That Barrington Hills is a beautiful community no one disputes. But its relaxed country environment is leading to a confrontation that emphasizes the challenges communities can face when automobiles and bicycles vie to share the same roadways.
We have been strong supporters of efforts in suburbs such as Batavia, Des Plaines, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Naperville and many others that have acted assertively to make bicycling on public streets safer and more accessible. So, it was with some dismay that we followed Barrington Hills village leaders’ dismissal of proposals that would add bike lanes on some thoroughfares in town.
Read the full Daily Herald editorial here.
This Abboud backed “no bikes” nonsense has got to stop before someone gets seriously injured or killed on our roads. I copied this post from one of the bike club’s communications threads on an experience one (1) single biker had earlier this week and as a resident I can tell you I WOULD HAVE pressed charges:
“I had a similar experience in Barrington Hills. I was riding solo midday last Friday along Old Sutton road north of Algonquin road when I was startled by a car horn. I turned to look at the car and noticed a vehicle about 50 yards behind me so I continued my ride close to the right shoulder of the road. The driver stayed on my back laying on his horn without letting up the obnoxious behavior for 9/10 of a mile. It wasn’t until the second hill just before Otis road when the driver passed me yelling something and flipping me off.
I called 911 to report the incident and waited for the BH police patrol car to arrive to file a report. The officer, Officer Parada was professional and took down all the information including all of my personal information from my drivers license. I was asked if I would appear in court if the driver was located and I asked what the driver would be charged with and was told “disorderly contuct”. I told the officer I didn’t feel it was worthy of anyone’s time to pursue charges of a village ordinance and hoped that if the driver was pursued and found someone would explain that bicyclist have the same rights as motorist on the village roads.
The vehicle involved in this altercation was a large SUV or a covered pickup truck light bronze in color. The driver was male, dark hair mid twenties to early thirties. I do not know what, if anything the BH police did with this complaint.
I caution everyone out there as it appears things are getting very emotional over biking in Barrington Hills and surrounding communities.”
I’m embarrassed for the good residents of the Village who choose to display the childish signs promoted by the prevaricating savant as he struggles for relevancy. Nothing good can come to those who have or are following his lead.
Amen! It is over and this time Abboud will have no platform for his obvious run for village trustee next year. He’ll have to come up with another ‘crisis’.
The recent mailing by the Don’tchangebarringtonhills crowd is becoming embarrassing for our village. It’s time to take a more temperate approach, and stop the finger-pointing when the paper trail suggests otherwise.
I appreciate the work they have done to inform residents, but the negative press that has been generated does not attempt to unify our village and it puts our village in a very negative light. The Daily Herald article wasn’t accurate, and the group’s leader didn’t help the cause by shying away from the issues that she has highlighted. Stand up and take the heat!
Until new information has come to light, I think it’s best to adopt a wait and see approach.
Tyler – are you really Bobby Abboud?
BEWARE OF THE INVISIBLE HAND OF ABBOUD – THE BIKE LANE CONTROVERSY MYTH
On April 19, 2013, BH Village Administrator, Robt. Kosin (“Kosin”) under the direction of former Village President Abboud and Trustee Meroni filed an application to reclassify Spring Creek Road from a local street to a major collector route. The letter from Kosin to Mr. Chalen Daigle of McHenry County Councile of Mayors (“MCOM”) states in relevant part:
“Spring Creek Road serves as a collector roadway for several adjoining local streets . . . . . . . As the enclosed exhibit demonstrates, Spring Creek Road is already classified as a Major Collector west of Haeger’s Bend Road, where it has lower traffic volumes than the segment to the east Haeger’s Bend Road.”
On April 19, 2013, Robert Miller Highway Commissioner sent a letter to Chelan L. Daigle Planning Liason for MCOM stating that the Algonquin Highway Commissioner agrees with the Spring Creek Road Application Request and that Mr. Miller further states in his letter to Mr. Daigle that:
“We understand that the Village of Barrington HIlls staff will be in attendance at the next meeting of Council of Mayors to discuss this reclassification with the membership of the council”
Highway Commissioner Miller’s letter to Mr. Daigle’s has a “cc” to Patty Meroni, Robert Kosin and Dan Strahan. When I asked BH Pres. McLaughlin about this application Pres. McLaughlin informed me that Trustee Meroni never shared the road application information with him and that he had no knowledge of the MCOM meeting. At the time, McLaughlin was just installed as Village President. Pres. McLaughlin, after the fact, learned Meroni, Kosin and Strahan went to the MCOM meeting on May 16, 2013 as representatives of BH to present the application for change in road designation which included in the packet engineering plans by Gewalt-Hamilton allowing for bike lanes. This was all done in Trustee Meroni’s sincere attempt to obtain much needed government funding assistance which Meroni unfortunately elected to do without prior Board approval or even knowledge of Pres. McLaughlin.
Government subsidies in this instance would not occur without submission of engineering plans with Bike Lanes. Village Engineer Strahan previoulsy prepared such plans under the supervision of Kosin, Meroni and Abboud. Gewalt-Hamilton was paid for this engineering work and as we are all aware by now, Abboud signed all Village checks. All of this behind closed doors without even the courtesy of notifying residents who would be affected by this plan that in order to implement it condemnation of their land along the roadside would be required for bike lanes.
Am I saying the man behind the curtain running “SaveBarringtonHills”.com website (RGA Labs) from bike lanes is the same man who orchistrated the change in our countryside road desigation allowing for bike lanes? Well, yes I am. But how can this be? (This is like saying a major league baseball team would deliverately lose the World Series or that Abboud supported the LMP?) That’s right, the White Sox did throw the Series and Abboud did support the LMP for the sake of needed votes West of the Fox River in his failed bid for Congress.)
What motive could Abboud possibly have for supporting bike lanes in BH? Like LMP, Abboud tossed BH over the cliff on the bike lane issue not because Abboud is a sore loser and he is trying to embarrass Pres. McLaughlin (actually, yes, in part) and not because Abboud is a bicycle ethusiast; no, there is something else lurking in the weeds. Follow the money, more than 10 years ago, BH BOT approved a multi-year plan to repair/replace every Village owned road in Barrington Hills without an increase in the tax levy. As Abboud proudly reminded the electrorate in his landslide defeat in the prior election, Abboud did not raise the levy (for only prior 3 years). To Abboud’s credit, he told a half-truth here.
Unfortunately,forner Pres. Abboud’s affinity for lawyers resulted in large legal expenditures (largest per capita in the U.S.) leaving insufficient taxpayer funds on hand to meet our failing roads and promised repairs. Trustee Meroni (who is in charge of roads and bridges) undoubtedly raised concern behind closed doors but as an obediant civil servant to Abboud kept silent in public.
In an attempt to make-up some of this financial shortfall, Meroni employed new measures to try and obtain road funding and one new idea was government subsidies. Due to change in regional planning, in order to qualify, roads must carry a certain designation and design often requiring inclusion of bicycle lanes. (China is moving from bicycles to Automobiles; U.S. is moving from Automobiles to bicycles) So Meroni complied with these requirements but when the public discovered her actions Trustee Meroni did what any other respectible “Save 5 Acre” member would do, she blamed her politcal opponents, Pres. McLaughlin and Trustee Konicek. For Abboud, he saw a political wedge opportunity and way to distance himself from road repair issue launching his jeuvenile website.
Of course, when Meroni was handed documentation at a public meeting idicting Meroni as the figure behind the bicycle lane issue, Meroni in Tammy Fay Baker fashion made a public apology to Trustee Konicek at the following BOT meering. We haven’t heard a word from Meroni on this issue since. If Abboud really wants to provide a public service to BH, launch a website focusing on how BH can save itself from Meroni and himself.
David Stieper
In review of my comment above against my notes, I made a mistake, BH Village Administrator Robt. Kosin did not attend the MCOM meeting on May 16th. This meeting was attended by Trustee Meroni and Village Engineer, Dan Strahan. I apologize for this error.
David Stieper