From the Lakefill, a person facing south can see the big-city lights of Chicago, or turning north, one could gaze past the Evanston water plant and see the darkness of Wilmette and the other North Shore communities. Evanston is caught in the middle.
In many ways Evanston is a cross between a suburb and a city. It borders a major city, but it has its own bustling downtown. It has quiet residential neighborhoods and the 15th highest crime rate in Cook County. Evanston’s lighting situation represents another compromise between the city’s two natures.
In 1981, the city installed tallmadge lights, or “coach lights,” at a cost of $20 million. According to City Council minutes from Feb. 16, 1981, former Mayor James Lytle called the process “lengthy and difficult.”
A survey published in the city’s newsletter after the installation drew over 430 responses. It revealed that residents were evenly divided on the adequacy of the lights, with responses ranging from “great” to “woefully inadequate.”
According to Ray Padvoiskis, a spokesman for Chicago’s Department of Streets and Sanitation said “the brighter the light, the safer the street.” Chicago has substantially increased the wattage of lights in its alleys in the past two years because of safety concerns, he said.
Unlike most of Evanston and Wilmette, Chicago does not have traditional street lights. Brian Murphy, Chicago’s deputy commissioner of the Department of Streets and Sanitation said that, like Evanston, his department is considering changing some of the city’s lights to induction lighting.
To the north, Wilmette has more than 2,500 street lights that they are planning to upgrade. Ricky Brown, who is in charge on of street lights for the village, said the plan will cost between $5 and 8 million to switch the lights from an outdated series circuit to a parallel circuit. The lights, mounted in expensive traditional-style lamp posts, will not be any brighter than before.
Patrick Hughes, a Wilmette village trustee, said residents like the traditional lights even though they do not provide much light. But residents also were concerned about safety in dark alleys, so the village responded by adding lights in those areas.
Some parts of the city do not have any lights, said Wilmette Village President Nancy Canafax. She said the trustees would love to see lights throughout the village, but not all residents support having more lights.
“Some people don’t want lights,” she said. “They like the darkness.”
