At a recent City Council meeting there was an extraordinary public outpouring of support for the City Council to reverse a staff decision which restricts public access to the Park Avenue Beach via a road just west of the water treatment plant. Three groups — Park Avenue Task Force, Friends of Park Avenue Beach, and the North Shore Yacht Club — made presentations to the City Council of why the city should maintain an open road to the beach, and submitted petitions signed in excess of 1,000 people supporting this recommendation.
The issue is safe accessibility to the lakefront via the west road adjacent to the water plant. Keeping this road open to maintain a one way traffic loop around the west side of the water plant during the busy summer lakefront activity season is the principal recommendation made by the traffic engineer consultant who examined lakefront usage and traffic flow.
Currently the city is moving ahead with blocking this road with a “security fence” which will direct vehicles into a constricted one way road and onto a deteriorating street on the east side of the water plant, culminating in one or two turnarounds. This situation is less than optimal and presents a variety of safety concerns and risks for pedestrians and vehicles alike.
This issue is not overly complicated and the solution offered by the three groups very practical: keep the west road open during the peak summer weekend periods and “close the gate” all other times. This compromise solution provides a safer vehicular traffic pattern, reduces risk to pedestrians using the lakefront, and allows the city west road closure for 96 percent of the year.
Frances Jane Peszek
Highland Park