By R.B. Baladad
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Three years ago Mayor Daley envisioned cul-de-sacs formed by waist-high barriers in all 50 wards. Several aldermen and community leaders shared the mayor’s vision of crime prevention. The most often heard complaint at the time was that neighborhoods couldn’t get cul-de-sacs erected fast enough. Petitions had to be signed by 67 percent of the voters on each block, and aldermen and community residents complained that the process took too long.
But today cul-de-sacs and similar devices are quickly sprouting in Chicago neighborhoods. The city recently erected cul-de-sacs in North Beverly, Marquette Park, Lawndale, Albany Park, and South Shore, and efforts to build them are under way in Rogers Park and Edgewater.
Representing himself, Greer sued the city last April to get the barriers removed, citing the part of the Illinois constitution that says “No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law nor be denied equal protection of the laws.” “They’re using this to keep traffic low, but that’s part of living in Chicago,” Greer says. He argued that because the city could not blockade all streets in Chicago it was denying equal protection for all city residents. He also argued that the blockaded streets were public property and consequently meant for public access and pointed out that the cul-de-sacs hamper traffic flow, cause congestion on other streets, and delay emergency vehicle response.
“The purpose of the cul-de-sacs is to separate people economically,” says Greer.
For now Greer is looking at alternative strategies. He feels that Holt was the driving force behind cul-de-sac construction. He wagers that she won’t be reelected; many South Shore residents share his cul-de-sac complaints.
