Petition Background (Preamble):

The northern portion of Palmer Blvd (between the intersection of Palmer and Sacramento and the intersection of Palmer and Kedzie) currently consists of three lanes of traffic, undisturbed by stop signs or traffic lights.  Because this portion of the street has so many undisturbed lanes of traffic, vehicles often disobey speed limits and race to the stoplight at Palmer and Kedzie.  In their haste, vehicles almost always ignore the crosswalks at Albany and Whipple as they continue speeding down the street.

A park designed for and frequented by very small children, residential homes and a church borders this portion of the street.  A school also borders the park and school children often utilize the park for physical education and after school programs. The speeding traffic on the street creates a grave safety hazard for the children of all ages utilizing the park or the church.

Replacing the current crosswalks at Albany and Whipple with raised crosswalks would be a cost-effective and efficient solution to slow down traffic on Palmer and vastly improve the safety of the hundreds of children utilizing the park and church. 

Petition:

We the undersigned call upon Alderman Scott Waguespack and the City of Chicago’s Department of Streets and Sanitation to protect our children by installing raised crosswalks on the northern portion of Palmer Blvd at the intersections of Palmer and Albany and Palmer and Whipple.