A pilot project to allow pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers to safely share the entire length of Greenleaf Street in Evanston from McDaniel Avenue to Lake Shore Boulevard begins Monday.
The multi-modal shared streets pilot project discourages cut-thru traffic on Greenleaf, providing opportunities for people walking, biking, and driving to share access to and from commercial, residential, and recreational centers in Evanston.
The test run of the concept is scheduled to end Aug. 16, before school starts at Nichols Middle School at 800 Greenleaf St.
City Engineer Lara Biggs told residents at a 2nd Ward meeting earlier this month that the city chose to wrap up the pilot program before the start of school because of the complexity of issues involved with how it might impact student pickups and drop offs at the school.
During the pilot, the city will place “local access only” signs at major intersections and “slow down, share the road” signs at minor intersections. These signs will partially limit and slow down traffic entering Greenleaf at intersections.
Access to all businesses, driveways, parking on and off street, and alleys will be maintained at all times during the pilot project. Emergency vehicles, delivery vehicles, and large commercial trucks can access Greenleaf Street throughout the entire pilot project. City officials says all street users will need to continue to stay alert and undistracted on the roadway.
At the end of the pilot project, the City will remove all signs and restore full use of all vehicular traffic at both major and minor intersections. The City will then evaluate motorist, bicycle, and pedestrian operations and safety to gauge the effectiveness of the pilot project.
Related story
Greenleaf proposed for shared street test (6/14/21)