Public Comments of Oct. 23, 2007
La Grange Plan Commission
Hearing on Proposal for La Grange Place

Bill Fowler, 115 N Madison Ave

Below is the text of a letter read by Mr. Fowler. It was signed by 28 residents of N Madison and Brewster Aves, in the neighborhood across La Grange Rd from the site of the proposed project, expressing concerns over the increased cut-through traffic the development would generate along their streets as motorists seek to avoid the congestion at La Grange Rd and Ogden Ave.

To:  Village of La Grange Plan Commission

Re:  Proposed Development at Ogden Avenue and La Grange Road,
and Madison Avenue Traffic Problem

From:  Residents of Madison Ave. and Brewster Ave.

We appreciate this opportunity to present our point of view to the Village’s Plan Commission regarding the proposed development at Ogden Avenue and La Grange Road.

By way of background, many of the residents of Madison Avenue and Brewster Avenue have lived here for 10 plus years, some for many more. All chose this community for its convenient location to public transportation and because it is a safe place to raise a family. One of our residents, Kathy Schwappach, currently serves on the Village’s Zoning Board of Appeals.

From our perspective, Village leadership over the decades clearly has taken the Village to new highs, making our community a very desirable place to live. We come before this Commission with appreciation and respect for prior decisions that have benefited our community—and confidence that future decisions will continue to keep our community a safe and sought after place in which to live.

As you can see, we live on Madison Avenue or Brewster Avenue, residential streets just north and west of the proposed development. Madison Avenue runs parallel and adjacent to La Grange Road. Brewster Avenue is on the north end of Madison Avenue. Ogden Avenue is on the south end of Madison Avenue. From our observations, the segment of La Grange Road between Brewster Avenue on the north and Ogden on the south bears some of the heaviest traffic in the Village.

Right now, well before the Village welcomes proposed new residents and, presumably, hundreds of additional cars, Madison Avenue has a traffic problem. Madison Avenue is a thoroughfare for drivers who seek to avoid the congested intersection of La Grange Road and Ogden Avenue. These drivers are numerous, and many of them travel down Madison Avenue well over the posted 25 mph speed limit.

Generally, such drivers are heading south on La Grange Road. They turn right on Brewster and left on Madison Avenue, and travel down Madison Avenue to reach Ogden Avenue where they again turn right. At times, drivers take the reverse route when they are heading east on Ogden Avenue. They turn left on Madison, and travel down Madison Avenue to reach Brewster Avenue where they turn right toward La Grange Road.

Although the increased traffic is most notable during morning and evening rush hours, it continues throughout the day and night, seven days a week. While the increased volume of traffic is notable, the speed at which this extra traffic travels is remarkable. We appreciate the Village’s past responsiveness to our concerns about the traffic on Madison Avenue. Our street now has traffic signs depicting the 25 mph speed limit and children at play. This summer, the Village’s Police Department loaned us the “Check Your Speed Limit” machine. Unfortunately, neither of these thoughtful efforts has controlled the speed rate of the extra traffic on Madison Avenue. The speeding continues.

How does the extra traffic that speeds down Madison Avenue affect its residents?

Danger to Children. 32 pre-school and school aged children live on the “T” that includes Madison Avenue and Brewster Avenue. There are 12 children five and under, nine between ages six and nine and 11 between 10 and 13. These children ride their bikes on Madison Avenue, retrieve baseballs that land in the middle of Madison Avenue and cross Madison Avenue to reach their friends and to walk to school. These children are at risk from the extra traffic speeding down Madison Avenue. On many occasions, Madison Avenue residents/visitors have pulled a toddler away from the Madison Avenue curb to avoid speeding cars.

Danger to Pedestrians. Crossing Madison Avenue in front of our own houses requires heightened caution because the extra traffic often does not slow down for pedestrians.

Danger to Cars Backing Out of Driveways. Backing out of driveways requires heightened caution because the extra traffic does not appear to see/recognize this residential use of Madison Avenue.

Stop Sign Violations. Much of the extra traffic does not stop at the stop sign at the corner of Madison Avenue and Brewster Avenue, so pedestrians need to use heightened caution when crossing Madison Avenue at this corner.

Parkways and Curbs. For Madison Avenue residents, doing routine homeowner activities such as cutting the lawn or raking leaves on the parkway, or putting trash out on the curb on Sunday evening requires heightened caution because the extra traffic does not slow down or move over to avoid people who are close to or over the curb.

What can be done about the extra traffic that speeds down Madison Avenue?

None of the Madison Avenue and Brewster Avenue residents are traffic experts. That is why we request that the Village continue to work to resolve the Madison Avenue traffic problem, especially in light of the anticipated additional traffic that the new development will create. The residents of Madison Avenue and Brewster Avenue welcome any reasonable measures that the Village suggests to effectively address the traffic problem, including limiting all driver access to Madison Avenue by closing off Brewster Avenue at La Grange Road. We respectfully request that the Village compile a list of possible solutions and hold a meeting to discuss the options with the residents of Madison Avenue and Brewster Avenue, as soon as it is feasible to do so.

Thank you for your time and attention to this problem. We look forward to continuing our good working relationship with the Village and resolving the Madison Avenue traffic problem.

Should you have any questions about our concerns or issues addressed in this memo, please contact Kathy Schwappach at 708/482-4665 or Shawn Kaminski at 708-354-3240.

Residents of Madison Avenue and Brewster Avenue: