Project: LOOP

It was last year when I first noticed them. By them, I mean the traffic controllers, the people in neon yellow vests that stand at the loop’s major intersections during rush hour. I watched two such ladies at the intersection of State and Jackson from a bus window one day and I got to thinking- what are these people doing?

It looked like the first lady was merely waving her arm towards the left, indicating that traffic could turn, even though Jackson is a one way street right there and there is no oncoming traffic. The light was green as well, so I saw no need for there to be a traffic guard telling cars to turn from a one way street.

I had a personal “encounter” with one of these guards on a summer morning back in the early days of my fall semester at Columbia College Chicago. I was feeling particularly ambitious and decided to walk from Union Station to Columbia. As I began to cross the street (I believe I was at Jackson and Dearborn) I was yelled at by one of these neon guards. I guess I misunderstood her beckoning hand signal, and crossed the street at the wrong time, even though the traffic signal was displaying the walk icon. I was very confused that I got barked at for such a thing, but I kept going.

I have seen these traffic guards yell at cars and pedestrians alike, which is fine except I don’t understand why they are there directing traffic in spots where traffic lights seem like they would be enough. It looks as if these neon yellow guards will continue to be a mystery to me.