The city is cracking down on drivers going 6 miles over the speed limit. Drivers are always the easy target whenever there is a need to generate revenue. But I want to encourage the city to crack down on some violators who are an even easier target. And that is the number of buildings in this city where the property owner fails to have an address visible. Best of all, I am sure there is already a city ordinance requiring us to display addresses, but who is responsible for fining and then finding the property owners?

Addresses are important for a number of reasons. I work as a delivery driver part-time and can attest that package/grocery delivery is here to stay. There is nothing more frustrating than not being able to figure out what the address for a building is. There’s also the inherent danger of someone slowly cruising down the street trying to find an address and their behavior being mistaken as a possible drive-by shooting situation.

I delivered to a huge six-flat where the numbers were 2-inches tall and black and placed against an already dark part of the building. At night, it was literally impossible to see the address. I don’t know what the city code is, but the addresses need to be a minimum of 6-inches tall. There’s also no consistent placement of the numbers on the building. I believe it should be mandatory for single-family homes to have the address right next to the door. I would love to see the addresses stenciled in reflective paint on the curb or stairs, so that at night we could hit it with a flashlight and it would show.

Then there is the situation in high-rises, where there is no indication when you get off the elevator which way the apartment is located. After the murder of Botham Jean, it would seem an initiative should be mandated to ensure that there are readily identifiable markings on every floor distinguishing it from another floor. I’m sure the fire department and the EMTs would appreciate it too.

I delivered to a major grocery store that did not have an address on it. How can that be allowed? Then there are the buildings downtown that do not use the address as they try to label themselves as “highfalutin’” square, or “who gives a damn” plaza. Yet the residents of the building use the legal address as the delivery location.

I am so glad the Christmas season is over and most decorations have been taken down. Nothing is more aggravating than to see a note from a customer telling me that their address is visible on the front of the building, only to find it hidden behind garland and wreaths. And while we’re at it, there also needs to be addresses on every garage.

Normally in the city, addresses are usually two numbers apart. However that assumption doesn’t work when you run into situations where the numbers jump from two numbers apart to four apart. On my block, the addresses start off two digits apart but then all of three houses later, it jumps to four digits apart.

I hope Chicago takes heed and begins to address this basic housekeeping need — figuratively and literally!