W I L M E T T E S T U D E N T S
• A large number of students attend Avoca West that reside in Wilmette, IL.
• A good portion of these students are within walking distance of the school, however there are no safe paths connecting the school to their neighborhoods.
T O D AY ’ S I S S U E S
• Students residing in West and North Wilmette must travel down busy Lake Ave. with missing and poorly designed sidewalks.
• Even when students are resourceful and make paths along Wilmette Ave., chains are erected to curb their behavior.
• The most direct route to the school for West Wilmette students would be through West Park, where an entrance has not been designed (though it could be).
S O L U T I O N S
1. Properly Design Lake Ave. using “Complete Street” criteria.
2. Pave the paths used today.
3. Create an access point in the rear of the school.
S O L U T I O N 1
• Properly Design Lake Ave using “Complete Street” criteria.
• Redesign the sidewalk on south Lake Ave. to create a natural barrier between the pedestrians and roadway.
• Complete the sidewalk on north Lake Ave. to connect through to the Wilmette Gold Course at Harms Road.
• Install a traffic signal at Sherwood and Lake Ave. with crossing signals.
• Reduce Speed on Lake Ave. to 30 mph mimicking the speed in the Village of Wilmette.
S O L U T I O N 2
• Pave the paths used today.
• Embrace behavior being taken by students today.
• Remove barriers on existing paths.
• Create a proper paved and lit walking path between Glenview and Wilmette on Wilmette Ave.
S O L U T I O N 3
• Create an access point in the rear of the school.
• A second sanctioned entrance needs be created at West Park.
• This would connect the school to West Park which already has sidewalks.
• A protected driveway would be erected as the official egress lane from the school during drop-off and pickup.
P H O T O S
• The following photos are broken up into three sets:
1. Sidewalks (or lack of) on Lake Ave.
2. Blocked path that connects Wilmette and Glenview on Wilmette Ave.
3. Rear of Avoca West where proposed access point would be erected.
P O O R S I D E W A L K P L A N N I N G L E A D S S T U D E N T S C L O S E T O T R A F F I C O N S O U T H E N D O F L A K E AV E .
N O R T H S I D E O F L A K E AV E . , T H E S I D E W A L K E N D S O N A PAT H W AY T O S C H O O L
S I D E W A L K I S C O M P L E T E LY M I S S I N G N O R T H O F S H E R W O O D A L O N G L A K E AV E .
O N W I L M E T T E AV E , A PAT H H A S B E E N W O R N T H R O U G H B Y S T U D E N T S C O N N E C T I N G W I L M E T T E A N D G L E N V I E W
G O O G L E S AT E L L I T E I M A G E 1 4 0 F T. F R O M AV O C A T O W E S T PA R K
< 5 0 YA R D S
C O N N E C T C O M M U N I T I E S C O N N E C T PAT H W AY S
• The villages of Wilmette and Glenview need to work with one another to connect existing roadways and pathways.
• Cook county needs to complete the design of Lake Ave., taking into account “Complete Street” approaches to “safe and comfortable” sidewalks.
• Residents need to realize that their close proximity to Avoca West necessitates pathways for students, staff, and parents.
A S E N S E O F P L A C E
“Please do what you can to create places that are worth caring about.” - James Howard Kunstler: The ghastly tragedy of the suburbs (TED TALK)