On Wednesday, passersby pulled out their cell phones to capture a yellow Mustang parked on the sidewalk at Michigan Avenue and Huron Street. A police officer had to direct the driver to leave, clearing a path for him to back onto the busy streets. Such safety issues are expected to be mitigated soon with the installation of bollards along Michigan Avenue later this month.
Bollards are structures designed to prevent vehicles from colliding with pedestrians and buildings. The installation project is a collaborative effort involving the city of Chicago, the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT), the Michigan Avenue Special Service Area, and the Magnificent Mile Association.
“We worked on this for well over a year, with the city of Chicago and CDOT,” said John Gagliano, a commissioner with the Michigan Avenue Special Service Area. “We are really looking forward to the impact that it has on the Avenue.”
The primary objective of the project is to protect pedestrians and businesses that have been targeted by a series of crash-and-grab robberies. “The stores have been asking for this for quite a while,” said Alderman Brian Hopkins, who represents the 2nd Ward.
According to Hopkins, some bollards will take the form of granite planter boxes, while others will be simple metal structures that can be set deep into the ground. A similar program is already underway on Oak Street, which has also experienced numerous crash-and-grab and smash-and-grab robberies.
Manufacturers claim that bollards can be both unobtrusive and strong. Videos produced by a few manufacturers show larger models stopping a truck within three feet. “They are effective at preventing the kind of incursions where the vehicle crashes through the plate glass window and then the thieves empty out the store,” Hopkins explained.
Deployment of the bollards along Michigan Avenue, from Chicago to Ohio, is expected to begin in the coming weeks and be completed by the time of the Democratic National Convention in August.
Gagliano noted that the bollard program on Oak Street has been successful and anticipates similar results for Michigan Avenue. “The city of Chicago and the Department of Transportation are actually implementing a pilot program citywide for other owners and constituents in the neighborhoods to deploy a similar program,” he added.