Joel Kurzman and Senta Plunkett generously spent their time with the core members of Bike Walk Wilmette and shared their views about active transportation in our Village. Afterward, they provided the following statements, which we reproduce in full below.
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Joel Kurzman
When I started my Stewardship campaign for Village Trustee four years ago, I called it Stewardship of Our Most Precious Resource – Our Children. In many neighborhoods, children who live just blocks from their schools do not walk or bike to school because of dangerous streets and intersections. While getting kids safely to school continues to be my highest priority, resident feedback has steered me to a broader approach. This has entailed pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicular safety for people of all ages and abilities. I am proud of the results I have produced for many reasons, including how successful projects address long-standing unmet needs, improve the walking and biking safety for people of all ages and abilities, and are often paid for with up to 70% federal funds. Here are some specific improvements for which I have successfully advocated:
- Reconstruction of Skokie/Hibbard Intersection (approximately $2 million federal funds, plus state and county funds), with improvements for drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians.
- Advocated inclusion of Active Transportation Plan into budget.
- Preliminary engineering study for Skokie Valley Trail. Continued advocacy for Wilmette’s design to include a cut-through between Avoca West and West Park.
- Advocated restoration of traffic calming line item. It was eliminated in 2008. Even if a traffic study determined a safety problem at a given location, there was no money to address the problem.
- Locust Road reconstruction. Adding both driving and pedestrian safety enhancements (approximately $2 million federal funds spanning the project).
- Skokie/Lake intersection. Construction to begin soon, as part of an intergovernmental agreement (which will receive county, state, and about $700,000 federal funds) for modernizing traffic signals, shortened crosswalks, improved pedestrian visibility, and improved sidewalk access.
- Replacement of North Bridge Sidewalk (Edens overpass on Glenview Road), rebuilding and widening the north sidewalk to make it safer for people of all ages and abilities.
- A new crossing guard at Locust Road.
Besides leadership at Village Hall, I have been actively engaged in the community on these important issues.
- Dedicated time to observe and experience issues of concern at key locations: crossing at 1500 Sheridan Road/10th Avenue, Wilmette Ave/Ridge Road (HODC), bicycling to Avoca West Elementary School during a.m. rush hour.
- Attended community meetings with individuals/groups: Bike Wilmette, Civics and Safety Committee, Transportation Commission.
- Authored support letter for Avoca District 37’s Safe Routes to School grant for mapping, enabling consideration for crossing guards and infrastructure elements, which have been lacking for some of our most challenging streets/intersections.
- Promoted Village’s street and sidewalk repair program – feedback indicates residents have successfully accessed needed services with this information.
Senta Plunkett
Dear Bike Walk Wilmette,
I enjoyed attending the Bike Walk Wilmette meeting a few weeks ago – thank you for the opportunity to address your group in writing.
Since I have served on the Board, I have been a strong advocate for environmental issues and I believe that having opportunities to safely use other modes of transportation such as biking and walking are vital as we look at sustainability as a whole.
The Board recently voted unanimously to approve the Master Bike and Active Transportation Plan. There is clearly support and momentum right now to make Wilmette more bike and pedestrian friendly.
In my discussions with Village staff, I have a better understanding of how we can use this Plan as a blueprint for future decisions that impact our transportation system. These involve review and prioritization by the Transportation Commission, incorporating the Plan into our Road Program, and using the Plan as a base to seek out grant funding.
The Transportation Commission will review the Plan on an annual basis in collaboration with Village staff to adopt recommendations prior to the inclusion in the Capital Improvement Program (CIP). From this review, a 5 year plan prioritizing bike and pedestrian improvements will be approved.
A great time to look at bike lane and signage improvements is when the Board reviews its annual Road Program. It is anticipated that when the Village plans local road projects, we will look to the Bike Plan to see how we can best incorporate the recommendations listed therein. On the topic of road construction, it was recently suggested to me that when the Village undertakes construction and there are road detours necessary, that we should also provide alternate bike detours. That is a great idea that I intend to pass along to our Public Works Department.
Now that we have adopted the Plan, we are better positioned to seek out and apply for grant opportunities. One such grant the Village currently in the works is an ITEP grant for a sidepath along Skokie Boulevard north of Lake Avenue. This will create a much needed pedestrian and bike path connecting neighborhoods to the Edens Plaza corridor. The Village is currently in the Phase 1 Engineering stage.
As you are all well aware, this Plan seeks not only to make Wilmette safer for bicyclists, but for pedestrians as well. One thing that the Board plans to review in the next few months is our sidewalk policy. Our current policy requires the approval of 2/3 of households on a street in order to request installation of a sidewalk. A no-response currently counts as a vote of no. I believe we should review and revise this existing policy, looking to neighboring communities, including Highland Park, that have initiated more pedestrian/bike friendly policies. In these discussions, we should also consider weighing the public benefit of sidewalks in certain locations in addition to the neighborhood survey.
The Village is beginning the multi-year process to update its Comprehensive Plan. This is the perfect opportunity to ensure that both the Master Bike and Active Transportation Plan and our Sustainability Plan (to be approved this spring), will be included in our Comprehensive Plan and help establish the framework for decision making at all levels in our Village. It is an exciting time to live in Wilmette and I look forward to the opportunity to further these goals.
Bike Walk Wilmette 