SSA Commissioners Talk Transportation, Safety

The year's first SSA Commission meeting was all talk and no action.

Members of the Wicker Park-Bucktown Special Service Area Commission heard reports from several committees and discussed matters involving transportation and public safety at their Jan. 16 meeting, although no motions were put forth for direct action.

One of the matters that inspired lively discussion was a question posed to the Transportation Committee by area resident Eric Shivvers. Shivvers wanted to know whether it would be possible to install signs and lane dividers stating that drivers must stop for pedestrians crossing some of the neighborhood's busiest thoroughfares, such as Milwaukee and North avenues. He believes drivers in the area are too reckless, and that more precautions should be taken to protect pedestrians.

"Walking across North Avenue, walking across Milwaukee, you know, if you're in a crosswalk, you're basically a victim for whatever car's coming down the street," Shivvers said.

Commission Vice Chair Brent Norsman said the aldermanic offices governing any given stretch of street were responsible for having such dividers installed, but that the SSA could help bring the issue to their attention. He encouraged Shivvers to join the committee and pursue the matter further.

"I think it's the single most inexpensive thing we could do to make our city safer and our streets safer," Norsman said.

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Another matter of discussion in the transportation committee report involved the SSA's ongoing bicycle safety campaign. Co-chair Joe Hall said the committee planned to coordinate with existing city programs to draw attention to the issue of dooring accidents.

"We (will) notify people in various ways about the dangers of motorists, specifically drivers, opening their cars into what's affectionately known by bicyclists as 'the door zone,'" Hall said.

He said the committee planned to distribute decals for both vehicle and building windows to remind drivers to be mindful of cyclists when exiting their vehicles.

The question of SSA funding for Open Streets also came up again at this week's meeting. The topic was raised at December's commission meeting, but was ultimately tabled pending further discussion to avoid spending the entire 2013 special events budget one a single event. Hall said more information would be available at next month's meeting on Feb. 20. The commissioners will discuss special event funding at a retreat next month, and Hall said those discussions would inform the way the SSA proceeds with Open Streets.

"The purpose of the retreat, or at least the way that I see the retreat, is to try and create some sort of global idea of special events, so that we know what we're supporting and how we go about it, and what is the actual role of SSA money in these events," Hall said.