Quote:
Originally Posted by left of center
Adding a bike lane/parking lane would make these roads unsafe? I never said I wanted traffic to go faster on these roads, I simply said that these very narrow streets without parking lanes did not resemble typical Chicago residential side streets. I also said it was not a major problem, more of an observation. If safety is such a concern, by all means add speed humps every 15 feet. Not that it matters, since the roadways will not be getting a redesign anytime soon.
And I am all for reducing, if not outright removing all the streets in Grant Park. I could see why removing Columbus would be difficult since it is such a large traffic distributor, which in that case tunneling under the park would be great, although fiscally impractical. Monroe, Jackson, Balbo and Ida B Wells Dr. (west of Congress Plaza Drive) should be entirely removed (except for short sections of Monroe and Jackson that would be needed for access/service drives to the Art Institute).
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I agree the upper-level streets in LSE aren't great. The sidewalks are too narrow, I don't even think they meet ADA (not enough clear space around obstructions). They tried to "soften it up" with
planter boxes and that just made things worse.
In that StreetView link, you can see that the roadway is plenty wide for two-way traffic and parked cars on both sides, but parking is banned on those streets so they just feel wide and hostile. (36' curb to curb)
Thankfully the new sections that were built as part of Vista/St Regis are much better. High-quality pavers, decent space for pedestrians, and narrower driving lanes/narrower turn radii to calm traffic.
https://goo.gl/maps/F7ZaCM5UTYpohjGo7
Quote:
Originally Posted by the urban politician
Are they done building that connector road that runs underneath this tower. I want to go check that out in person some day. That will allow through traffic as well
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They're done building it, but it doesn't really allow "through traffic" exactly because it connects to the sub level of Wacker (the lowest level where the auto pound is) and not to Lower Wacker (the middle level that is a busy 6-lane connector road). Sub Wacker just leads you to other sub level streets with loading docks, or the parent dropoff area for GEMS. You have to go up a level to exit the LSE/Illinois Center area.