Putting up a sign doesn’t do anything. People going down Touhy blow the light all the time (my husband pulled out onto Touhy on a green light and was t-boned by an elderly man in June 06 and still suffers problems from it), and a red light doesn’t stop people from turning LEFT so I don’t know why a sign would work any better.

The frequency of the light needs to be changed by IDOT, not the city, and several letters have been written to them, but it seems like it will take an act of congress to get this done. And this would not solve all the problems, just ease the congestion a little.

You must not have children or you wouldn’t be telling people to be better parents. We are very good parents, but there are cars speeding down our streets at 40 mph because they realize they are in a dead-end and must go around to go back out onto Touhy. There are also 18 wheelers who mistakenly turn down our streets thinking they can get to Target or Costco or any of the other businesses on Gross Point Road. A child doesn’t have a chance (even a well-behaved, obedient child) against an 18-wheeler!

And no, we don’t think our kids should be in a bubble. They should be free to run and play in their own neighborhood without excess polution and fumes from too many cars in one place.

And I expect any business owner in the area to pay their property taxes JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE. It’s just an example of the sneakiness that is going on since this guy came to our neighborhood.

Come to the next advisory board meeting and get yourself informed before you weigh in on something you don’t know much about.

>> Changes in the traffic light system on Meade. Yes Sir, I’m in full agreement with you on that. Only, it hasn’t been happening for years, and it’s not because it hasn’t been applied for. Btw, the traffic light on Meade was financed by Target around the corner. I wonder if they have any say in the frequency of light changes.

>>Children playing around the building. Well, Steve, believe it or not, but right around the Meade Ave. entrance of 6000 W Touhy, there are a number of families that have children of varying ages. Where else would they ride their bikes, or hang out with their neighborhood friends other than around their own homes? Now, I do agree with you that parents should always keep an eye on their children. However, keep in mind that this is sort of a cul-de-sac subdivision where you wouldn’t expect the kind of vehicular traffic that you ordinarily see on Chicago side streets.

>>Exhaust fumes. The issue of exhaust fumes is not an issue at the moment. A respectable number of cars (as a result of a 288-car parking garage) waiting at the never-ending Meade Ave. red light though, makes it become one. It’s called carbon-monoxide concentration. Aside from the kids, Steve, I wouldn’t even want you to be subjected to that, sitting in your car, waiting for the green light. Yes, we’re all surrounded by pollution, but does it become an issue only when we’re all dead? Speaking of the train tracks on Lehigh, you have a good point: Those Metra and Amtrak trains are noisy and smelly. But guess what: I’d much rather suffer from their noise and pollution than have to read about people get hit and killed by them, as has happened twice this year in Edgebrook.

>>Mr. Tountas’ property taxes. First off, let me tell you that I agree with you that Mr. Tountas’ property taxes have nothing to do with the dispute between him and the residents of the subdivision, on the subject of the proposed parking garage. And if you noticed, in my response to the comment of McVicker resident, I did disagree with him that Mr. Tountas had anything sinister going on with regard to the property taxes on his building. However, I’m sure you are aware that property tax information about properties in Cook County are not stored in a “secret” black box. They are public information, and anyone has permission/access to this information, simply by visiting the websites of the Cook County Assessor and the Cook County Treasurer, alternatively filing a Freedom of Information Act request.