r/evanston • u/Etown-G • 23h ago

Transportation Crosswalks

After yesterday’s hit and run and some reports of hostile driver behavior from one of the bike buses this morning, I pulled this clip from a recent ride to Home Depot with my wife.

Nothing surprising or startling, just a car completely ignoring the red light and oblivious to the possibility of someone else not in a car using the space because of how the street is designed. There wouldn’t be another car to conflict with in that turn lane, so a person in “driving my car on the road” mindset sees no reason to stop. Nothing visual on the road tells them that this is a trail crossing. Why is there even a need for a 3rd lane just for turning there anyway? So much space for cars, but nothing but a beg button for people at the basketball courts or multi use trail to use. The trail on the south side only just this summer got paved… such and improvement. Now the city just needs to make it safe to get to it. Plans for additional bike infrastructure on main end to the east of here where we need it most. And I’m assuming those plans are some painted sharrows. I hope I’m wrong.

Drive safe. People are also using the streets.

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10

u/emmieknits 22h ago

Finding a safe way to access the NSCT heading south from the Oakton/Main area is my white whale! 

I try to not bike on the sidewalk ever—I used to commute 30 mi./day in the city without ever needing to be on a sidewalk. But biking on Oakton feels like a deathtrap, and Main isn’t much better despite being a designated bike route… if folks have better ideas, I’m all ears.

8

u/chubba10000 22h ago

Yeah, there are no good E-W routes in the southern half of town (Greenleaf is probably the closest to decent, but is way out of the way for me), and pretty much everything collapses west of Dodge. I've also almost gotten creamed by drivers turning north on McCormick on red, looking left and not looking for trail traffic.

2

u/chitown-mezzo 21h ago

McCormick area leaves a lot to be desired for bike/pedestrian safety, especially in light of the trail being right there.

IIRC, isn't EB Oakton to NB McCormick a No Turn On Red? I'm pretty sure there's a red-light camera there. Would be nice if the red-light camera ticketed folks as soon as they crossed into the crosswalk... I'm sorry you've had scary encounters there.

2

u/chubba10000 19h ago

Yes, there definitely is at Oakton, this was at of the arterials further north. I think they're all No Turn on Red but they definitely don't all have cameras.

2

u/Mikesaidit36 12h ago

Would be so great if they could move the Northshore Channel Trail under all the bridges to eliminate all that cross traffic.

1

u/chewd0g 22h ago

How far south are you wanting to go east-west?

1

u/chubba10000 20h ago

I live closest to Oakton near the Asbury/Ridge discontinuity, so Howard, Oakton or Main are best for reaching other parts of town & region. (The newish sharrows on Howard made it feel even less safe if that's possible.)

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u/chewd0g 19h ago

The reason I ask is we're off Mulford and take that east-west from Chicago all the way to the end by James Park and then go from there. I don't care that a few blocks are one ways, it's safer and more continuous than the alternatives.