RAVENSWOOD MANOR — Ald. Deb Mell (33rd) faced an angry crowd of Ravenswood Manor residents Thursday night urging her to pull the plug on a controversial traffic diverter project less than a week into a planned two-month trial.
At issue: Drivers trying to take Manor Avenue from Montrose north to Lawrence are being booted off the street at Wilson Avenue, and turns from Wilson onto Manor are prohibited.
"Why? What was the problem?" a chorus of neighbors demanded to know.
Frustration ran high as residents complained that the diverter, put in place on Monday, has created long backups on Wilson, increased traffic on side streets and alleys, and made it difficult for people to get to their homes.
"By diverting other people, you're diverting my access," said one Ravenswood Manor neighbor.
Residents of surrounding communities groused that they're equally affected by the diverter, but didn't receive any of the 33rd Ward's advance communications related to the project.
The process that led to the diverter, the roots of which date to 2014, also came under heavy fire. People wanted to know how a decision was made without a communitywide vote.
Mell and Mike Amsden, of the Chicago Department of Transportation, fielded questions for nearly two hours in the stifling basement of Horner Park's field house. They were joined at times by members of the ward's Transportation Action Committee and Ravenswood Manor Improvement Association, who outlined the steps that led to the diverter.
The diverter, which Mell stressed is very much a trial, is being considered as one element of a Manor Greenway, which would connect Horner Park to the south with Ronan Park to the north as part of a developing riverfront bike trail.
"I want a continuous [river] bike path from all the way up north to Downtown," said Mell, who unequivocally stated her support for the greenway, separate from the diverter.
The goals of the diverter are to reduce traffic on Manor Avenue, address the confusion at the intersection of Manor/Wilson/Mozart, and create a more comfortable environment for pedestrians and cyclists, Amsden said.
"The criteria should have little to do with bikes," one neighbor said. "It should have to do with us — we live here."
Others argued that the diverter does little to solve traffic issues in the area, but rather just pushes the problem elsewhere.
The Manor diverter: Drivers trying to take Manor Avenue from Montrose northbound to Lawrence are being booted off the street at Wilson Avenue. Turns from Wilson onto Manor are prohibited. [DNAinfo/Patty Wetli]
Amdsen urged people to give the diverter trial a chance.
"Almost every street in this neighborhood has been changed over time," he said. "This is not unique, it's not privatizing the street. This goes on all over the city."
Mell said she's committed to letting the trial run its course through Nov. 18.
Pressed to say how she will assess the success or failure of the diverter, the alderman responded: "I want to see a reduction of overall traffic, not just the same amount on other streets."
CDOT collected traffic data this week at 15 points throughout Ravenswood Manor and adjacent areas to create a baseline for the trial, and will do so again the weeks of Oct. 3 and Oct. 24 and in mid-November, Amsden said.
The data will look at changes in traffic volumes, speeds and turning patterns, he said.
"Any changes in traffic, the first few days, the first few weeks, aren't normal," Amsden said. "We want this to play out."
Results of the trial will be presented at a community meeting in early 2017.
"We're going to have another discussion like this when all is said and done," Mell said.
Feedback on the greenway and diverter can be sent to Mell's office at manorgreenway@gmail.com.
The next meeting of the ward's Transportation Action Committee is set for 6:30 p.m., Oct. 27, Horner Park, 2741 W. Montrose Ave.
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