Sunnyside/Greenview Neighbors for Action

Attached is some information regarding the traffic impact from the new Passages Charter School, which is moving into the building currently owned and occupied by the 4 C?’s (1 door west of Dunkin Donuts on Montrose).

This information was provided by Ralph Hardy of Asian Human Services.

Please let me know of any questions, comments or concerns you may have.

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TRAFFICE IMPACT STUDY FOR PASSAGES CHARTER SCHOOL

June 21, 2001

Passages Charter School, an elementary school, located at 1447 W. Montrose anticipates an enrollment of 120 students in its first year of operation, with an increase to 180-200 students by 2006. The school will draw students from primarily the north side neighborhoods of Chicago, including Uptown, Edgewater, Rogers Park, and West Ridge.

A bus service will be provided for students living 1.5 to 6 miles from the school. The school hours of operation are 7:30 am to 6 pm, with academic instruction beginning at 8:30 and ending 3:00. Passages anticipates utilizing only one bus, which will unload approximately 40 students between 8 and 8:30 am. An anticipated 70-80 children will reach the school daily through parent automobile drop-off or CTA busses or by walking to school, accompanied by a parent or adult. An estimated 40% (48) of students will arrive between 7:30 and 8 am, with the rest arriving via the bus or by parent drop-off.

Passages will remain open until 6 p.m. We anticipate that approximately 60% of our students will leave between 12:30 (half-day PK) and 3:30, when the regular school day ends, via the bus or parent pickup. The remainder of the children (30-40) will be picked up over a 3-hour time frame.

Steps to minimize traffic impact:


?· Passages will seek to develop a carpool system so that multiple children will arrive at and depart from the school with only one driver/parent. If we can establish 10 car pools of three children each, short-term parking and traffic impact will be reduced considerably.

?· Passages will request that parents dropping off children park their cars on N/S streets if they have even numbered license plates and E/W streets with odd numbered plates whenever possible. This will ensure that there will be an even distribution of short-term parked cars.

?· Passages will be opening its doors at 7:30, giving parents one hour to unload their children.

?· We will forbid alley pick-up.

?· Passages will seek to utilize the parking lot of the Japanese American Service League at 4427 N. Clark for short-term parent parking.

?· A school crossing guard will be posted at Clark and Montrose. (Hours not yet determined)

?· Parents will not be allowed to double-park on any street.

?· A bus loading area will be designated in front of Passages, to be used exclusively by the bus.

?· Passages is leasing teacher parking at 4414 N. Clark, minimizing the parking impact on neighborhood streets.

?· Staff will be present outside the building in the morning to monitor parent compliance.

?· Passages will convene a community meeting not later than three weeks after the school starts to discuss any problems or concerns from the community regarding traffic congestion.

Passages Charter School seeks to be a good neighbor to its Uptown, Ravenswood, and Lakeview communities through all of its activities.


By Steve Bensinger

Stoplight at Montrose/Greenview?

Thanks for forwarding the info. I had no idea a school was going in there.

I have only one concern, which is now an even bigger concern with the arrival of even more children in the area, and that is that we NEED a stop light at the corner of Greenview and Montrose. It?’s downright treacherous trying to get a preschooler on a bike, a baby in a stroller, and myself across that street. And I know other parents in the neighborhood feel the same?—not to mention joggers, dog owners and cyclists.

If there?’s a way to get this message to the powers that be, or if you need someone to go talk to someone in person, I?’m happy to volunteer, if you can point me in the right direction.


By Molly Hammond

Stoplight Not Likely

According to Ald. Schulter, a traffic study has been requested from IDOT for
the Montrose section between Clark and Ashland. I?’m not sure when it will be done, but it?’s been ordered.

I am not optimistic about us getting a stop light, due to the closeness of
the lights at Clark and Ashland. There are problems on Lawrence and Foster due to the close proximity of the lights at Clark and Ashland. Cars are onsistently blocking intersections due to back-ups at signals. I?’m afraid
that the same would occur on Montrose if we added a stoplight at Greenview.

I would like to see something, though. Perhaps a pedestrian triggered stop-signal and clearly marked crosswalks. Anything would be an improvement. I welcome all ideas.


By Steve Bensinger

Parking at 4415 N. Clark Problem

Thank you for this information. Contained in this memo, however, is the
fact that they will be leasing parking space for the teachers at 4414 N.
Clark.

I believe this is the vacant, rubble strewn lot that is behind my
house on the alley behind the 4400 odd numbered side of Greenview. As I
have mentioned to you before, this lot is not paved, nor does it have Clark
Street access, it only has alley access. Since this lot was originally
occupied by a building that was demolished, I continue to question whether the zoning allows its use as a parking lot, especially without direct street access. I would suspect that those of us who live on the 4400 odd numbered side of Greeniew would prefer not to have any additional traffic on our alley.

Could you please inquire further with the Alderman?’s office as to whether the 4414 N. Clark site is allowed to be used as a parking lot and whether it should be paved, striped, and have direct Clark street access?

The recent addition of the speed bumps (who asked for them?) in our alley indicated the City is trying to cutdown on excess traffic in the alley, which is clearly the opposite effect of the
teacher?’s use of this lot.


By Carol Conklin