Multiple District 97 students who spoke at the January 2025 village board meeting expressed a desire for community investment in making it safer to walk and bike. A student worried about their ability to safely walk to school due to the uncontrolled intersection at Washington and Kenilworth (Brooks). Other students described close calls they experienced at the “notorious” Van Buren and Ridgeland (Longfellow) intersection. Another quipped, “That intersection? Come on. It’s basically a thumbs down with a tongue out.”
It is an increasingly common experience that Oak Park drivers fail to correctly stop and yield to pedestrians in marked crosswalks. My elementary-age children have seen multiple near fatal violations in the marked crosswalk next to their school. Two other students who spoke at the village board meeting last January described being hit by drivers in crosswalks near Longfellow Park.
And driver-yield rates are precipitously worse at marked crosswalks along busier corridors like Madison, Washington, and Ridgeland — even near schools. Try crossing at night or in the winter: it’s fun (sarcasm).
As recently as 2021, the CDC identified motor vehicles/traffic as the leading cause of death for all age groups between 5 and 24. This makes motor vehicles almost as deadly as firearms and 200 times more deadly than food allergies. Our students deserve safe routes to school in the same way that they deserve classrooms that are free from gun violence.
A 2010 Federal Highway Association (FHA) study shows that Rapid Rectangular Flashing Beacons (RRFBs) significantly increase yield rate at marked crosswalks at uncontrolled sites. The FHA study cites a 0-26% yield rate prior to installation (sounds about right for Ridgeland); after installation, the yield rate increased to 72-96%. Examples of these intersections in Oak Park include Van Buren/Ridgeland and Fillmore/Oak Park.
The RRFBs that the village has installed on Washington and Madison have already made those streets safer to navigate — safer, not safe. We’ve already seen a positive impact on yield rates at the one my family uses near Brooks. The ones on Madison provide access to child-care centers, community centers like the CRC, and schools.
Importantly, the 11 additional RRFBs that the village has contracted to install throughout the community are all located within a few blocks of area schools (or child-care facilities).
For residents worried about traffic impact, the primary cause of morning traffic in Oak Park is school drop-off (not pedestrians). Every student you see walking or biking to school is one less car in the drop-off line. This is a good thing! We should continue to prioritize and invest in improvements that encourage students to use active transportation for school, sports, and community events.
Sources
1. https://wisqars.cdc.gov/pdfs/leading-causes-of-injury-deaths-by-age-group_%202021_508.pdf
2. https://allergyasthmanetwork.org/anaphylaxis/anaphylaxis-statistics/
5. https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/pedbike/10046/10046.pdf
Michael Ericksen is an Oak Park resident.
