Highland Park, You're Doing it Wrong

I was riding up Sheridan Road yesterday and stopped at the Highland Park Metra station to check the schedule, grab some snacks, and refill my water bottle. As I was leaving, I saw a pedestrian exit from the parking lot leading to a crosswalk across Sheridan. Next to the crosswalk was a sign reading: "To increase visibility, use flag." Under this there was a bucket with the kind of orange flags which crossing-guards use. An identical sign and bucket were at the other end of the crosswalk.

I thought I'd seen some pedestrian-hostile design before, but this really takes the cake. It's unbelievable to me that anyone thought this was an acceptable solution to people being hit while crossing in a crosswalk, placing the responsibility on the potential victims rather than the scofflaw drivers or city planners. This is in what passes for "downtown" Highland Park, across from a park and city hall, and the speed limit on Sheridan here is 30mph, but apparently the thought of putting in a light, or a pedestrian island, or bumpouts, or anything else which might impede somebody's ability to go 150% of the speed limit was just beyond the pale.

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Permalink Reply by Tom A.K. on May 6, 2015 at 4:26am
Learn how to signal.
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Permalink Reply by Gopher Biker on May 6, 2015 at 4:40am

They have those in Evanston too.

Permalink Reply by djm on May 6, 2015 at 5:17am

The infrastructure changes you mention are certainly preferable but the flags are cost effective and quick to implement in the short term.  I was impressed by pedestrian-controlled crosswalk traffic lights in Oregon and hope we can add them here.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on May 6, 2015 at 6:01am

+1

Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on May 6, 2015 at 7:02am

As a regular rider to Highland Park 1-2 times a week, I find HP rather great as a cyclist. Disclaimer: I have not seen the flags and crosswalk you are referring to but my experiences there are very pleasant.

I don't have to lock my bike when I go into the neighborhood coffee spot, Perfect Blend. Plenty of tables and chairs to accommodate the many training rides using it for a quick break. They have also set up a water dispenser in the coffee shop that allows us to refill our water bottles easily. And a cabinet full of tasty muffins, scones, cookies. This is why the HP training ride is referred to affectionately as "the muffin ride". The town itself is easy to get through on a bike. Lately, I've been going on to visit Lake Bluff and have similar experiences. 

We have a number of options to ride up - Sheridan, Greenbay, the Skokie Lagoons route, etc. And then you can always jump on the McClory trail to head further North, past Fort Sheridan. 

I hope you consider giving it another try and checking out Perfect Blend or going North to Lake Bluff. It's definitely worth a second look. 

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