Letter to the Editor: Four-Lane Roads ... Not a Novel Concept
Glenview resident John Nicolau writes Patch to weigh in on the Willow Road debate.
Dear Editor,
As I’ve sat through past IDOT meetings about the future of Willow Road, I couldn’t stop thinking ... are four-lane roads some sort of rare, pioneering concept? No, of course not, but our Northfield neighbors are making them sound about as futuristic as high-speed rail.
IDOT isn’t talking about blazing any new trails by widening Willow Road from a two-lane traffic trap to a safer, more efficient four-lane road through Northfield. Four lanes are routine and everywhere you look in Illinois, including local roads here in the North Shore area like Dundee Road in Northbrook, Lake Avenue in Glenview, and Skokie Boulevard through Wilmette. So why should the drive through Northfield be any different?
We can’t lose sight of the fact that Willow Road is a major state-owned road, maintained and operated using our hard-earned tax dollars. It is not only Northfield’s private road and access ramp to and from the Edens Expressway. It just happens to run through their community, same as it does through Glenview, Winnetka, and Northbrook.
I completely understand the concerns that my neighbors in Northfield have raised about pedestrian safety, which is certainly the priority to me and everyone at the IDOT meetings. However, and somewhat ironically, Willow Road’s development and expansion can actually make the road safer than it is today for walkers and bikers alike. IDOT has described, in specific detail, how planned enhancements for Willow Road’s expansion would include replacing the current and outdated systems with state-of-the-art safety technology and improvements.
Widening Willow Road will also make local side streets, like those in my neighborhood, much safer. Additional lanes would make the road more efficient, which will stop drivers from quickly cutting through our neighborhood to avoid the gridlock on Willow Road that has gone on for way too long now. It’s about everyone’s safety and not about saving time, as my neighbors contend.
Let me reiterate, four lane roads are not a new concept. All the way down Lake Avenue, from the Edens Expressway west to I-294, we here in Glenview have a mix of residential, retail, recreational, multiple houses of worship, retirement facilities, and several schools. Lake Avenue has been four lanes for well over 30 years and was widened just a few years ago to accommodate increased traffic volume, as well as to implement more modern traffic features designed to enhance safety, including fencing to prevent crossing outside of a cross-walk and other technologies.
Bottom line? If we here in Glenview can navigate four lanes with a multitude of residential, retail, recreational, and academic facilities along Lake Avenue, I am confident that Northfield residents will be just fine with the same.
Respectfully,
John Nicolau
18-year resident of Glen Oak Acres, Glenview
Where do you stand on the Willow Road debate?
Tell us in the comments.
Kate Dietrich
7:34 am on Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Willow Road needs to be widened, we've waited too long and endured too much cut through traffic.
Kate Dietrich
14 year Glen Oak Acres resident
Ted Greene
9:34 am on Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Make no mistake, a fourth lane road is a myth. With the median and middle turn lanes it will be 5 to 6 lanes minimum. Willow Road in Northfield is a residential street. How many folks in Glenview and Northbrook would want the road in front of their house enlarged to 5 lanes???
Donald Whiteman
12:49 pm on Tuesday, March 15, 2011
How could any rational human being think for even one moment that a 5-lane roadway could ever be safer than a 2-lane roadway, all else being equal. Cars will go faster regardless of the speed limit and you will have more of them occupying a given space not to mention the much longer distance required in getting from one side to the other. No, 4-lane roadways are not new, but the reason they are no big deal in Glenview is because Glenview is so much bigger in both land area and population. 4-lane roadways simply disappear into the landsacape and become part of the norm. We don't have that luxury in Northfield. We are much smaller and this has a huge impact on our community so don't try to compare it to Lake Ave. They are not the same. I think it's time for Glenview residents to relax, quit meddling and let the plan that was agreed to in 2005 be built. It already contains a number of concessions to increase traffic flow, maintain safety, save the state a lot of money and it's ready to go out for bid tomorrow. By the way, let's call the 4-lane plan what it really is, it's a 5-lane roadway, not 4-lanes.
Donald Whiteman
Former Village President
38 year Northfield resident
beth steger
6:37 pm on Tuesday, March 15, 2011
I have lived in Glenview for 22 years. I lived in Glen Oak Acres for 20 of them. It is difficult to tell where the cut throughs originate - Lake Ave or Willow Rd.
My main concern is for children and older folks. Four lane intersection are actually five with the turn lanes. I know a family that lost their child; an eigth grader who was riding his bike to his best friends house on a free day from school. An older man driving, accidentally killed the boy on bike, daylight hours. Sadness for all involved. This occurred in Glenview/Northbrook border where large intersections are convenient for most commuters, present clear danger to others.
Another child, younger, was killed by a train in Glenview, per accident. Only after his death did Glenview put pedestrian barriers to enable children to cross the tracks more safely. Glenview's history on protecting young, inexperienced bikers or walkers has proven to be a sad chapter in Glenview history.
Thus, Mr. Nicolau, I respectfully disagree with your statement: "Bottom line? If we here in Glenview can navigate four lanes with a multitude of residential, retail, recreational, and academic facilities along Lake Avenue, I am confident Northfield residents will be just fine with the same."
The Glenview Trustees may want more traffic to ammend their failing "Glen"; and it appears they are pushing Northfield for an ulterior selfish motive. I do not agree with the way our village is behaving.
Beth Steger
Glenview
John Breen
9:05 am on Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Mr. Nicolau, I'm sorry you are sipping from the Schoenberg Kool-Aid.
When you stop, I know that you will realize that Willow Road is NOT like Lake Street; that YOUR 4-lanes is really 5+-lanes; that the roads IN Northfield are not PRIMARILY for the benefit of The Glen or Glen Acres or Northbrook or Glenview. Please stop sipping ... then walk on over to Willow and see how safe it is now....and imagine how much safer it will be with a thoughtful 3-lane road. Godspeed,
John Breen
23 Year Resident of Northbrook
9 Year resident of Northfield
Lizzie Neaylon Kinnich
10:11 am on Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Ditto on Mr. Breen’s comments above.
Furthermore, it continues to surprise me that some Glenview residents still won’t acknowledge the advantages of the 3-lane shovel ready plan previously agreed to by Northfield, Winnetka, and IDOT in 2005. This alternative 1) would reduce traffic, 2) could be started immediately--not 4 years from now, 3) could save millions of IL tax dollars compared to the more expansive options, 4) and, most importantly, the 3-lane approach is the safer alternative for children and residents.
I am also respectfully asking that if you are going to comment in support of the “four lane option” in an editorial, in the spirit of transparency and not misleading readers, if you could at least acknowledge at some point in your commentary that the residents of Northfield will be crossing 5/6-lanes with turning lanes/median—not 4- lanes, it would be greatly appreciated.
Lizzie Neaylon Kinnich
Northbrook resident 21 years
Northfield resident 6 years
Charles Shabica
2:49 pm on Wednesday, March 16, 2011
There is good engineering evidence from IDOT that the 2005 IDOT-approved 3 lane option or the 4 to 5 lane option under study will both improve the traffic flow through Northfield only minimally. Further, the traffic congestion in this area has been decreasing since about 2002. Do we want to obligate $31,000,000 that Illinois taxpayers don't have to make a minimal improvement (4 to 5 lanes) to Willow Road? I don't.
Dr. Charles Shabica, P.G.
Winnetka resident 36 years
Jennifer Trimble
3:10 pm on Wednesday, March 16, 2011
I have been a resident of Northbrook for over 14 years, and I travel on Willow Road at various times daily. The only time I usually encounter traffic on Willow is from 5:00 to 6:30 Pm. The ironic thing about this is that no matter what Village I am in at this time of day, I encounter traffic. I am also amazed at the complaints from 14 and 16 year residents of Glenview. Seriously, the Willow Road situation was like this when you moved in, and you still chose to live in this area. Let the Village of Northfield make their own decisions.
Jennifer Trimble
T Rocks
3:42 am on Thursday, March 17, 2011
I support a 3 lane solution to widen Willow Rd and allow a turn lane that will ease congestion. The only reason I can see that the 3 lane solution isn't already implemented and working well is Sen Schoenberg's designs on the checkbooks of the big business owner's west of Waukegan Rd! It's disgraceful, but so Illinois, for a politician to continually hold up a good and inexpensive solution for personal gain and campaign contributions from those that don't actually have to live with the consequences of their desired changes! The voters need to remove Schoenberg as soon as possible - he has ignored the people and their needs for years while profiting himself. A 3 lane Willow Rd is the only reasonable solution, unless you're used to bullying the public into whatever scheme gives you money at the people's expense!!
Roberta Nash
4:31 pm on Thursday, March 17, 2011
I have been a resident of Northfield for over 34 years, coming and going at all times of day and night. I have rarely been delayed by traffic, and never for more than a few minutes at most. I find it hard to believe that saving a few minutes of travel time is worth the huge expense and danger entailed in creating a 4+lane road through Northfield - particularly when many forward-thinking communities throughout the country are attempting to minimize the amount of pavement in their towns, rather than more than doubling it.
I support the well-researched, well-supported 3-lane option.
katie hackbarth
6:21 pm on Sunday, March 20, 2011
The Glen choose to have Patriot Drive only two lanes in an area and four lanes in other areas. This keeps traffic from having a four lane cut throught to Lake Avenue to access the Edens expressway and the reverse Lake to Willow to the Toll way. There are no schools close to Patriot Drive. Let Glenview widen Patriot Drive. Let Northfield have the three lane road plan approved, safe and really to go before the New Widen Willow Political group got involved.
Katie Hackbarth
65 Year Resident of Glencoe