57th Street currently only runs one-way eastbound underneath the Metra tracks from Lake Park to Stony Island. The University of Chicago is seeking to open 57th St. to run both ways between Stony Island and Lake Park. This change would require Alderman Leslie Hairston's approval.

Please consider signing this petition to let Alderman Hairston know you support keeping 57th St. one-way between Lake Park and Stony Island.

This stretch of 57th St. was closed to westbound traffic many years ago because of several problems:

(1) the placement of the viaduct pillar at the north corner of 57th and Lake Park obstructs vision, posing risks for both pedestrians and automobiles;

(2) drivers going west from Stony Island treated 57th St. as a speedway, which caused horrendous traffic and noise; and

(3) limiting the number of east/west thoroughfares was thought to make the neighborhood both safer and more livable.

Opening up this intersection to westbound traffic again will have a detrimental impact on our neighborhood.

Crash data from the Chicago Data Portal for the last 7 years of other intersections of Lake Park (51st, 53rd, 55th, 56th) indicate that 2-way traffic at 57th will dramatically increase incidents.

• There is already a lot of pedestrian, car, and bus traffic related to the 55th-56th-57th St. Metra train station.
• There are many parents walking their kids to the schools—UChicago Lab’s early childhood campus, Bret Harte, Ray, Little Inspirations East, and Bright Horizons are all within a few blocks of this intersection.
• A few blocks further west, many University of Chicago students cross 57th as they navigate the campus.

As it is, cars often do not stop at the stop signs at 57th and Harper. Opening up that corridor to westbound traffic is likely going to result in serious injury or worse.

There would have to be stop signs for eastbound and westbound traffic. This will lead to more congestion on 57th.

We’re interested in supporting less car-centric plans for Hyde Park and 57th Street, such as protected bike lanes and pedestrian-only streets with restaurants and cafes with space for outside dining.

Thank you for your consideration and support!