'Community Conversation' On Traffic Safety In Elmwood Park: A Recap
By Kevin Gosztola, Editor-In-Chief
On August 16, the Elmwood Park Advocate held its third “Community Conversation” at the Elmwood Park Public Library. Twenty residents joined us in the Ferrentino Meeting Room to discuss traffic safety.
The gathering was held at 1 p.m., and the free-flowing conversation that we had was enhanced by Elmwood Park Police Sergeant Carlos Rodriguez, who attended and responded to just about every comment or question.
I facilitated the conversation and opened by speaking about the village’s Traffic and Safety Commission. Before our conversation, I could not find information on the village website about the commission’s next meeting. But they make recommendations to the village board for installation of traffic control devices, designating pedestrian crosswalks, restricting turns, designating quiet and play streets, establishing loading zones, limiting or restricting parking, placing stop signs, and establishing other measures to eliminate traffic hazards.
Also, I spoke about roundabouts in the village. Several months ago, my wife posted in a Facebook community group, “For the people in the neighborhood that don’t understand how to make a left at a traffic circle, here’s a handy chart. It’s unsafe to make an immediate left folks.” She received quite a bit of pushback.
One of my favorite responses: “If they wanted it treated as a roundabout, probably should have utilized roundabout signage.” To which my wife replied, “What else do you think it is?”
Sergeant Rodriguez clarified during the conversation that making an immediate left is a violation. He also said if you see a squad car fail to go around the circle, that doesn’t make turning immediate left okay. Most likely, that officer is responding to a call.
I asked those in attendance to speak about what bothers them the most about drivers or traffic safety in the village, and one resident responded that the crossing by Grand Avenue and North 76th Avenue is really bad with cars not stopping at stop signs. Another resident suggested that the signage while driving on Armitage Avenue is inconsistent—particularly the “Cross traffic does not stop” signs.
Next, someone mentioned that the alley on 76th Avenue near the John Mills Elementary School is often very busy with traffic. People drive really fast. It’s hard to pull out of a garage, and this resident wondered if the alley could be blocked to improve safety. One resident mentioned how they often see drivers not stop near the new Pompei restaurant.
A resident spoke about traffic near the Elmgrove Park Splash Pad and how dangerous they believe the area is for children and dogs because there is no stop sign on West George Street. They also addressed some of the comments on Facebook, where residents say “Elmwood Park is unsafe” without any facts. This resident believed the narrative should be changed, and neighbors should not be so mean when valid complaints are shared.
Sergeant Rodriguez responded to the comments. There are 420 stop signs in Elmwood Park, and he said residents are the number one violators of traffic laws or regulations. What he also shared was that it is difficult for officers to stop people they know, or recognize, and issue them tickets.
If an officer is available, Sergeant Rodriguez said they will sit at the John Mills Elementary School. A roundabout is in the works nearby the Elmgrove Park Splash Pad—a large one.
The conversation continued, with a resident mentioning the row of bushes near the alley of 76th Avenue north of North Avenue by the restaurants. The bushes need trimming to remove a blind spot, but code enforcement (in addition to police) have responded. Options for dealing with the resident who owns the property are limited.
At this point, I responded to the resident’s idea that Elmwood Park is unsafe or going bad and reminded attendees that we published an article by Ann Lindsay that was based on criminal incident report data from Elmwood Park. Essentially, the data shows that the crime rate is relatively low in the village.
More comments were shared about specific areas of the village. At 76th Court and Armitage Avenue near Centennial Park, one resident said people constantly blow through the stop sign. On top of that, think about the days when residents are there playing bocce ball. Cars parked there create a blindspot.
I took a moment to praise Raffaele Marco, who frequently posts his dash cam video of residents running stop signs in the Elmwood Park Community Updates Facebook group, and then I mentioned the Grand Gateway Project and what it could potentially do to improve safety and mobility nearby the Metra crossing.
We were well over a half hour into the conversation, and our engaging discussion moved to motor bikes on the sidewalks. Sergeant Rodriguez said that is illegal. It is unsafe, and officers will issue a ticket.
I invited attendees to speak about bicyclists, and generally speaking, the consensus seemed to be that they will generally do whatever they want and disobey traffic signs. But there also are very limited spaces for bicyclists on the road next to the flow of vehicles.
We had a good-hearted dialogue about “courtesy driving.” That’s what Sergeant Rodriguez called it. Basically, he said that he noticed once the COVID pandemic hit in 2020 more drivers seemed to blow past stop signs and even disobey red lights. He insisted that the community must get back to looking out for other cars as well as pedestrians.
To that, I mentioned that everyone is trying to get some place. When I’m frustrated that we’re not moving—for example, on Harlem Avenue or Grand Avenue, I remind myself of this fact instead of trying to pass people on the right and cut in front of a line of cars at an intersection. Because you can actually snarl traffic even more with your impatience if you jam your vehicle into traffic, and now, everyone has to wait for cars to let you into a lane.
Library Board Trustee Mike Monahan asked about speed bumps and why there aren’t more of them. Sergeant Rodriguez said they damage street cleaners. They are unlikely to be installed in the future.
A positive comment was shared, with a resident acknowledging that they had seen some big improvements in the past two years. They were pleased with the crossing light that flashes in the village circle and the ramp that was installed at the pedestrian crossing by Grand Avenue.
Everyone was encouraged if they have a problem to go to the “Report a Concern” form available through the Village of Elmwood Park. Sergeant Rodriguez will make a point to contact residents that submit complaints or have any suggestions for improving traffic safety.
At this point, the conversation wrapped. It was few minutes after 2:00 p.m. I read a statement about how the newsletter has been fighting for our First Amendment right to use the library meeting room without paying a fee of $100/hour.
During that statement, I called out the presence of Library Board Trustee Pete Fosco, who attended the meeting but did not participate and did not sit in the red chairs with residents. Instead, as the conversation started, he peculiarly stood up, removed himself from the group of residents in attendance, and sat in the back of the room at the table that library audio-visual staff use when broadcasting library board meetings. I felt like he was a monitor there to maintain order.
It was the first time that Fosco attended a “Community Conversation,” and while he certainly is welcome to attend as a resident and elected official, his presence seemed like it was related to what I outlined in my statement. (Read the full statement here.)
Finally, I announced our next “Community Conversation,” which will be on Saturday, September 6, at 3 p.m. Salvadoran immigrant and Elmwood Park resident Silvia Rogel will lead a discussion with our Hispanic neighbors, who make up nearly 40 percent of the Elmwood Park population.
We’re calling this next conversation: “Bridging Perspectives: A Community Dialogue on Migration and Belonging.” Hope to see you there.