First, let’s tackle the nickname controversy. I recently took part in a Twitter debate about the proper nickname for the six-way intersection of Damen, North, and Milwaukee. “Stop calling it Six Corners,” exhorted Robert Loerzel (winner of the Reader‘s 2016 reader poll for Best Chicagoan to Follow on Twitter), arguing that the real Six Corners is in Portage Park.
First CDOT staffer Mike Amsden provided some basic stats, telling the audience that the department had observed more than 5,000 pedestrian crossings at the junction during the morning and evening rush hours of April 18. CDOT found that more than 800 people bicycled through the intersection during the AM peak, accounting for 40 percent of vehicles on Milwaukee, often dubbed “the Hipster Highway.”
—Factory worker Rick Paragua
The feedback at last week’s meeting was generally positive, and local aldermen Proco Joe Moreno, Brian Hopkins, and Scott Waguespack all said they plan to chip in ward funds for the project, which is currently budgeted at $150,000.
On the other hand, Erik Bowman, an assistant manager at a nearby sports bar, was opposed to any restrictions on drivers, even though he generally takes the Milwaukee bus to work.
