CORRECTS - Citizens Organized for Reasonable Routes Enhancing Community Traffic and Safety Safety

CORRECTS

Citizens Organized for Reasonable Routes Enhancing Community Traffic & Safety non- non-partisan, nonprofit, member-supported public interest organization that promotes Traffic and Safety issues by influencing public policy decisions: legislative, administrative, legal, and electoral. A community organization dedicated to providing a central place to review Park Ridge Traffic and Safety issues with its citizens and their elected Representatives and City's management. To practice and promote the responsible use of our roads, traffic systems and resources. To educate and enlist citizens to protect and restore the quality of our auto and pedestrian traffic as one of our cherished human environments in Park Ridge. CORRECTS - Citizens Organized for Reasonable Routes Enhancing Community Traffic & Safety believes that citizen's pedestrian safety, auto safety and reasonable routes comes first in city traffic. That before adding a traffic signal or traffic signals which generates slow traffic, bumper-to-bumper traffic, traffic gridlock, traffic complaints, traffic crashes, traffic signs, traffic bottleneck, automobile traffic, traffic congestion, rush hour traffic, bumper to bumper traffic, traffic congestion, rush hour traffic and automobile traffic, that a Park Ridge Alderman and/or Park Ridge Aldermen, should require a traffic study to avoid this auto traffic scenario in Park Ridge, Illinois. Only reasonable auto traffic should be permitted to provide reasonable routes with traffic safety and avoid traffic accidents, traffic injuries, pedestrian injuries, auto accidents, traffic problems, which will also decrease pedestrian traffic in Park Ridge and thus negatively affect retail sales and our quality of life. We encourage Park Ridge citizens to register and for all voters to vote only for a Park Ridge Alderman / Park Ridge Aldermen Park Ridge Mayor that promises to ensure Reasonable Routes and City Traffic Safety. Today’s Park Ridge City Policy of waiting for citizens to first be injured, maimed and dead, while creating a serious crisis of traffic congestion, in traffic routes and hurting existing retail businesses, is unacceptable. CORRECTS holds itself out as an Open Forum to provide an opportunity for citizens and organizations to inform the public of events, issues or projects. This will allow you to report anything you wish to see addressed or answered regarding traffic anywhere in Park Ridge. Your input on this issue if vital to all of us. Please review and advise us of what you think of the concepts and what you prefer. We need your input to inform and advise. Check out our Park Ridge Traffic and Safety series of forums and speak out.

.Our Mission: Reduce Vehicle Congestion, Prevent Injuries, Save Lives

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Issued - May 13, 2005 Rate Your Representatives

Keeping Political Promises Traffic & Safety Versus Council Wars

Will Promises be Kept Despite Council Wars?

It certainly would be naïve to think that every promise made will be kept, especially in all circumstances. However, if C.O.R.R.E.C.T.S. determines that promises are broken without an excellent reasonable explanation, those elected official will be rated according to actions, which will weigh much more heavily than words. In two years we will all be experiencing the pain of the traffic problem, if they permit it and C.O.R.R.E.C.T.S.’ voice will be exponentially increased by the citizen’s outrage. This is something, each faction and representative will need to fully comprehend now, if they wish to have a happy constituency and not be the recipient of the wrath of the voters. Saying it is not their fault but the last council will simply not buy them protection for there are things that can reasonably be done now.

It is C.O.R.R.E.C.T.S.’ hope that the permanent record of ex-officials, combined with future details of actions or inactions on traffic issues which will be logged will encourage officials to keep their pledges.

We sincerely believe that most will try their best to keep their word. In part, because getting their commitment was often quite a struggle, if only because they had to go public with their position. This was especially true for Touhy and Summit/Meacham and keeping Uptown viable and safe. In many ways it is easier for them to keep their word than show themselves as untrustworthy and lackadaisical about safety and the future of Uptown. Also, many do really believe that this traffic setup is bad for all of Park Ridge and some are strong advocates of safety.

However, the current factions can be swayed by their desire to keep their own factional fellowships friendly to their cause. It will be “OUR” (all of us Park Ridgians) job to inform them of what we want and why and give them a chance to do the right thing, which I believe they do wish to do. However, remnants of those who chose to forgo the traffic and safety are perhaps more likely to lead their faction away from change.

The problem is that it is easier to allow things to stay the same and blame their former alderman. C.O.R.R.E.C.T.S. will not accept that position. There are several things that can be done without putting the people of Park Ridge at serious risk.

1. Declare the “Special Use Permit” null and void and IDOT failed to provide the stoplight permit within the stipulated 60 days. Thus allowing for a new traffic study or change. This allows a “no fault” position, regarding the “partnership” the city entered into with PRC.
2. Renegotiate the traffic with PRC immediately and get it right
3. Be sued by C.O.R.R.E.C.T.S. in conjunction with residents affected and end up with both the “Special Use Permit” and Planning and Zoning procedures becoming null and void.
a. Send it back through the entire Planning and Zoning process and correct the deficiencies.
b. Rubber stamp the past and permit the deficiencies, claiming Park Ridge will be sued and face an angry electorate.

Nearly all developers try to set up the city to be sued and this deal is even worse as a partnership. However, Park Ridge will suffer more from the traffic going ahead as planned than paying loses. Although, this could be gone around by simply renegotiating. Which, Mayor Frimark has brought up to PRC and they have expressed a willingness to address it. However, as yet it has not been acted on to our knowledge. We shall ask the Mayor and the Alderman to begin now with renegotiating with PRC.

CORRECTS for the past month have are actively preparing a suit and has been negotiating with citizens and attorneys At present, we believe that a suit requesting a temporary retraining order and injunction will be filed the same day a spade of dirt is turned.

It is out sincere hope an belief that all will do their duty to the citizens and honor their word.

We will be contacting each alderman and the Mayor for their personal commitment and action. We will then report back to all what their position is and act accordingly.

Please let you elected officials know we need safe and viable traffic Uptown and you support them, even if PRC sues the city.

There is little doubt that the current state of the council wars is a negative toward working toward a common good for Park Ridge. CORRECTS will be discussing the situation soon and hope that a manner for Park Ridge to move forward will come out of the smoke. While there are clearly “faction issues”, it is our hope that Park Ridge can end up improved somehow out of this chaos. This may only be wishful thinking, but we know many people ran for fine reasons and not solely for the purpose of creating a Democrat against a Republican. While, some partisanship may be natural, neither party will enter local elections and thus it could lead back to closed door caucus and little advancement, except open hostilities airing dirty laundry.

Park Ridge citizens must decide what they want and be involved enough to be knowledgeable and informed. This is their future too and getting involved is an excellent civic action.

Cordially,

C.O.R.R.E.C.T.S. – George Kirkland
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Contact us anytime by email at

George Kirkland

george_kirkland@corrects.org

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