She just did not know if the fix she hoped for would come to fruition.
Mendez, a Frank Black Middle School parent and member of its parent-teacher organization, is among the school stakeholders who have advocated for increased traffic-calming measures on the north side of the Oak Forest campus, which is bordered by 43rd. She said the four-lane thoroughfare has been a danger to students who walk or ride bicycles to and from the school, both because of the prevalence of speeding and the lack of a traffic signal, stop sign or crossing guard on that part of 43rd.
Mendez said last December that she hoped a hybrid pedestrian beacon, which is a flashing yellow light that turns red when activated by a pedestrian who wants to cross the street, could be installed. But around that same time, she said she was told there wasnât enough traffic in the area to warrant such a measure.