Opening Kirchoff exits not the answer

Regarding the letter from Cathy Larocca about opening the Kirchoff Road exits at NCH, I am compelled to respond. The issue has nothing to do with area residents wishing to “control the access of certain roads,” but is simply a matter of safety.

The hospital claims that exiting the campus at peak times causes backups, can limit emergency vehicle access and is inconvenient for its employees, medical staff, visitors and Wellness Center members. It is quite possible these are valid concerns but I do not understand how opening the Kirchoff Road exits is a sensible solution.

To funnel traffic onto neighborhood streets which pass by a school and a park is a dangerous prospect, at best. The school and park are in the middle of a residential neighborhood and many people walk or ride bikes to get to them. Additionally, the peak hours of exiting the hospital campus coincide with when all three schools in the neighborhood dismiss for the day.

The hospital is located on land that does not allow for expansion of its property so they chose to expand by building up. They have every right, but I do not see how they can expect the surrounding neighborhoods to suffer for the increase in traffic this expansion created. Why can’t they provide private traffic control personnel to direct traffic out of the Central Road exits during peak usage?

In response to the proposal to increase police patrols in the surrounding neighborhoods, why should Arlington Heights taxpayers have to pay for a traffic situation created by a private business? I appreciate that NCH is a great “citizen” of the village and not only provides tax dollars but also adds greatly to our quality of life, but they should also be a good neighbor to the residents who are a large percentage of their customer base.

Since Msa. Larocca challenges every resident to fight to open the Kirchoff Road exits, I would like to challenge her to step up and accept responsibility when someone is injured or killed by the traffic using these exits. It’s about safety, not tyranny.

Nancy Lynk

Arlington Heights