The Oak Lawn Traffic Jam

I am thrilled by the new coffee shop on Oak Lawn Avenue & Congress Ave. They are quick, friendly, and it is really easy to hitch up the dogs while running in to get a mobile order.

However, walking up to the coffee shop during the mornings is cringe-worthy because I see near-miss traffic accidents several times a week in front of the store.

The problem is with the street design: the coffeeshop’s drive-thru entrance on northbound Oak Lawn Avenue is right after the off-set intersection with Congress Avenue. There’s a lot going on visually if you’re heading north: the Centrum high-rise in the background and the new Total Wine store immediately across the street.

Therefore, it’s really easy to miss a single car peaking out of the coffeeshop’s drive-thru, which is what causes the near-miss accidents.

Screen shot of northbound Oak Lawn Avenue

A traffic jam on Oak Lawn Avenue caused by the new Starbucks Store.

A traffic jam on Oak Lawn Avenue caused by the new Starbucks Store.

Absent a magical change in people’s distracted driving habits, I am not sure how this could get resolved given the street layout, neighboring properties, and nearby construction projects:

Map of the area near Congress and Oak Lawn Avenues.

Here’s the problem.

• Diverting the drive-thru entrance to Congress Avenue is just going to cause back-ups in a tight residential area that already has a high-rise under construction.
• The alley behind the coffeeshop can’t be used as a drive-thru entrance because the drive-thru line would block the garages of neighboring townhomes.
• Reducing the speed limit or installing caution flashers on Oak Lawn Avenue is a possible solution, but it is unclear whether the city is going to do that prior to a serious crash (or two).

So for now, the morning coffee runs are going to remain unnecessarily exciting. ☕

Update: I forgot to mention that this is the most dangerous crosswalk in the gayborhood for pedestrians too. Almost got run over twice this morning (Sept. 18).

First, by someone running the light, next by a person turning into the intersection without looking at all.

1. This intersection needs a red light camera, and,
2. There’s something off about the crosswalk — the “walk” sign turns on at the same time that the drivers get a green light to make a left turn (into that same crosswalk). You’d never have a walk sign function like this if there’s a green turn signal for cars. It shouldn’t be different here.

Who approves these designs?