A jerk I once met said he never came to Oak Park.
Why not?
The streets are too narrow, he said.
I’m not sure the streets were all it had to do with, but at this time of the year, street widths do become a challenge.
Autumn is the season for leaf gathering and leaf collection. Oak Parkers rake those pretty, crunchy fallen leaves to the curb. The village picks up the leaves and disposes of them in a non-air-polluting manner.
This creates a problem for motorists on the village’s side streets. They – we – have to maneuver around huge leaf piles awaiting collection. Our courtesy and patience also are tested because we often have to pull over so a motorist coming toward us can dodge a leaf pile and get by.
Come to think of it, we often have to pull over to let other drivers by even when there aren’t piles of leaves. There often isn’t room on side streets for cars to pass each other in opposite directions, for certain if there are cars parked on the street.
I don’t know how wide are Oak Park residential streets.
According to the National Association of City Transportation Officials, 20 feet is appropriate for a street with two-way traffic (10 feet per lane). Parking lanes are recommended to be 7-9 feet.
The kicker in this is that Oak Park’s streets were built many decades ago. But since 1990, car widths have increased.
So, streets that could comfortably accommodate a 1951 Nash may be a tight fit for the trucks (SUVs) so many of us drive.
Two parked SUVs and two more SUVs going in opposite directions could take up 26 feet of space. That’s cutting it mighty close on a 28-foot street – if indeed Oak Park has 28-foot residential streets. And my knees aren’t good enough to get down on them and measure.
Leaf collections continue through Dec. 1. So, be courteous and be patient when traversing our leaf-piled streets.
In fact, always be courteous and patient when steering your wide vehicle around town.
If you want to know the leaf collection schedule for your neighborhood, call 358-5700, or email [email protected].
Paul Sassone is a freelance columnist for Pioneer Press.
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