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Time to cul-de-sac Riverside streets ?

(39 posts)
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  1. mrt
    Member

    A letter signed by three Riverside residents in today's Landmark asks whether we should cul de sac Riverside streets due to the heavy cutting across for shortcutting. What do you think?

    They refer to Berwyn and OP which have done it. I am from OP and I am pretty sure that this was not done to prevent shortcutting, but to reduce west Chicago from getting in. I also lived in north Berwyn, and I wonder if they did the cul de sacs on Roosevelt to keep OPers out :)

    There would obviously have to be some kind of survey of the traffic flows before doing anything.

    Time to cul-de-sac Riverside streets

    It is time that we, as residents, express our view that to cul-de-sac Riverside streets is a timely issue. Eliminating the excess traffic that uses Riverside as a shortcut will increase safety and reduce crime.

    Oak Park and Berwyn are both examples of where cul-de-sac has worked with great success. Residents in favor of this approach should voice their opinion now, while fresh ears govern our village.

    http://www.rblandmark.com/main.asp?SectionID=3&SubSectionID=17&ArticleID=4967&TM=56849.36

    Posted Wednesday May 6, 2009 14:52 #

  2. JohnM
    Member

    I'm no traffic engineer, but wouldn't one consequence of making certain streets cul-de-sacs be to funnel traffic on to the non-cul-de-sac streets? For example, going south from Quincy, there are 4 streets that allow one to enter Riverside off of Harlem. If Blackhawk, Lawton and Robinson Court were cul-de-sac'ed, would not traffic (both incoming and outgoing) be forced onto Olmsted?

    Posted Wednesday May 6, 2009 15:43 #

  3. spatny
    Member

    Many cars going north on Harlem enter Riverside when the trains are blocking Harlem, find their way west on Deleplaine, Quincy or another street, cross at Deleplaine, Cowley or Longcommon, and go up Forest or Woodise to 31st. As most people know, 31st is a good street for going east-west. In the late afternoon/evening the cut thru traffic of non-Riversiders enters and goes down Woodside into Kimbark, left on Forest, and over thetracks at Longcommon, then either over the Lyons bridge or down Riverside Road and out at Miller. Some/many go down Akenside and across the tracks at Longcommon. The others go down Deleplaine and across the tracks, and exit onto Harlem on one of those streets or else go to Lionel and out onto Ogden. After 4:30 they also use Woodside into Longcommon. If traffic was forced to go north on Desplaines to 26th and then east it would be a huge help, but not for residents. Very difficult to do or enforce. It would require barricades and a toll booth or something like that. Morning is the reverse. Thats a $35K traffic study. When may I expect your check.

    Posted Wednesday May 6, 2009 16:23 #

  4. Fred
    Member

    I believe there were a couple of traffic studies done in 1979 which dealt with speed limits and limiting access. There were extensive public meetings and the public input to these meetings should still be around. As I recall there were some pretty significant negatives to the cul de sac concept.

    Posted Wednesday May 6, 2009 16:25 #

  5. EricSundstrom
    Member

    Back in the late 80's early 90's an effort was made to limit traffic flow into Riverside. If I recall corectly various streets were made to be one way exiting out of town only .Also you do not want to make it to difficult to get into town. It would be bad for business, especially Riverside foods.

    Posted Wednesday May 6, 2009 16:38 #

  6. spatny
    Member

    Unfortunately more and more people are "cutting through" now because they have those navigation systems. In the old days you would see a car slowing to ask directions and you knew they were looking for the Zoo. Anybody ever been to Pebble Beach in CA? They gated the whole place with four gates, and if you live there you get a thing to get you through the gates. If not, and you want in, you buy a ticket. We could employ seniors to man the barricades.

    Pebble Beach is a small coastal unincorporated community in Monterey County, California. Best known as a resort destination, the area is home to the famous golf course, Pebble Beach Golf Links.

    Technically, Pebble Beach is not a city at all, but rather a corporation owned by the Pebble Beach Company. Residents therefore pay homeowners' fees for road maintenance as well as Monterey County property taxes. The community's post office is named Pebble Beach, but the U.S. Census Bureau regards the land as part of the larger census-designated place of Del Monte Forest.

    The area is also partly administrated by the Del Monte Forest Foundation, a non-profit organization designated by Monterey County and the California Coastal Commission, and comprising a volunteer board of 12 members working to preserve the open space within the Del Monte Forest. Except for two representatives of the Pebble Beach Company, all must be property owners and residents of the Forest.

    The ZIP Code is 93953, and the community is inside area code 831.

    Here's the google search:

    http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=pebble+beach%2C+CA&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&oq=

    I think the charge is $10 a car now.

    Posted Wednesday May 6, 2009 18:01 #

  7. Catherine
    Member

    I sure would be in favor of trying something. My perception is a lot of troublemakers enter from Harlem and from Ogden. Nearly every night lately, cars are dragracing down Burlington toward the center of town. Apparently no stop signs can be put up between Delaplane and Cowley.

    I used to live in Hyde Park, a place with a lot of town and gown problems. You cannot access it from 57th Street, its main drag, coming off the Drive. It is a warren of one-way streets. This was done in an effort to decrease violent crime, always a problem there. I think it does help.

    Posted Friday May 8, 2009 10:49 #

  8. TS
    Member

    Which do you desire, a vibrant Central Business District or a gated community? You can't have it both ways.

    Posted Friday May 8, 2009 10:58 #

  9. Catherine
    Member

    This 'gated community' thing is an overstatement, to say the least. Do you want crime, or a vibrant business community? You can't have it both ways.

    First, no business has ever survived here that did not have Riverside patronage, so that must be secured. Armed robberies and whatnot are not likely to do that. They certainly haven't helped Bank of America's business. It does not foster a nighttime pedestrian environment, does it?

    No, my preference would be that we had cops in the late hours at the perimeter. But we can't afford that.

    Hyde Park is not a gated community. It does have a vibrant business district. People who live there and elsewhere go there. Their willingness to do that at night depends upon those one-way streets and other such measures taken to enhance safety.

    My preference would be for lots of police, but there are only so many we can afford.

    I really don't know how you can criticize people who are primarily worried about their children and elderly parents.

    Posted Friday May 8, 2009 11:10 #

  10. TS
    Member

    I am not criticizing people, I am criticizing the idea of cul-de-sacs. You want to slow down traffic, put in speed bumps, lobby for stop signs, create more one streets, I've tried to get mine made one way. Cul-de-sacs send a very clear message.

    Posted Friday May 8, 2009 11:27 #

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