Promising “Safe Streets” initiative detailed
Earlier, “I blogged”:http://westnorth.com/2006/11/23/safe-streets/trackback/ a photo of a PSA ad promoting safe driving around pedestrians. Today, Hilkevitch’s “front-page column”:http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0612180161dec18,1,413615.column?coll=chi-news-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true in the Trib offers details on the overall “Safe Streets for Chicago”:http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city/webportal/portalContentItemAction.do?BV_SessionID=@@@@1658248418.1166469198@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccdaddjjfemidgcefecelldffhdfhg.0&contentOID=536939798&contenTypeName=COC_EDITORIAL&topChannelName=Dept&blockName=Transportation%2FMaking+Chicago+Pedestrian+Friendly%2FI+Want+To&context=dept&channelId=0&programId=0&entityName=Transportation&deptMainCategoryOID=-536895918 strategy, including:
* a Mayor’s Pedestrian Advisory Council, to launch in January
* design strategies, like bulb-outs, median refuges, raised crosswalks (“sleeping policemen”), and zebra crossings
* motorist stings, with EMC/TMA and police cooperating to catch speeders
* road diets (four to three lanes)
* installation of more pedestrian countdown signals
* greater education
The last point is perhaps most important: the driving culture can, in fact, be changed, given enough education and enforcement.
Our SSA commission will be meeting with the police department at some point to discuss sites for camera installation; I’ll ask whether the red-light cameras are smart enough to catch other infractions, like intruding on crosswalks and not yielding before turning, and whether sting operations can be set up at our intersections.
Ah, a road diet. Can’t wait for that.