Pedestrian and cyclist safety items around the Welles Park Fieldhouse

This ballot item will pay for three items: detached curb extensions, a contraflow bike lane, and a bike traffic signal. The detached curb extensions will be installed at the intersection of Sunnyside and Oakley, in front of the Welles Park fieldhouse. The contraflow bike lane will be installed on Sunnyside to allow cyclists to travel westbound from Lincoln to Western. The bike traffic signal will be installed at the intersection of Sunnyside and Western. Welles Park leadership has informed our office that vehicles on Sunnyside often ignore the stop signs at this intersection (Sunnyside and Oakley). We are targeting this intersection because we want to increase pedestrian and biker safety. Curb extensions serve two purposes: they encourage vehicles to slow down and they will make pedestrians more visible. The bike lanes will connect Welles Park and the Sulzer Library to nearby Waters Elementary and encourage bikers going to the fieldhouse to use the street as opposed to biking on the sidewalk. Since it is a contraflow bike lane, bikes will go in the opposite direction of cars making them more visible to them. The bike traffic signal will allow cyclists to safely cross Western on the street.

Estimated Cost: $65,000

Location: Intersection of Sunnyside and Oakley

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Additional Trees

This ballot item will dedicate funds to pay the city's Department of Transportation to install approximately 60 to 80 trees in parkways around the Ward over the next two years. Aldermanic offices do not pay for trees installed by the city's Bureau of Forestry; however, requests made to this Bureau take approximately one year to fill. These funds will allow the Ward to bypass this backlog.

Estimated Cost: $40,000

Location: Parkways around the Ward

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Curb Extensions at Ashland and Ainslie, as well as Damen and Belle Plaine

This ballot item will include pedestrian safety improvements at both intersections, which would each receive one new curb extension. Safety improvements at Ashland & Ainslie would benefit the nearby Bethany Retirement Community. At Damen & Belle Plaine, these improvements would make it easier for families to cross Damen to access the Northcenter Town Square. Curb extensions extend the sidewalk out into the parking lane to decrease the distance pedestrians need to cross, thereby increasing pedestrian visibility to oncoming cars and decreasing traffic speeds.

Estimated Cost: $100,000

Location: Ashland & Ainslie and Damen & Belle Plaine

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Curb Extensions at Montrose and Seeley, as well as Addison and Claremont

This ballot item will include pedestrian safety improvements at both intersections, which would each receive one new curb extension. Safety improvements at Montrose & Seeley would benefit two nearby schools as well as adjacent businesses on Montrose. At Addison & Claremont, these improvements would serve to slow eastbound traffic entering the neighborhood and benefit traffic from nearby Bell Elementary and Lane Tech High School. Curb extensions extend the sidewalk out into the parking lane to decrease the distance pedestrians need to cross, thereby increasing pedestrian visibility to oncoming cars and decreasing traffic speeds.

Estimated Cost: $100,000

Location: Montrose & Seeley and Addison & Claremont

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Water Fountains at Revere Park

This ballot item will include the cost of purchasing and installing three new water fountains at Revere Park to replace fountains that were removed over a decade ago.

Estimated Cost: $54,000

Location: Revere Park

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