CHICAGO (CBS) — Neighbors in the South Side’s Woodlawn neighborhood say their streetlights are unreliable and they’re left in the dark.
They said the street lights are on some nights, but not others – and it’s a safety issue.
One of those neighbors is Marsha Hall. When she leaves her home in Woodlawn, she never knows what to expect.
“Our biggest dilemma is no lights, no street lights, which is terrifying,” Hall said.
Of course, the lights go out in neighborhoods every now and then. But Hall and her neighbors have been experiencing darkness on Marquette Road between University and Ellis avenues for several nights.
“We have been calling every week since May to report this,” Hall said. “It’s been going on for months and months.”
Hall said the lights come on overnight and then stay off for days.
The lights were dark when CBS News Chicago visited Thursday night — and it was the second time this week. Neighbors have complained to 311, the councilman, and directly to the Chicago Department of Transportation.
“We threw it out there. Does it need new wiring? Does anyone get access to the boxes and lock them down?” Hal said. “What’s going on?
But never knowing when the block will be dark or not gets old.
“We’re terrified if we don’t have street lights at night,” Hall said. “We all walk in and out of our garages to get to our houses. We don’t park in the garages. We park on the street.”
At some points in the neighborhood there are lights that illuminate the sidewalks, but these are attached to the outside wall of a residential building.
Neighbors say they pay too much in taxes because they have no street lights night after night.
“Why can’t we settle this together?” Hal said. “I wonder, not just for our neighborhood, but why are the lights such a problem in the city?”
Hall sent CDOT an email Thursday morning. CDOT responded, “The repairman was there today, replaced some equipment and completely checked the track.”
But on Thursday evening the street lights were dark again.
CBS News Chicago contacted CDOT and was awaiting a statement late Thursday. But Hall said it’s time for action.
“We are doing our best, but this needs to be resolved immediately,” she said.
Jermont Terry
