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Chicago Looks to Curb “Blocking the Box” in Traffic

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It’s no surprise that Chicago has its fair share of traffic. Spend one afternoon in the loop and you will quickly be reminded that while the “L” is efficient for the amount of people who take it, there is still a great amount of people who rely on driving into the city via their own cars or through rideshare. Often what’s most frustrating is sitting at a traffic light and finally getting that green light you have been waiting for. But, instead of taking that left turn on green, you are stranded in the middle of the lane as another person blocks the intersection attempting to make their way through a yellow or red light. This has become known as “blocking the box,” and while it can be found pretty much in every city throughout the world, we find ourselves continuously asking “why?”.

In a recent report by the Chicago Tribune, the newspaper tackled this same issue and had the chance to speak with a spokesman for the Chicago Department of Transportation. “CDOT is leading the administration’s efforts to develop a comprehensive congestion mitigation plan,” which will provide a focus on fixing the blocking issue that continues to plague downtown Chicago, said Michael Claffey. Unfortunately, for some people, this comprehensive plan seems to be too far in the future to handle what is currently happening, leaving some pointing to what other larger cities have already done to mitigate the damage and congestion that “blocking the box” causes. For example, the Tribune spoke with Ald. Brendan Reilly, whose ward is in downtown Chicago and he proclaimed, “This is a subject that’s very frustrating to me . . . Every budget session in the last 12 years, I’ve been asking the city to enforce ‘Don’t Block the Box.’” Mr. Reilly’s statements certainly are not being ignored, as Mayor Lori Lightfoot has made it a key part of her administration to dramatically change Chicago’s transportation infrastructure for the better. However, with what appears to be an easy issue to fix, the city really hasn’t done much to enforce it.

Taking a closer look into what “blocking the box” really is, however, provides further insight into why Chicago may be choosing to not heavily enforce it. For example, in 2019 Chicago was ranked the third worst city in the nation for traffic congestion, resulting in an average cost of $1,920 per driver. The city already has a municipal code prohibiting blocking the box in traffic, but this is rarely enforced. Imagine if Mayor Lightfoot had the city heavily enforce intersections for blocking. What happens during rush hour? Does an officer pull over a vehicle blocking the intersection and somehow get them safely and efficiently out of traffic? As with many of the issues we discuss, there is no such thing as a silver bullet approach. Turning to what other cities have done to resolve this issue doesn’t offer much more than what Chicago is already planning for the city. In cities like San Francisco, Seattle, and New York City, they have all undertaken what the Tribune calls “public education efforts to keep cars from blocking intersections.” Further, Baltimore has decided to issue $125 fines to offenders in specific intersections throughout the city. All of this goes to show that while cities across the United States are implementing tactics to alleviate this frequent disruption to traffic, it by no means has become the solution.

While it may be frustrating for many throughout the city to see an individual block the box during a morning or evening commute home from downtown, we can hope that the comprehensive traffic plan that Chicago officials are looking to implement will eventually do much more than just curb blocking. As stated above, this isn’t an issue that can be fixed by implementing one solution. Traffic in large cities is an issue that has a multitude of factors all playing on one another. True, installing a camera that tracks “blocking” offenders could issue tickets to those who create gridlock, but that alone will not help resolve this issue. The solution must be comprehensive, and it must allow for traffic to get better and for individuals on the road to safely commute. Chicago already ranks third worst in the nation in terms of traffic congestion, whichever solution is implemented absolutely needs to consider the effects that it will have on driver safety and curbing traffic congestion as a whole. 

Holidays and Winter Weather Remind Drivers to be Cautious on the Roads

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This year, while Americans around the country were preparing for Thanksgiving and the festivities that accompany lengthy travel times, dreaded late-night drives, and full stomachs, we were all reminded just how busy our lives can get and the chaos that ensues when we are all trying to do the same thing and get to the same place. According to AAA, the expectation this year was that 55 million vehicles were set to hit the road, traveling more than 50 miles for the holiday. That is quite the number and goes to show how reliant our culture is on the ability to travel to visit our family, friends, and loved ones.

Besides stating the obvious that 55 million drivers on the roads present serious traffic concerns and safety violations, we wanted to bring attention to the fact that throughout the United States, especially in the Midwest, weather concerns present a serious issue that unfortunately cannot go unnoticed. It is true, Chicago and the rest of the Midwest get freezing cold. We experience brutal snowstorms, yet we somehow find ways to hit the roads and make certain that we get to where we are going. However, what we often don’t think about is the fact that these severe changes in weather present far more serious issues underneath the pavement that should make us worried about more than just the road being “clear.” We have written countless times about how potholes form due to cold weather and snow atop the roads, leaving many drivers unaware that even driving over one could potentially result in a blown out tire or the inability to properly turn. These are the types of issues we want to ensure all Americans are aware of because they truly come out of nowhere.

Chicago has recently announced that it is doing what it can to address issues involving potholes, going as far as conducting Blitz Days that serve as days dedicated for only refilling potholes throughout the city. While that may seem excessive, the reality is that Chicago has issues with road infrastructure throughout the entire city. You may be asking, so what, these issues are common and happen throughout the whole country. While it is true that potholes are common, other parts of the United States do not experience the snowstorms and inclement weather that we do. Sure, hitting a pothole is tough and may result in as little as a damaged tire; however, what occurs when you throw a snowstorm or the common “snow day” on top of that incident. You very well could be left waiting on the side of the road, or worse placing others in danger by continuing to drive with a damaged tire. That’s what this serves as. A simple reminder that while the pothole you attempt to avoid is an issue the city needs to address; you are responsible for how you drive after passing over such obstacles on the road.

With us now being in the thick of Holiday season, remember that the traffic and road chaos will only increase. Sure, the more traffic there is, the slower we are driving, but it has been shown time and again that more traffic results in far more dangerous roads. Again, this may be common sense, but it’s true that these road dangers go unnoticed. Remember, we are responsible for how we drive on the roads, even after a slight “hiccup” such as running over a pothole occurs. Do your neighbor a favor and be extra cautious. When you have 55 million drivers on the road, it’s the best you can do.

Chicago Uses Largest Number of Controversial Red-Light Cameras

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CHICAGO – The city of Chicago is leading the game in generating revenue from red-light cameras. Currently, we have implemented more red-light cameras–and brought in more money from them–than any other major city in America.

No other urban area can even compare to Chicago’s 309 red-light cameras. When the traffic resource was at its peak, there were nearly 400.

Only four of the 10 biggest U.S. cities presently operate these cameras–New York City, Philadelphia and Phoenix are the others. However, they fall far behind the Second City. NYC has 164 of the traffic control devices; Philadelphia has 30, and Phoenix just 12.

For reference, the town of Gurnee, Illinois has 15.

Because Chicago is so camera-happy, the city’s revenue has increased exponentially, amassing $719.7 million since 2008 from red-light cameras alone–twice the revenue in half the time of New York’s $286.7 million since 1994.

While the cameras may be an enormous source of city funds, they are frustratingly costly for drivers, and have been proven to create opportunity for government corruption and distrust.

Multiple government groups across Illinois have been found to continue contracting with Redflex Traffic Systems Inc., the red-light camera manufacturer with a history of corruption and scandal.

The company had been fostering a long-term bribery scandal throughout Chicago, with allegations surfacing back in 2012. The city cut off its Redflex connections; however, between 2015 and 2016, both the company and the city were given prison sentences in one of the most prominent bribery schemes in the history of Chicago.

John Bills, who used to work for the city’s department of transportation, received 20 counts of felony in the scheme for having acquired hundreds of thousands of dollars from Redflex in order to keep the company’s devices installed throughout the city–leading to its current leading position in red-light camera usage.

A Redflex official also alleged that the company offered bribes to “dozens of municipalities” across 13 other states. The CEO of Redflex was sentenced to 20 months in prison. 

Regardless, the suburban Illinois areas of Gurnee, Carol Stream, Olympia Fields, North Chicago and Bellwood continued their contracts with Redflex. Gurnee extended its agreement in 2012, and again in 2015.

Now, it appears history repeats itself. State Senator Martin Sandoval (D-Chicago) recently became subject to an office raid during the hunt for information regarding his agreement with SafeSpeed LLC, another red-light camera vendor. 

A 2018 Case Western Reserve University study found that red-light cameras have no apparent safety benefit. Researchers in the study analyzed traffic accident data from Houston–which utilized these cameras between 2006 and 2010–and discovered that rear-end crashes actually increased. Although T-bone collisions did decrease during that time, they found that the cameras most likely increased the number of overall accidents.

The Chicago Tribune also found in 2014 that rear-end collisions increased by 22 percent in Houston during that time, and that the number of crashes at a red-light camera intersection did indeed go up once the camera was put in place.

Many of the cameras installed in Chicago are located in intersections which already had a low number of accidents.

Although Chicago (and the rest of Illinois) has appeared to maintain a mind of its own in regards to red-light camera use, bipartisan support in the Statehouse is pushing for an overall ban. State Representatives David McSween (R-Barrington Hills) and Jonathan Carroll (D-Buffalo Grove) introduced a bill in January aiming to ban red-light cameras across the entire state. In early October, Rita Mayfield (D-Waukegan) and Sam Yingling (D-Grayslake) signed onto House Bill 323 as co-sponsors. A second bill to ban these cameras was also introduced just three days later.

In addition, the Tribune has reported that in analysis of over 4 million tickets issued between 2007 and 2014, many individual cases showed evidence of deviations in Chicago’s cameras caused by “faulty equipment, human tinkering or both.”

This clear misuse of traffic control equipment has given Chicago locals a strong reason to lose faith in their local government and to suspect corruption.

If these cameras are proven to bring more accidents to previously-low-risk intersections and place unnecessary financial burden on drivers–and they do–it is sensible for these bills to be passed easily and quickly.

Chicago Announces New Plan to Reduce Downtown Congestion

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On October 18th, City officials announced two new initiatives to reduce downtown congestion and increase the use of Chicago’s bus system. Through the new initiatives, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced that ride-share apps will see an increase in fees, specifically downtown and in the surrounding areas. Additionally, Lightfoot announced the city would be adding additional bus-only lanes throughout the city to incentivize public transportation.

Both of the announcements follow what has been a long-awaited response by Chicago’s administration to curb the significant increase in ridesharing occurring throughout the city, which has clearly had a negative effect on the use of public transportation for downtown commuters. After the announcement,  Curbed Chicago provided a breakdown of how Uber and Lyft users would be affected by the new initiative. For starters, “the new proposal would decrease the amount for shared trips to 65 cents and increase single rides to $1.25.” In doing this, the city is hoping to clearly incentivize riders to think about carpooling. However, this isn’t nearly as aggressive as Chicago’s special downtown zone fee, which will see the single trip fee increase $2.28 to $3.00. Curbed Chicago goes on to explain that “the downtown zone fees would apply between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. and the proposed downtown area includes the Loop, River North and a portion of the West Loop. The boundary streets include: Lake Shore Drive, Roosevelt Road, Desplaines Street, Van Buren Street, Ashland Avenue, Grand Street, North Branch Canal, North Avenue.” 

Overall, these are drastic announcements by the city. No matter the public policy at hand, commuters are likely to not take too lightly to a two dollar increase in taxes and fees for every ride they try and catch in the downtown area. For many, especially those living in nearby neighborhoods, there is going to be dissatisfaction. With that being said, we can only hope that such a decision will bring positive results not only for traffic congestion, but for rider and pedestrian safety as well. As we have written countless times, traffic congestion brings unwarranted dangers to those in the city. For example, it was announced in the 2019 Urban Mobility Report that Chicago commuters lost a total of $1,307 annually due to traffic congestion, which was the result of vehicle damage, wasted gasoline, and many other factors associated with increases in traffic. More shocking, according to TRIP, the National Transportation Research Nonprofit, traffic congestion studied as recently as 2016 showed that the trucking industry lost a total of $74.5 billion due to the operational costs associated with traffic. All of this establishes that while it may appear absurd and a downright overreach to drastically increase taxes and fees associated with ridesharing in Chicago, there is far more at play then giving the city money for failing to take public transportation. We should hope that driver safety and vehicle costs are one of those primary factors.

Chicago’s New Bus Initiative

Along with the new fees for ridesharing comes an initiative to revamp and give an incentive to the public in taking the bus system. “The Bus Priority Zone Program will bring bus-only lanes, queue jump signals, and better traffic light timing to some of Chicago’s highest ridership routes,” writes Curbed Chicago. As a result of the $20 million dollar plan, the goal is to remove “slow zones, bottlenecks, delays, and bunched up buses that come one right after the other.”

Curbed Chicago also had the opportunity to speak with the Executive Director of Active Transportation Alliance, an organization that advocates for providing safe walking, bicycling, and public transit options in communities. Executive Director Melody Geraci stated that “transportation is the great but invisible connector between people and opportunity. We don’t think about it as much as we think about affordable housing, or access to grocery stores and jobs but all of those things are only connected if we have a great transportation system.” Geraci went on to state that since 2008, Chicago had also seen its bus ridership decrease by 28 percent. Ultimately, this goes hand in hand with the issues that traffic congestion brings as well. Commuters do not want to sit in traffic on a bus filled with other people they don’t know. They would much rather be in their own vehicle or be driven, if they have the means to do so. With that being said, the city’s approach to enhance the bus experience throughout the city will certainly bring positive results if done correctly. For starters, we will all be better off with fewer cars on the road. It will not only help with increasing the air quality in downtown, but it was increase traffic safety. For us, that is the most critical aspect of this new plan. If the city initiates these proposals and traffic does decrease as a result, we should see that as a huge win for Chicago. The better chance of keeping vehicles and drivers off the road, the better position drivers are to get to their destination safely.

Chicago Releases Long-Expected West Side Traffic Safety Plan

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Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the city of Chicago recently announced a West Side Vision Zero Traffic Safety Plan, which aims to address the prior administration’s intent to create a comprehensive infrastructure plan based on “crash data to identify 43 high crash corridors and eight high crash areas in Chicago,” according to SmartCitiesWorld, an online publisher specializing in infrastructure analysis. The new plan comes on the footsteps of the city’s announcement that it would spend $6 million on establishing proper infrastructure and safety on the West Side of Chicago. As part of this initiative, the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT), recently installed pedestrian islands at the intersection of Madison St. and St. Louis Avenue. This announcement and the work soon to begin on the West Side is all being done under the City’s Vision Zero Chicago initiative, part of a global movement that addresses fatal infrastructure issues throughout cities with the belief that crashes can be easily avoided so long as the proper infrastructure is in place.

According to the Vision Zero Principles the city prominently displays on its website, the new initiative sets out to adopt and implement specific plans that match accordingly to high crash areas. As discussed above, the recent pedestrian islands that were installed on the West Side are just the beginning of acknowledging and trying to alleviate the injuries likely to occur in neighborhoods with dangerous infrastructure issues. Overall, actions such as these fit under the umbrella of the City’s ultimate goals which it declares are to:

  • Invest equitably in communities that are most affected by severe traffic crashes.
  • Work to change behaviors and perceptions to build citywide culture of safety.
  • Make streets safer for all users.
  • Encourage and implement policies, training, and technologies that create safer vehicles and professional drivers.

All of this goes to say that Chicago understands there are communities that have long been neglected when it comes to issues such as infrastructure; and the West Side is certainly one of those communities. As the initial high crash data showed, seven of the eight high crash areas were located on the West and South sides of Chicago. With the introduction of this new plan, residents of these communities will be receiving long awaited uptick in public safety standards that will render the roads and sidewalks far safer for all.

The West Side Initiative

Although the official plan has yet to be posted to the City’s dedicated website for this topic, Streetsblog Chicago wrote an analysis of what can be expected. “The Vision Zero West Side Plan includes 15 strategies to improve traffic and pedestrian safety in East and West Garfield Park, North Lawndale and Austin. The recommendations include safety improvement around transit stations; efforts to promote walking and biking to school.” Overall, the new plan appears to go all in on alleviating a lot of the issues that have plagued this part of the City for years. What makes this plan different than other projects that have been announced in the past is the fact that it truly is comprehensive and input from community leaders on the West Side and all around the city have been taken into consideration. For example, in creating the West Side initiative, the CDOT worked with the Garfield Park Community Council, the North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council, Lawndale Christian Health Center, Build, and Austin Coming Together.

While the plan that has been proposed appears to be all about public safety policy, there’s more to it that CDOT is hoping truly transforms how people travel on the West Side and engage with their community. For example, while traffic safety is a key part of the initiative, the plan also calls for job creation and an increase in quality of life. One way it aims to achieve these two goals is through allowing residents to feel safe walking, biking, and using public transportation. While such things and fixing light poles and cleaning up transit areas seem small, the reality is that actions such as this make individuals more likely to use means other than driving for transportation purposes. As we have repeatedly addressed, the more individuals on the roads and increasing the odds of traffic throughout the city, the more crashes and injuries that will result so long as infrastructure issues remain.

Ultimately, this new initiative may appear to be no more than a pipe dream for communities that have long been promised change throughout the city, but the real hope remains that CDOT will hold to its plan and transform parts of the city and will keep those on the road safe, and the residents in the community much safer. 

Lightfoot’s Blitz Days Serve as a Reminder of the Dangers of Potholes on our Roads

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As a way to curb the number of accidents and amount of damage done to vehicles before the winter season arrives, Chicago Mayor, Lori Lightfoot, and the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) have announced they will be conducting “Blitz Days” each Saturday between the months of September and October. The Blitz Days serve as an attempt to get road crews out and on the streets before the weather gets too harsh. In the meantime, the city is asking that motorists drive slow around crews to ensure both pedestrian and driver safety.

This certainly isn’t the first time we have heard of the city conducting work such as this. In a city the size of Chicago and with a harsh winter quickly approaching and ready to tear the roads apart, it’s an absolute necessity to ensure road safety. The city already announced in a press release on September 6th that “this year to data, CDOT has filled nearly 527,000 potholes throughout the city’s 50 wards.” When taking this large number into consideration, its worth the reminder that Chicago was also previously ranked third in the nation in terms of total number of hours spent in traffic, resulting in roughly $1,300 wasted annually per commuter. Cited by the 2019 Urban Mobility Report from the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, the Institute found a multitude of factors to play a critical role in wasted dollars and increased traffic, but its safe to say that issues such as road infrastructure were the largest factor. While 527,000 potholes seem like a lot, looking to the city’s history with infrastructure issues paints an entirely different picture. Granted, the winter months wreak havoc on roads and roadwork is impossible to complete when its snowing and below freezing outside; however, these are necessary issues that must be taken care of to maintain road safety.

In discussing these Blitz Days, acting CDOT Commissioner, Tom Carney, stated “we anticipate having about 30 pothole patching crews assigned to wards throughout the city. With this additional help, we estimate that we will be able to fill more than 5,000 potholes on each of these days.” If the city is able to follow through on this promise, these would be a major boost for local residents already dreading the morning and evening commutes. While traffic alone is bad, being forced to sit in traffic due to issues such as potholes is far worse. Ultimately, the hope is that the city is able to properly address the infrastructure issues and ensure driver safety in the process of doing so.

Just How Dangerous are Potholes?

In a city like Chicago, the cold weather presents an annual challenge for the city in that it causes roads to crumble and crack at a much quicker rate. Potholes have the ability to form overnight and when adding the daily wear and tear of Chicago commutes, the issue can become dangerous very quickly. Although many people may think that potholes, due to their often-small size, don’t pose a major safety risk, the opposite is true. They may not often be the cause of an accident, but the reality is that they are a contributing factor to damaging your vehicle, that places you and other drivers at a severe risk and financial detriment.

A few years back, Digital Trends wrote a great article that went to great lengths to establish why potholes remain such a large issue in the United States and the dangers they pose. In the piece, Digital Trends had the opportunity to speak with an Area Manager for Bridgestone, Abilio Toledo, who acknowledged that while potholes present serious risks, the issue is that we often cannot see the full damage they do to our vehicles. For example, if we damage our tires due to driving through a pothole, one of the warning signs is a bulge in the side wall of our tire; however, this often isn’t the case. Toledo went on to say, “‘the tire will snap the inner lining. It still holds air but there’s a bubble. If it doesn’t blow out, the tire is still compromised and can blow out at any moment. So, you think you made it through the pothole and you’re okay, but you didn’t.’” When this occurs, the results can often affect fuel efficiency, the tread of your tires, and the overall alignment of the vehicle. What all of this says is that the damage may not be present at all after you hit a pothole but when your vehicle’s suspension and tire tread can all be affected in the long term, then we must start thinking about how this could place others in danger on the road at a later time. All it takes is an individual’s car pulling to the left a little too much for a car in the adjacent lane to be pushed off the road. These factors all play a role in how accidents occur.

Keeping an Eye Out

In a city like Chicago, the cold weather presents an annual challenge for the city in that it causes roads to crumble and crack at a much quicker rate. Potholes have the ability to form overnight and when adding the daily wear and tear of Chicago commutes, the issue can become dangerous very quickly. Although many people may think that potholes, due to their often-small size, don’t pose a major safety risk, the opposite is true. They may not often be the cause of an accident, but the reality is that they are a contributing factor to damaging your vehicle, that places you and other drivers at a severe risk and financial detriment.

A few years back, Digital Trends wrote a great article that went to great lengths to establish why potholes remain such a large issue in the United States and the dangers they pose. In the piece, Digital Trends had the opportunity to speak with an Area Manager for Bridgestone, Abilio Toledo, who acknowledged that while potholes present serious risks, the issue is that we often cannot see the full damage they do to our vehicles. For example, if we damage our tires due to driving through a pothole, one of the warning signs is a bulge in the side wall of our tire; however, this often isn’t the case. Toledo went on to say, “‘the tire will snap the inner lining. It still holds air but there’s a bubble. If it doesn’t blow out, the tire is still compromised and can blow out at any moment. So, you think you made it through the pothole and you’re okay, but you didn’t.’” When this occurs, the results can often affect fuel efficiency, the tread of your tires, and the overall alignment of the vehicle. What all of this says is that the damage may not be present at all after you hit a pothole but when your vehicle’s suspension and tire tread can all be affected in the long term, then we must start thinking about how this could place others in danger on the road at a later time. All it takes is an individual’s car pulling to the left a little too much for a car in the adjacent lane to be pushed off the road. These factors all play a role in how accidents occur.

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