This is the first time I’ve ever written an opinion column where I pray that I am wrong. I bet many of you are wondering why I would write something and at the same time, negate my opinion.
Well let me give you some background. For quite a while now, Laramie has been under construction. Starting from Lake Street on the south all the way up to North Avenue, there has been lots of curb work going on. If any of those newly renovated corners hadn’t been hangout spots in the past, the city has now given enough cement space to those corners that folks can just hang out, set up card tables, snow cone stands, tamale carts, or who knows what on the space.
Laramie is a street where people live. So taking away even a piece of a parking space is totally unfair to the citizens whose tax dollars paid for this to happen. It represents just another malicious aspect of that 75-year parking deal. Even more sinister is what kind of thought process (or lack thereof) went into creating those curbs?
Laramie has always been a favorite alternative drive to either Cicero or Central avenues. As I travel northbound for the past couple of weeks, even though the southbound lane side of Laramie was allegedly closed to through traffic, people ignored the barriers, went around, and continued south.
Now let’s add into the mix that the driving habits of many people on this side of town is not to stop at the white line before proceeding. Drivers attempting to merge onto Laramie pull out very close to the end of the curb. However, to make that right turn, there was normally a parked car lane so that drivers at least had a car’s width of space before they could merge in. Now the curb extends right into traffic.
If someone comes zooming along and doesn’t stop in time, the parked car width is no longer a part of the equation. There is also an incline added so if the car is traveling either east or west and wants to make a right turn onto Laramie, they will immediately be in traffic.
Sadly I am predicting there’s bound to be some major accidents, especially once it snows. My hope and prayer is that it won’t involve little children in a vehicle hit by someone who misjudged their stopping distance in order to merge into traffic.
I don’t know how the alderman allowed this to happen. I don’t know if any traffic studies were done analyzing the potential risk involved with the change.
I just think it’s another classic dumb idea that I pray won’t be a deadly one!