A reader writes in needing help at the Buena & Hazel intersection:"At the Buena & Hazel intersection, it’s a 3-way stop (corrected). It’s blown ALL THE TIME. Any time of day, people roll right through it. It’s blocks away from a school doors down from a day care center, and surrounded by apartments, so the pedestrian traffic is high. It’s unsafe (and disgusting in my opinion) that drivers who can clearly see the sign plow through this intersection at 30 to 35 mph. So many times I have seen people get nearly run over, and honked at, while crossing. People with strollers, parents walking with kids and/or their pets, it’s flat out scary the lack of regard drivers have for such a densely populated residential area. This doesn’t make it any easier for the folks coming in and out of the parking lot for the high rise building either.
So a request for residents of Uptown, and even Buena Park folks who live in the area. Please call 311 and help report this dangerous intersection. Perhaps the city will be able to do something, anything to combat these drivers."
Maybe they should remove the stop sign so that pedestrians don't assume the cars are stopping... or replace it with a light, but that would cost $$$!
ReplyDeleteI wonder what relative of Helen Schiller needs to get injured in an accident at this intersection before something is done about it.
ReplyDeleteActually its a 3-way intersection:
ReplyDeletehttp://maps.google.com/maps?q=buena+and+hazel+chicago&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=W+Buena+Ave+%26+N+Hazel+St,+Chicago,+IL+60613&gl=us&ei=ln8uTLeKM46lnQei9NThAw&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CBQQ8gEwAA
They don't stop at the Buena stop sign on Marine by the underpass to the park either. I saw 20 cars blow through that sign in about 15 minutes while I stopped to talk to a friend before entering the LSD underpass last weekend.
ReplyDeleteI live in this area and drivers regularly ignore ALL of the stop signs in BP. The ones on Hazel are apparently those "optional" stop signs that don't even require people to slow down. I have nearly been hit while walking or driving numerous times, and I usually have one or two small children with me. I drive here expecting that no one will stop where they are required to.
ReplyDeleteI know the police are busy in our area, but I think that watching these intersections every once in a while and handing out a few moving violations (it wouldn't take long) would help deter some of the repeat offenders -- I think many of the people who refuse to obey these signs live in the neighborhood and view them as a nuisance.
On Leland and Kenmore,these morons do the same thing,it doesn't matter whether or not there's someone about to cross the street.Where's a slingshot when you need one?
ReplyDeleteI wish someone had brought this up at last Thursday's CAPS meeting. I had no idea this was happening and it would have been the perfect opportunity to discuss the issue.
ReplyDeletePeople like myself are afraid to express this at a CAPS meeting because we have been told by unit commanders at the 23rd that this is a low priority issue in addition to been laughed at over the phone on several occasions.
ReplyDeleteHow hard is it to advise officers to do their paperwork at this intersection rather than an abandoned lot a block away (old KFC @ Broadway and Buena)?
Just a visual deterrant is all we're asking for. Maybe a few citations to send the message across.
Personally, IMO... a speed hump just before and after the intersection on Buena would eliminate the problem.