The Highland Park Police will conduct a traffic safety initiative in the central business district on Oct. 29 and Nov. 7 to target driving, cell phone and cyclist violations.
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Police will target illegal U-turns, stop sign violations, use of handheld phones while driving and cyclist traffic law violations from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day of the initiative, according to a release from the police department.
"We're getting some feedback that people are seeing some of these U-turns into parking spaces, enough that its concerning," Deputy Police Chief Dave Schwarz told Patch in August.
The police pursued a similar initiative in August, and another before that focused more on handheld cell phone violations.
"The more and more compliance we get the less and less need we have for running these things," Schwarz said.
Two Patch readers commented on this initiative when it began in August. One favored the police crackdown, calling driving in downtown "a lesson in stress management."
"Our teen driver found driving in Chicago a breeze after learning in Highland Park," writes Molly. "I would shop more in HP if the drivers and pedestrians weren't so rude."
Another reader thought the safety initiative would discourage business to downtown.
"If the police need to 'make a show of force' I'd suggest along Vine and St Johns near the High School!" writes Larry Hillman. "Targeting shoppers is a bad idea."
In upcoming weeks, police will also conduct similar traffic safety initiatives in school zones, according to the release.
The initiative should come as a relief to residents who bemoan the driving they see in Highland Park, like Louis Greenwald.
"If one observes any stop sign in Highland Park it becomes clear that Highland Park drivers are legally blind," Greenwald wrote to Patch in an email. "Pity the poor kids or the elderly attempting to cross downtown streets, in the marked crosswalks."
What do you think of the driving in Highland Park? Leave a comment below.
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While I admire Larry for so much of what he has done with downtown Highland Park, we absolutely need to have the traffic laws enforced in the downtown core. 2nd and Central is an extremely dangerous intersection for pedestrians and drivers alike. 1st and Elm is pretty bad. Left turns into parking spaces are commonplace. Hand-held cellphones are everywhere. Just because they are bringing their wallets doesn't mean they can leave their respect for the law at home.
Left turn and u-turns into a parking space seems to be a right of passage in HP. How many times have you pulled up to a parking place and you see someone in the oncoming lane with their left turn blinker on. And wow, if you don't let them have the spot, they will let you have it.
BTW - Both incidents happens some five or six years ago. At tjat time, a citizen observing a driving offense could report the incident along with a license plate number to the HP police. The police would then send the offending driver a warning. Due to budget cutbacks, I've been told that the HP police don't have the manpower any longer to send out warnings. Perhaps the police department might request volunteers to help process warnings of this type. If such a volunteer program is put into place, public notification might help to alleviate some of the traffic issues in HP.
I have noticed a few police cars looking for speeders on St. Johns and on Ridge. I know I probably piss people off daily when I actually drive the speed limit on these streets!
If you're a pedestrian, be aggressive. You always have the right of way. Make eye contact with the drivers of the cars you'll be walking in front of so that they know you intend to move and aren't just another person loitering at the corner. If you're a driver, simply remember the rules of the road. Come to a complete stop. Defer to pedestrians. MAKE EYE CONTACT WITH PEDESTRIANS AND THE OTHER DRIVERS, and in general follow these rules: If the intersection is lightly trafficked, then the first driver to the intersection goes first. If there are queues of cars in multiple directions, let each direction go in turn. If you reach the intersection at about the same time as a driver coming from the left or right, the driver on the right has the right of way. If you reach the intersection at about the same time as a driver in the oncoming direction, you can both go simultaneously unless you are turning left, in which case you defer to the other driver. PAY ATTENTION AND MOVE WHEN IT IS YOUR TURN. If you don't, the other drivers that are being more respectful than you by paying attention will assume that you are in lala land and will move because they have somewhere to be.
@Zuzu and @Eric Lewis I love Lou's.
Honestly at the 4 way stops in downtown HP, if there are cars in other directions queueing to make their move, everyone comes to a complete stop. I know because I would be pissed if I was waiting to make my turn and somebody else just blew through their stop sign. I'm not very patient- if its another driver's turn and I am looking at them and they seem oblivious, I will just go myself, especially if I am making a right turn where there is zero chance of collision. So I would notice if there was an epidemic of people blowing through stop signs in downtown HP and it just is not the case. I think that it fits a negative narrative about HP that people like to talk about but I don't think its reality.
I also saw that man running down Sheridan road yesterday a few feet from a very nice foot path. Asking to be run over...
Sec 11-701 states that cyclists need to ride as far to the right as practicable. In other words, the law recognizes that there are road hazards and circumstances that warrant taking the lane, e.g. taking a left at an intersection. In Highland Park, a typical road hazard are manhole covers where the holes are parallel to the road and can 'eat' a bicycle wheel (a wheel suddenly stuck in a manhole cover would not make for a pretty sight). Section 11-1505.1 states that cyclists may ride up to two abreast if they do not "impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic". This is the case in many roads that are wide enough. One point were I wish drivers were more mindful (not necessarily in Highland Park, where I have never had a problem except on one occasion, with a hysterical driver who wanted me to disappear from a traffic light), is passing within a safe distance. Section 11-701 stipulates at least 3 feet between the car and the other vehicle. I have to assume many drivers underestimate the width of their car (including the rear view mirror), or they are just hopelessly obnoxious.