Add my name to the many Oak Park residents, living on Harvard or elsewhere, who oppose the presumptuous bike plan passed by village trustees on July 22 (and Jim Taglia, thank you for voting against it).
Presumptuous because you other trustees did not listen to the residents who spoke at village meetings or submitted comments in opposition. You should have opted for a village-wide referendum on the plan.
This plan is a solution in search of a problem. As you point out, there are already traffic lights at Oak Park and Ridgeland avenues, and a stop sign at East Avenue.
The plan is also a case where a NIMBY attitude is justifiable. You have created inconveniences for Harvard Avenue residents whose parking will be taken away. Reducing access to homes or garages for delivery people, guests, and those with limited mobility is insulting and overkill, especially during winter when far fewer people ride bikes. Did you think about that?
A less expensive strategy to keep cyclists and pedestrians safe is to install devices that, when a button is pushed, activates flashing lights to alert drivers to stop.
Also, have you noticed how many cyclists, especially middle- and high-school students simply ignore the rules, riding the wrong way on one-way streets, not wearing helmets, speeding through stop signs and red lights? What makes you think they will suddenly stop being scofflaws?
As Kurtis Todd’s excellent letter in the July 30 Viewpoints section points out, your bike plan erodes trust in village government. Maybe the silver lining will be a bunch of new trustees voted into office in the next election, when everyone but Jim Taglia will be voted out. Now that’s a plan I can wholeheartedly support.
Ellen Edwards
Oak Park