After another pedestrian is hurt, lawmakers want safety improvements along Touhy Avenue
A pair of state lawmakers are calling for safety upgrades along Touhy Avenue in Des Plaines after a pedestrian was hit by a vehicle there Wednesday, the latest of several such crashes - two of them fatal - on that stretch of road since late 2018.
"This man is lucky to have come away with his life," state Sen. Laura Murphy, a Democrat from Des Plaines, said in a written statement Wednesday. "Clearly there is a problem with this location on Touhy Avenue, and it is past time for the government to do something about it. How many more have to be hurt or killed before action is taken?"
According to a joint statement from Murphy and state Rep. Marty Moylan, the unidentified man was hit early Wednesday morning as he exited a bus on the south side of Touhy near Wolf Road. He was taken to a hospital and is in stable condition, they said.
In October, a 56-year-old Chicago woman was killed when she was hit by a truck as she attempted to cross Touhy after leaving work nearby. A 55-year-old Dolton woman was killed along the same stretch of Touhy in December 2018 as she tried to walk across the busy thoroughfare.
Police at the time noted there are no crosswalks and poor lighting where the fatal crashes occurred.
Both women were employees of the LSG SkyChefs facility located across Touhy Avenue from the Pace Suburban Bus stop, Moylan and Murphy said. LSG SkyChefs employees often take the bus and must cross seven lanes of heavy traffic to get to work, they added.
LSG SkyChefs has attempted to decrease the risk to employees by implementing a shuttle system. Now Murphy and Moylan are urging the Illinois Department of Transportation and Pace to make changes as well.
"Long-term solutions aren't enough," said Moylan, a Democrat from Des Plaines. "We can't risk any more lives. We need to start making improvements today."
Among the suggestions: better lighting, lowering speed limits and moving the bus stop to reduce Touhy Avenue crossings.