Letters to the Editor
On Sunday, June 16, Yalda D. Shabou, an 85-year-old man living in Niles was struck by a driver and killed. The Niles Police Department reported that Mr. Shabou’s last known address was in the 9200 block of North Maryland Street, which means he was a resident of Huntington Apartments, housing for low-income seniors and people with disabilities.
Local media reported that Mr. Shabou was struck by a driver while he was crossing Milwaukee Avenue westbound against a traffic signal. Before he was struck, Shabou tripped and fell. The driver who struck him had a green traffic signal at Church Street.
I am urging the Village of Niles to not respond to this tragic crash with just another shrug of the shoulders and blame-the-victim response. Yes, the intersection is busy and has a traffic light, but pedestrians must activate a pedestrian signal to cross. If a pedestrian fails to see and press the walk button, the light will turn green for vehicular traffic and leave the pedestrian waiting at the curb for a signal.
Upon visiting the crash site, I observed there is simply not enough time for someone with disabilities to cross the street. The sign says “walk” and within two seconds it is counting down from 20 seconds. That means there is a mere 25 seconds or less to cross five lanes of traffic.
We can do better. We can ask our village officials to evaluate every signalized crossing in Niles to ensure all have adequate time to cross the street safely. We can lobby for the elimination of push-activated “beg buttons” in favor of automatic, fixed-time walk signals which create regular and dependable crossings. We can ask our elected village officials to implement the village’s Bicycle and Pedestrian plan. I will never stop advocating for a kinder, more beautiful Niles. It’s a matter of life or death.
Peggy Reins
Niles
Letters to the Editor represent the views of the writer, not necessarily Pioneer Press or the Chicago Tribune. Submit your letter, of no more than 300 words, to pdefiglio@chicagotribune.com, and include full contact information.
