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Residents identify their top two traffic solutions
The overwhelming majority of area residents believe that expanding and improving existing roads, combined with
better planning, is the best solution to growing traffic congestion, according to a recently completed Illinois
Department of Transportation survey.
The preferred focus on existing roads and better planning far outstripped a new expressway like the proposed Prairie
Parkway as the way to meet growing traffic needs.
The IDOT survey is part of its ongoing $18-million Prairie Parkway study considering a proposed expressway running
from Interstate 80 near Minooka to Interstate 88 in Kane County.
IDOT's survey consultant polled 1,000 residents of a wide area, reaching from southern Kane County through all
of Kendall County to the northern half of of Grundy County and as far west as Seneca, Sheridan and Hinckley. The
survey was conducted in October and November.
IDOT has not yet publicized the survey results, but provided a copy to Citizens Against the Sprawlway, the grassroots
organization opposing the Prairie Parkway. The survey results have been posted on the group's website at http://www.sprawlway.org
"This survey dramatically reinforces our position that IDOT should focus on improving existing roads and adding
new connections to meet current and future traffic needs," said Jan Strasma, chairman of 1000-person strong
group.
"But IDOT seems intent on the Prairie Parkway as its 'one size fits all' answer to traffic needs," he
added. "This expressway would destroy thousands of acres of prime farmland, ignite further sprawl, and endanger
precious water resources and open space - and still not solve the traffic problems."
When asked for their top two solutions for reducing traffic congestion, almost three-quarters of those polled favored
widening existing roads, improving intersections, and adding new connecting routes, along with better coordination
and planning.
Just 10 percent included new freeways or expressways as the top solutions.
"Clearly people recognize that this growing area has diverse traffic needs," Strasma said. "And
these needs call for diverse solutions not a single project like the Prairie Parkway."
IDOT doesn't seem to recognize that it can best meet traffic needs with a number of smaller projects. Even though
IDOT is won't complete its Prairie Parkway study until 2007, state highway chief Tim Martin has already declared
that the Prairie Parkway is one of the three top transportation priorities for the entire state. And the study
is designed to come up with a single corridor for the highway, not a collection of improvements to existing roads.
The residents polled in the survey know what they are talking about when it comes to traffic -- two-thirds of them
commute to work outside the home and 97 percent rely solely on a car or truck for transportation. About half of
them drive 30 minutes or less to work and another third commute 30 minutes to a hour. The longest commute was 2
hours and 40 minutes.
Some 40 percent said congestion in the area was already moderate to severe and most thought it would get worse
in the next 10 years. When asked about the causes of traffic congestion, they most often responded with "too
much development."
Those polled, however, seemed resigned to continuing development. Sixty percent said that "growth is going
to happen," and roads should be improved or built before the traffic gets worse. Another 22 percent added
that existing roads should be improved instead of focusing on new construction.
The survey clearly showed that people don't see a link between new roads and growing congestion. Two-thirds disagreed
with the statement "Building major new roads will not reduce traffic congestion, it will only make it worse."
When considering what they hoped traffic improvements would achieve, they cited improved safety followed by improved
travel times for both regional and local trips.
The survey showed people were concerned, however, about the effects of transportation improvements. The top ranked
concerns were water and air quality, cost, and loss of parkland, natural areas, and farmland.
IDOT first proposed the Prairie Parkway in 2001 and a 35-mile corridor from I-80 to I-88 was formally recorded
in 2002. The following year, IDOT began its $18 million study with numerous public meetings and an extensive effort
to publicize the project.
Many people, however, remain unaware of the proposed Prairie Parkway and the ongoing study. The survey showed that
just 45 percent of those polled in the primary study area had even heard of it, and that number dropped to 25 percent
in the fringe areas of the study.