Benton/ NW Hwy. a ticking time bomb

What more is required to make it obvious to IDOT officials that the intersection of Benton Street and Northwest Highway in Palatine is dangerous? One fatality already occurred, and now, following Saturday night’s accident involving a pedestrian, someone else is injured and at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital.

As a resident who walks to church and into town, I know from experience that the light at that crossing is too short for pedestrians. And because the red light is so long, cars will go through it, and although I am not condoning that, it happens. Drivers know the waiting time involved, and they speed up to avoid it.

The Saturday incident is being investigated and I have no knowledge of what happened. I do know that many residents, from young children attending the two schools located there, St. Theresa and Quest Academy, to seniors — going to church, or taking their dogs for a walk — cross the street there.

It is a residential area, with the library and shopping strip malls, and as I mentioned, a church and two schools. We are encouraged to get out and walk, but soon no one is going to want to walk across at that corner.

Recently a law was passed that a person can be ticketed if they don’t cross in the designated crosswalk. This IS such a crosswalk, but it should be obvious that a time- consuming, bureaucratic study is not needed to prove that if you choose to be a pedestrian in that crosswalk, you are risking your life.

Please do something NOW. Change the timing of the traffic signals and install better streetlights.

Barbara Ann Kohn

Palatine