Letter to the Editor: Willow Road Debate Continues, Northfield Has 'Change of Heart'
One Glenview resident sounds off on the expansion controversy.
Dear Glenview Patch Editor:
At the last Willow Road Community Advisory Group (CAG) meeting in late
September, it seemed that Northfield stakeholders have had a noticeable
"change-of-heart" regarding this project.
The meeting focused on the Illinois Department of Transportation's proposed
toolbox of safety characteristics that the new and improved Willow Road
could feature, such as pedestrian countdown signals or curbed medians.
Throughout the discussion of each tool, there seemed to be a shift in
Northfield's long and loudly stated priority of safety, which we all want,
towards an increasing concern about "cosmetics".
I was surprised and a little bit confused that Northfield CAG members
appeared to change their concerns to how the safety features would look in
Northfield rather than how they would actually make the road safer for
pedestrians and drivers along their stretch of Willow Road.
One of the Northfield CAG members was concerned about the lighting along the
Willow Road corridor because it was mainly a residential area. Others were
concerned about the width of the proposed shared bike path and sidewalk,
suggesting we may not need a path at all if it would mean more concrete
along that stretch of Willow (i.e. less "green").
As a long-time resident of this area, I have attended multiple CAG meetings
over the last two years and I was impressed with both the number and quality
of safety tools that the state's department of transportation had presented
at the September meeting. I naturally assumed that Northfield would like
them as well, considering their historical stance of safety at any/all
costs, be it environmentally or aesthetically speaking.
As the process nears an end, the focus must continue to be centered on
building the safest alternative that provides a long-term solution.
November 10th is the last CAG meeting and it's imperative that all community
members attend to ensure that IDOT delivers a safer AND wider Willow Road
that benefits the entire region.
- John Nicolau
18-year Glenview resident
Have something to say about Willow Road's impending expansion? Tell us in the comments or share with the community on Facebook!
Earl Weiss
6:22 am on Monday, November 7, 2011
Perhaps the residents finaly realized the widening is needed and coming, like it or not, so better to lobby for whtever else they can get vis a vis esthetics.
Gale Teschendorf
11:28 am on Monday, November 7, 2011
Maybe the residents do not like the bottleneck because cars idle there longer causing more pollution. Wilmette has two similar bottlenecks on Lake Avenue & Green Bay Road.
Karen de Loys
7:22 am on Monday, November 7, 2011
I was driving along four lane Lake Street last week at 3:00 p.m. It was a complete bottleneck and traffic was at a standstill. Is that what we in Northfield are going to get? I also was stuck along the Willow road curve at Sunset Ridge School two weeks ago. An irate women in an SUV was honking her horn as the cars inched along. She pulled around me drove on the median as children were walking on the sidewalk. An accident waiting to happen! The four lanes will not cure the problem, only make it worse. We need to dial down our impatience. The IDOT three lane solution will offer 17 ft lanes which will still allow passing on the "shoulder" and still allow traffic flow. Why do we need a "super highway" in our peaceful town? Does 60 seconds really matter? I think IDOT can spend their dollars more responsibly. Stop the dirty politics, and favors. Think about our quality of life vs your 60 seconds. And to the irate lady in the SUV, I'm glad you didn't hit the child you sped by so you could be first in line at the red light!
Earl Weiss
10:37 am on Monday, November 7, 2011
>>Karen de Loys
. Is that what we in Northfield are going to get?<<<
You already have it on Willow road. Just 2 lanes instead of 4.
>>The four lanes will not cure the problem, only make it worse.<<
How does doubling throughput make congestion worse?
>>Why do we need a "super highway" in our peaceful town?<<<
Because that stretch of road services two interstate highways, one on each side.
Gale Teschendorf
11:37 am on Monday, November 7, 2011
Lake Avenue is four lanes between Ridge & Green Bay Road only if you count the turn only lane. Before the re-striping, there were 4 lanes & fewer backups.
Northfield will get less pollution because the cars will move down the road. Northfield will get less irate (and safer) drivers. Northfield will get a higher quality of life.
Brian Kozminski
8:56 am on Monday, November 7, 2011
If the end goal of IDOT's CAG process really is safety with a meaningful improvement for automobile mobility, then IDOT will decide to build a wider 3 lane Willow Road, which Northfield wanted IDOT to build 10 years ago. IDOT's own PowerPoint presentation at the last CAG meeting (9-22-11) scored a 3 lane road highest for safety.
Earl Weiss
10:39 am on Monday, November 7, 2011
If 3 lanes is "meaningful" 4 lanes is more meaningful. Two thru lanes in each direction plus turning lanes would be better yet.
3 lane highest for safety? Comapred to what? 2 lanes or 4 lanes?
Donald Whiteman
3:06 pm on Thursday, November 10, 2011
According to IDOT's own data in the bar charts displayed toward the end of the meeting, the two lane with median option scored a higher safety rating than the four lane with median. In fact, it had the highest safety rating. The three lane, preferred option, was rated only slightly less safe than the two lane option, but it was rated higher than the four lane option. IDOT quickly moved the meeting to their two road option conclusions, the two lane with median and the four lane with median, conveniently burying the three lane option which I doubt we will ever discuss again. Safety has always been the number one priority to Northfield from day one. It's only IDOT and others who keep putting such a high priority on mobility at the expense of safety.
Earl Weiss
3:13 pm on Thursday, November 10, 2011
>>Donald Whiteman
3:06pm on Thursday, November 10, 2011
According to IDOT's own data ..........the two lane with median option scored a higher safety rating than the four lane with median. In fact, it had the highest safety rating. The three lane, preferred option, was rated only slightly less safe than the two lane option, but it was rated higher than the four lane option.<<<
I wonder how much $ they had to spend to determine less lanes = greater safety.
It's always a question of balance. Statistics can be misleading. You could say one option is twice as dangerous because there will be 2 accidents in 100 years as opposed to one every hundred years. Bottom line is that thoroughfares are meant to handle traffic and the NIMBY argument only goes so far.
Kate Rekett
7:15 am on Tuesday, November 8, 2011
I believe that at the last CAG meeting in September the Northfield residents were not backing down from the message of safety. I believe the Northfield residents were just asking questions for the sake of educating and familiarizing themselves with all aspects of the proposed plan. In no way does asking questions about what IDOT intends to install along the proposed new Willow Road in any way deter the residents of Northfield from the topic of Safety. Mr. Nicolau is reading too much into the questions of a few Northfield residents. Mr. Nicolau appears to making inferences in an attempt to further his cause which is to widen Willow regardless of its impact on the village of Northfield. I feel it is very inappropriate to criticize Northfield residents for asking questions about the lighting that will be installed and questions about how much pavement will be installed as the residents have every right to know all these things. They are relevant to both safety and the overall impact that this new proposed road will have on the community. Back of Mr. Nicolau and stop pointing fingers just to stir the pot - enough already. Let everybody focus on the issue at hand without trying to make things appear differently just for the sake of argument.