A proposed pedestrian median on Route 31 that has been in the works for three years was suddenly scrapped Tuesday night by the Batavia City Council.
Aldermen decided they didn’t agree with the location.
While council members will still vote on the issue at May 4’s meeting, city administrator Bill McGrath said Tuesday night that he would call the Illinois Department of Transportation on April 22 and tell them not to proceed with work.
“This is so disappointing,” said Joanne Spitz, a Batavia resident and member of the Batavia Bicycle Commission. The group has pushed for a safe way for pedestrians and bicyclists on the west side of Route 31 to cross the street to downtown.
The project called for a 6-foot concrete island in the middle of Route 31 near Houston Street, with a raised concrete curb.
Spitz questioned how much government money had been spent on the project, only to cancel it at the 11th hour because of concerns about safety and its effect on the adjacent gas station.
“I can’t believe this wasn’t discussed before this,” she said. “… A lot of people put a lot of time and money into this.”
Public works director Gary Holm, who took over the project after a city engineer left last year, said he wasn’t sure how much had been spent on the planning.
“Narrow-minded,” said John Gamble, the president of the Bicycle Commission, as he left after the vote April 21.
Gamble, who said he helped form the commission years ago because of the need for a Route 31 crossing, said he’s considering resigning his seat, after the council’s vote. An island would have allowed pedestrians or bicyclists to cross two lanes of traffic, then wait in the island to cross the road’s other two lanes, he said.
Gamble wasn’t the only one upset about the project.
Steve Oke, an owner of Batavia Avenue Mobil, said he was only made aware of the project last week when he saw surveyors outside the gas station. Placing a concrete median directly in front of the station would undoubtedly affect business, he said, and he was given no notification it was proposed.
“This is a big detriment to my business,” Oke said.
McGrath apologized to the council about the city’s failure to communicate with the business owners, saying he wasn’t sure where the communication breakdown occurred.
“I was stunned” to hear the business owner hadn’t been notified, McGrath said.
Holm told the council that the process began in 2010, when residents identified crossing Route 31 as an important issue, especially for residents on the west side. The city sought out federal grants and received funding in 2012 for pedestrian crossing improvements to eight intersections along Route 25 and Route 31. IDOT is in charge of distributing the funds, Holm said.
But taking government grant dollars means the process moves slowly, he said, and construction was only just scheduled to start.
Ald. Dave Brown read aloud emailed comments from absent alderman Lucy Thelin Atac, who has been a vocal proponent for the crossing.
She wrote that she has concerns that the crossing is not safe as designed.
Construction will continue at the other seven intersections, which include flashing beacons, accessible sidewalk ramps and signage, Holm said.
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Aguilar is a freelance reporter for the baiduhai.
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