La Grange village officials will hold a special "neighborhood" meeting Tuesday, June 2, to address residents concerns regarding safety along 47th St. The meeting will take place in the gymnasium of the Seventh Ave School beginning at 7:00 p.m. Anyone may attend.
Concerns long expressed about the danger in crossing 47th St east of La Grange Rd grew louder last week when Cari Lyn Cook, a young mother fr0m Countryside, was struck and killed last week as she crossed the roadway near 8th Ave while walking with her two children and the family dog.
In a letter mailed only to addresses in "certain areas" of the village, presumably near 47th St, Village President Elizabeth Asperger and Village Manager Robert Pilipiszyn said, "While we can't reverse the consequences of this tragedy, we can meet together to discuss what occurred and examine what role the village might play in providing enhanced pedestrian safety along the 47th Street corridor."
Village officials recently said they are negotiating with the Illinois Department of Transportation to take control over the roadway from the state. A proposal to reduce the four-lane thoroughfare into a two-lane road with a center turn lane also has been discussed.
Two years ago, in response to a petition from resident Melinda Levato, the village added a marked pedestrian crosswalk at 9th Ave that included a special curb cut on the south side of the road because the streets and sidewalks that intersect with 47th St are not aligned from one side to the other.
The absence of a similar crosswalk and curb cut at 8th Ave, one block to the west, may have played a role in last week's tragedy. Police said Cook was struck as she bent over and lifted onto the curb a stroller in which her two-year-old daughter, Ellie, was sitting.
Ellie was not harmed in the accident, but Cook's four-month-old son, Carson, who was strapped to his mother in a front carrier, suffered a fractured leg.
Police are still investigating the accident and have not as yet filed any charges against a 45-year-old woman driving a gray minivan, who allegedly struck Cook.
Related story:
Click here to read full coverage of both the accident and the aftermath.
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