design options

The street configurations presented by the County for the Lake Street repaving project are as follows (click on an option to see a diagram; driving lanes are marked with red circles):

• W-1: 3 lane with center turn lane, restricted on-street parking both sides. 12 ft sidewalk. On-street parking is removed on both sides during rush-hours; during these hours, functions as a 5 lane road.
• W-2: 4 lanes of traffic, on-street parking both sides. 10 ft sidewalk. Similar to existing configuration with some additional parking restrictions to accomodate new turn lanes.
• W-3: 4 lanes of traffic, on-street parking on one side only. 12 ft sidewalk. Permanently removes on full lane of parking for the length of Lake Street to accommodate 4 wider driving lanes and one wider parking lane.
• W-4: 3 lane with center turn lane, permanent on-street parking both sides. 12 to 18 ft sidewalk, with bumpouts at intersections.

update

Already Smith Parker and the County are up to their usual tricks. At the most recent PAC meeting (09.04.03), the Technical Advisory Committee presented a recommendation to dismiss options W-1 and W-4 and recommended instead consideration only of W-2 and W-3.

As a response, Jeff Carlson presented the following motion (which was tabled until the following meeting):

LAKE STREET RECONSTRUCTION AND STREETSCAPING
PROJECT ADVISORY COMMITTEE (PAC)
RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF OPTIONS W4 AND W4B

September 16, 2003

WHEREAS, the four-lane scenarios do not adequately accommodate the needs of pedestrians and parking, contrary to the claim made by the Technical Advisory Committee in "Recommendations for Reducing Street Cross-section Alternatives," and

WHEREAS, "increasing pedestrian capacity" is a stated goal of the Lake Street Reconstruction Project, and

WHEREAS, Alternatives W4 and W4B were the only options to emerge directly from the PAC, and

WHEREAS, three-lane configurations are known to improve vehicular and pedestrian safety, decrease emergency response time, and calm traffic , and

WHEREAS, streets in Chicago successfully carry greater traffic volumes than Lake Street with two lanes, balancing the needs of transit, pedestrians and bicycles, and

WHEREAS, the Midtown Greenway Streetcar will ease traffic on Lake Street in the future, and

WHEREAS, infill development such as the Sears Center project will decrease demands on Lake Street by allowing more people to live within walking and biking distance of their destinations,

WHEREAS, participants the Project for Public Spaces workshop held on September 8th at the Heart of the Beast urged that the sidewalks on Lake Street be widened to create more streetscape opportunities, and

WHEREAS, improved infrastructure for non-motorized transportation will decrease automobile dependence and thereby improve air quality,

WHEREAS, healthy urban streets depend upon wide, lively sidewalks and ample on-street parking, and

WHEREAS, options W4 and W4b are the only options that offer permanent on-street on both sides of the street for the entire length of Lake Street, and

WHEREAS, the PAC has agreed that Level of Service (LOS), which only measures traffic speed and is dependent upon dubious traffic projections (see Appendix A) is relevant to the discussion but only marginally, and

WHEREAS, the full gambit of needs on Lake Street are best met by options W4 and W4b,

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT…

The Lake Street Reconstruction and Streetscaping Project Advisory Committee recommends options W4 and W4b, exclusively, for further consideration.