Community Corner

Readers React to Patch Pedestrian Safety Test

Patch showed you which intersections in Highland Park, Deerfield and Lake Forest were trouble for pedestrians. Here's what you said.

Last week, a Patch editor shot video of how drivers acted at specific intersections in Highland Park, Deerfield and Lake Forest.

The moment a pedestrian steps into a crosswalk drivers are required to come to a stop and let the person get all the way across the street, according to Illinois law.

The problem is drivers often fail to obey the requirement, according to Patch editor Steve Sadin. Last week, he took one minute videos in downtown Highland Park, Lake Forest and Deerfield to see how well drivers have adjusted to this requirement which marks its two-year anniversary at the end of the year.

What did he find? 

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"Deerfield drivers are most obedient while Highland Park has more motorists who drive through intersections with pedestrians in them," he wrote. "Lake Forest drivers are in the middle."

Here's how you responded.

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Lake Forest

"Unfair study," writes Carol. "Deerfield location has the only Stop light. Highland Park location has 4 Stop signs and Lake Forest location has one corner with one way traffic and only 1 stop sign. If you are going to conduct a study you need like conditions."

Deerfield

"Patch should video the crossing on Deerfield road West of the train station," writes RB. "Flashing lights and people still zoom through it. It's actually dangerous to expect drivers to stop."

Highland Park

"For the more than 3 decades I have lived up here, that intersection in Highland Park has been the most dangerous in the area. I have never understood why the HP police do not monitor or direct traffic at high volume times," writes Shirley. "Their Community service officer's time would certainly be better spent there rather than scooting around marking tires."

"The HP intersection is truly a hazardous one," writes Bob Levi.

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