Willow Glen Resident

News

Bird Avenue residents say street is dangerous

By Emilie Crofton

Residents on Bird Avenue say they are tired of the continuous intrusions into their homes. They aren't talking about thieves. They are referring to cars.

"There have been so many times that cars end up on [residents'] lawns, destroying trees and sometimes our homes," said Keith Shukait, who has lived on Bird Avenue with his wife, Pam, for almost three years.

Bird Avenue is a cut-through for drivers heading to Interstate 280. Speeding on the street has been a problem for years, residents say.

One of the hardest hit areas is around the narrow curve where the speed limit is 15 mph. This has been the scene of a number of accidents, according to residents.

Recently the Shukaits had a speeder miss the curve and drive onto their property, taking out their front porch. Their home is directly in the line of fire.

"If drivers don't make the turn, they smash right into our home," Shukait said.

Fed up, the Shukaits held a traffic-calming meeting at their home Aug. 29 to discuss possible solutions. The meeting drew residents, District 6 City Councilman Pierluigi Oliverio, Denelle Fedor, Oliverio's director of public policy and Winnie Pagan and Hossein Rahnema from the city's Department of Transportation.

"It's an overwhelming problem on many city streets," Oliverio told residents.

Michael Wright grew up on Bird Avenue and came to the meeting to help support his mother, who still resides there.

"I've witnessed so many accidents here," Wright said, "I just want the city to take a more proactive and aggressive

approach on how to solve this issue."

Residents complained about speeders, illegal trucks driving through--trucks over 5 tons are banned from using Bird Avenue--drag racing and the lack of pedestrian safety. Residents said the majority of accidents occur going north on Bird.

Residents wanted to see not just police enforcement but a physical change, such as cement barriers or a new bike lane, to slow drivers.

Driver problems are compounded by inclement weather during the rainy season.

The Shukaits brought up the issue of flooding caused by a lack of drainage. During the rainy season, water sits on the street and floods onto the Shukaits' property. The family has dubbed the problem "Bird Lake."

"The crown is too high and there's no drainage. It's hard for drivers to stop when it's wet," said Keith Shukait. "Accidents always increase during the rainy season. It's a huge safety issue."

Many times the accidents are hit and runs.

One of the most dangerous accidents on Bird Avenue happened years ago, when a drunk driver ran right into a resident's basement.

Some residents said they wanted barriers and protection for their homes. The speeding issue is far from new. According to residents, it's a 30-year-old problem.

"Nothing has changed; it just gets old," Wright said, "We're always fearful."

Some residents recommended the installation of a speed hump to slow traffic, but Oliverio quickly shot the idea down, saying speed bumps or humps were "not going to happen" because too many cars use the street.

The Department of Transportation said they could install street "buttons" before and after the curve, which would create a rumbling effect to "awaken" speeders, especially drivers falling asleep or under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

DOT would need the approval of residents living around the curve before implementing this solution.

Another solution DOT representatives said they would work on was trimming the trees that currently cover speed limit and curve warning signs.

The DOT plans to have traffic tests conducted to determine a driver's average speed on the street.

"The city would do something immediately if someone died," Shukait said. "The question is, can they do something about it before a death occurs?"