Elmhurst Salt Creek Trail debate

Elmhurst has a strong bicycle trail network and many devoted bicycle riders, but this is what we have to deal with concerning a short link needed for the Salt Creek Greenway Trail:

 

http://www.safebikepath.com/

 

 

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Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on July 13, 2010 at 12:19pm
I've never heard of a zoo referred to that way.

Nicole Stanton said:
These people are monsters and belong in a gated community locked away from the rest of us.

Jerome Hughes said:
nope, that "retard" lady lived on the west side of Sunnyside south of Crescent, in one of the big McMansions that back up to the path

after hearing me shout at her (only way they'll hear you, sorry) about her dangerous pass & the 3 foot law, she turned left and squealed to a stop on westbound Crescent, backed up & careened after me, chasing me up onto the sidewalk at Vallette & Fairview to offer her opinion of my IQ (which was very wrong) - when she drove away, followed her back over there to let her know what I thought of her behavior and views before continuing on my way to work

very sorry you had to deal with that sort of garbage, believe most of the people mean well, but stay inside way too much (and then only drive when they do go outside) to be aware of actual conditions where they actually live

it's pretty amazing what some people think they can get away with doing in violation of laws because "they're right" (in their mind at least)

hope she is charged for this, did you get names of any witnesses? did anyone else reading this witness it?

--Jerome


Nicole Stanton said:
Hey Jerome! Did the lady who called you a "retard" have bright red wavy hair? I'm guessing the lady who put the propaganda together on the website may be this same lady who threatened me at the meeting last night. She lives at 736 Fairview.

Jerome Hughes said:
--Jerome, who _was_ called a "retard" at 9 in the morning by a mom driving an SUV on Fairview a couple years ago, after she passed dangerously close and heard about the 3 foot law - she just had to get home to her McMansion after dropping the kids off at school a little too quickly to be able to wait a few seconds until oncoming traffic passed to look out for my safety


chrisc927 said:
I'm attending. Wife may also (she's not a cyclist but loves theater).
Permalink Reply by mike w. on July 13, 2010 at 12:44pm
i think i'm going for a ride in Elmhurst tomorrow...

Nicole Stanton said:




A friend of mine told me an older man was yelling at her and her daughter when they rode by there the other day telling them to get off of the street. Needless to say, he scared her daughter. These people are monsters and belong in a gated community locked away from the rest of us.

I'm not going away quietly.
Permalink Reply by mike w. on July 13, 2010 at 3:05pm
Thanks for the heads-up, Nicole! i surely will. Please pass along any tidbits you may get from the Elmhurst PD. Do you happen to know what her car looks like?

From the sound of things, there may be more than one car & driver to watch out for in that neighbourhood... i'll be sure to wear my most garish jersey to deprive any aggressive cager of the SMIDSY defense.




Nicole Stanton said:
Make sure you ride past 588 Fairview and wave to Nancy Abbott, but be on alert for her car! The officer on the case just came by and showed me her driver's license picture. Sometimes those tax dollars do work for you! He's going to her house right now to have a little chat...



mike w. said:
i think i'm going for a ride in Elmhurst tomorrow...

Nicole Stanton said:




A friend of mine told me an older man was yelling at her and her daughter when they rode by there the other day telling them to get off of the street. Needless to say, he scared her daughter. These people are monsters and belong in a gated community locked away from the rest of us.

I'm not going away quietly.
Permalink Reply by Chris Hainey on July 14, 2010 at 4:28am
The August agenda is not up at this time, but use this link to keep checking:

http://epd.org/parkboard.asp

Scroll down the right hand side and you'll see "Board Agendas and Meeting Minutes".
Permalink Reply by Robert Guico on July 14, 2010 at 5:14am
I'm going to throw this out there - do you guys want a website to coordinate talking points and response flyers?

My own issue page, which I have done an awful, awful job of maintaining, does do one thing right - I picked an issue and stuck with it.

http://www.csbikes.org/infrastructure/countyfarm

Pretend the images pop up in an on-screen dialog, like the letter. Sorry!

Thoughts?
Permalink Reply by mike w. on July 14, 2010 at 10:39am
i just got back from a recon ride of the area in question. i'll get the pix up shortly.

Interestingly, the density of the lawn signs drops off quite a bit as one goes to the parallel streets to the east of Rex. i counted about 35 signs on Rex -roughly 70-75% of the lawns, not counting folks with 2 signs. i'd venture that there're a few more sympathisers who aren't displaying signs, and that the balance of residents probably couldn't care less -pretty typical actually, in my experience with neighbourhood "movements."

i got a laugh out of those folks on the dead-end of the street with their signs... no one will be passing their homes.

i didn't talk to any residents as i saw nary a one except one guy who actually waved at me from behind his sign- wish i'd stopped and asked him what they mean by keeping their streets 'safe.' Just about any else i saw were lawn guys and carpenters.

i made several passes over about an hour and a half. Saw about 5 moving cars. i was good- i stopped and yielded at the signed corners and rode slowly and to the far right.

If i were teaching my kids to ride, i'd just about kill to have such quiet wide streets to ride.

Although i will add that the mood on Rex seems ugly if their lawn signage is any indication, and they will have a powerful say in the outcome. i wouldn't hold out a lot of hope for a good solution any time soon.
Permalink Reply by mike w. on July 14, 2010 at 12:10pm
Some of today's pics:

Rex Blvd, from the end of the Salt Creek Greenway chip-wood path, looking north on Rex; a southbound over-the-bars shot of Rex; Rex & Prairie Path;"Welcome to Elmhurst" sign -note lawnsign in background- at S end of Rex.
Permalink Reply by Jerome Hughes on July 21, 2010 at 9:19am
A gaggle of Elmhurst Park District trucks visited my neighborhood yesterday morning, and their drivers installed a new sign that's mostly historical, and also has another ability...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jromeh/sets/72157624428348623/

Zoom in on the sign photo by requesting "original size" to check out all the details.

Thanks to the Elmhurst Park District for installing this very informational sign!
Permalink Reply by Bernard Joseph Hannigan on August 3, 2010 at 2:03am
I doubt that the park district would walk away from $2 million
just because of a few moaners on Rex.
Permalink Reply by Chris Hainey on August 5, 2010 at 2:35am
This is a great letter to the editor in the local Elmhurst paper:

Reader tells “The bicycle saga – from NIMBY TO NIMFY”

“I have been following the plight of bicycle riders as they are at the mercy of the [Elmhurst] Park Board and a group of residents who do not want them in their neighborhood. In seeking a natural connector for those, young and old, that pedal their way on the bike path a small group of people have decided that it shall not be on their streets.

“Twenty-five or so years ago, I attended meetings involving this very same issue in this very same area. At that time, the Park Board had plans to install a bike path that went along the creek area at the rear of the back yards of the houses adjoining the creek. “Not In My Back Yard,” cried the residents. The argument then was their fear of loss of privacy in their back yards and the threat of unsavory individuals with possible criminal intent on their minds coming in from other cities using the bike path. A vivid stretch of the imagination, but it was enough to change the minds of those from the Park Board.

“Now, those same fears of unsavory characters have been mentioned along with another vivid stretch of the imagination that extraordinary dangers exist with the mixing of bicycle and automobiles in the same area. We have gone from “Not In My
Back Yard” to “Not In My Front Yard!” I live on a street that is a natural connector between North Avenue and St. Charles Road. We have cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, scooters, bikes and pedestrians, 24-7, most likely ten times or more the amount that any of the streets that are being considered for the bike path connector. There are 40 children of various ages living on my block. They play, run, walk, scoot, rollerblade, and pedal their bikes amongst all this traffic. My neighborhood contains the natural route for bicycles, pedestrians and motor vehicles to go to and from East End Park where the swimming pool is located. It also has the hospital, so we have emergency vehicles from all over using our streets on a regular basis. And, guess what? They do it all without incident!

“I have lived here in the same house on the same street with the same mix of traffic for several decades and I do not recall anybody being run over on their bicycle. We have more bicycle traffic in our area than this connector being considered will probably ever see. I have drive over to this area that contains Rex Boulevard and have observed the bicycle traffic. I have also observed the number of vehicles parked along the curbs. I have also, with dismay, observed the numerous same-message, manufactured signs planted in the yards rejecting this proposal. So many so, that I suspect peer pressure has at least scared some in this neighborhood from having anyone point a finger of sensibility at them.

“The answer is easy. My street has signs that prohibit parking on either side. We and our guests park our vehicles in the driveways where they belong in the first place. Rex Boulevard could do the same thing. This ends their argument that bicycles would not be seen amongst the parked cars. As for the potential for the influx of unsavory individuals? C’mon, quit trying to use the Bogeyman threat, it’s too thin and too childish.

“I don’t know who appointed this committee mentioned in the newspapers, but having seven of the ten members being from the neighborhood in question seems to be a little one-sided. Do at least five of these members ride bicycles? Do they regularly ride the routes involved? I really hope that our Park Board members see through all of this. The route suggested is the most logical. The arguments against it are not.

“Bert Monsen”
Permalink Reply by Jerome Hughes on August 9, 2010 at 4:51am
from Bob Hoel, Advocacy Chair of EBC...

One last call for the Elmhurst Park District Board Meeting at 7 pm this evening at the Wagner Center (on West Ave., 4 blocks south of Lake Street). The completion of the Salt Creek Greenway Trail is on their agenda and there will be the usual public comment period at the beginning. Speakers will be limited to 3 minutes each and the Board is pretty strict on this. Last month there were nearly 90 minutes worth of public comment.

In order to give the Board a feeling for our presence, as not everyone speaks, I suggest that you wear a bike-related t-shirt or bike jersey.

If you plan to speak, take a few minutes to write out what you want to say as we want to give the appearance of being organized and well thought out. We want to speak from fact and reason unlike some of the highly emotional responses we heard from the opposition last time. Don't feel obligated to take the full 3 minutes if you don't need it. And if someone has already made your point, it is ok to repeat it. The Board needs to hear it.

Thanks again to everyone for their support. We made a strong statement at the last Board meeting and they are getting our message. Let's do it again tonight!

Bob Hoel
Advocacy Chair
Elmhurst Bicycle Club

Also (this is now Jerome speaking) you don't have to live in Elmhurst to attend the meeting or to speak. The more cyclists who attend, the better, so... hope to see some of you Chainlinkers there!
Permalink Reply by Bernard Joseph Hannigan on August 9, 2010 at 4:56am
Some people along Salt Creek embrace the cyclists traveling past their homes. Here is a grand rest area that one home owner built in his front yard. That old guy is my riding buddy Jack.


chrisc927 said:
The meeting is tonight.
7pm at the Wagner Community Center, 615 N West Ave.

www.epd.org

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