July 21--Downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly says he will push for new traffic rules aimed at making it tougher for drivers to congregate on Lower Wacker Drive for drag racing.
In a newsletter to residents of his downtown 42nd Ward, Reilly said he will introduce an ordinance at this month's City Council meeting seeking to establish "no cruising" zones and a new, late-night "No Parking/No Standing/No Stopping Tow Zone" along Wacker Drive between Stetson Avenue and Field Boulevard.
Reilly said the ordinance will be aimed at helping police officers stop crowds of young people from gathering with their cars on the subterranean streets on weekend nights for drag racing, drifting and other reckless driving.
While the denizens of downtown condominiums have long complained about the noise from speeding cars and motorcycles echoing up into their residences, the illegal racing scene has come into the spotlight in recent days.
A Tribune article last week took a look at the young auto enthusiasts who get together near the city auto pound on a stretch of Lower Wacker two levels down from the usual street traffic to ogle tricked-out rides and pull dangerous driving maneuvers.
And on early Saturday morning, 20-year-old Jose Luvianos Jr. was killed when his BMW hit a concrete pillar on Lower Wacker Drive in what prosecutors said was an accident that occurred while Luvianos was drag racing with friend Ivan Sanchez, 18. Sanchez has been charged with aggravated DUI and reckless homicide.
While Reilly referenced the crash in his newsletter, calling it "a senseless tragedy that could have and should have been avoided," it's unclear what his proposed ordinance would have done to prevent it.
Reilly has also called on the city to put in speed bumps and rumble strips on the stretch of lower Lower Wacker where much of the racing takes place. Luvianos and Sanchez were not in that area when the accident occurred.
jebyrne@tribpub.com
