. Hill’s installation is an interactive work, offering visitors the option to help themselves to an art kit and supplies to create their own greeting cards. Her zine suggests opportunities for people to “keep in touch” along with creative ways to do so.

… that one of the goals of the City’s 2018 Climate Action and Resilience Plan is to “expand safe, convenient and complete networks in Evanston for pedestrians, bicycles and transit; facilitate the expansion of strong bicycle and transit connections between Evanston and neighboring communities.”

… that on Sept. 13 the Administration and Public Works Committee unanimously approved a “Safe Routes to School” resolution to:

• enable and encourage children, including those with disabilities, to walk and bicycle to school;
• to make bicycling and walking to school a safer and more appealing transportation alternative, thereby encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle from an early age.

…Unfortunately, the Lighthouse Keeper sees that signage around most of the city’s bike lanes is woefully inadequate and hears…

… that a girl riding her bike in the bike lane was hit by a bus near Bent Park last Wednesday morning. A RoundTable reader said that despite the crosswalk at Hastings with a pedestrian-activated sign, many drivers blow through it even when the sign is activated. Neighbors have reportedly asked the city to put a stop sign at Ridgeway or Lawndale but have been told there isn’t enough traffic to justify it. An eastbound speed sign shows drivers how fast they are going, which is intended to slow traffic down. 

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The Lighthouse Keeper sees …

… that the eastbound Central Street bike lane ends just before Lincolnwood Avenue. Signs indicate that bikes are not allowed on the sidewalks but do not make it clear to bikes or cars where bikes should be or that drivers should share the road. One mile further east, a partially obscured sign on the south side of the street shows cyclists they are on the path to the lakefront.

… that cyclists riding south on Sheridan from Wilmette are directed south on Euclid and east on Ingleside toward a protected two-way lane on the east side of Sheridan. There’s a sign that says “Bike Lane on Left Ahead” but it’s not clear to drivers that bikes must cross Sheridan to get to the bike lane.

… that the two-way lane ends on Chicago Avenue at Davis Street, and directs southbound cyclists across the intersection and to the right, where the lane evaporates.

… that the city got it right on Dodge Avenue, between Evanston Township High School and Howard Street, with protected bike lanes going north and south and signs that make it clear to cyclists, pedestrians and drivers where each belongs. The southbound bike lanes on Dodge continue into Chicago with corresponding lanes along Western Avenue.

… and that the current Church Street Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvements project promises to extend the area of dedicated bike lanes, which will provide better connections to other bike routes.

The Lighthouse Keeper wishes all readers, be they drivers, pedestrians or cyclists, goblins, ghosts or ghouls, a safe and happy Halloween and, as always, welcomes your comments and questions.