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Slushy sidewalks make for dicey commute in Oak Park
A mix of snow and rain coated the roads and sidewalks in west suburban Oak Park Tuesday morning. Fox 32's Roseanne Tellez was out with commuters testing the conditions.
OAK PARK, Ill. - Even walking was treacherous in Oak Park Tuesday morning thanks to the freezing rain and icy conditions.
Outside Longfellow Elementary School the sidewalks were shoveled and salted. But on side streets nearby, it was a slippery slushy walk to school with kids and parents shuffling a bit to stay on their feet, even though neighbors did a pretty good job clearing the sidewalks and throwing salt.
When many people were taking their dogs out for a walk earlier this morning, they said it was even worse.
"If your dog falls walking out of your house four times it's probably slippery," said Greg Kane.
His wife, Liz Kane said Greg did his part salting the sidewalk this morning.
"I was out last night, and it was worse then," said Joe Kasiak. "So this morning, I had already put some salt out. I was ahead of the game."
We asked Neal Pickle if he felt his neighbors were doing their share of pitching in with the clearing of sidewalks.
"Here and there. It's sometimes about 50-50. This winter has been more like 75-25 people doing their part. So it's nice," Pickle said.
While the roads were not as bad as the sidewalks, there were icy spots that looked like slush that sent cars sliding.
"It's Chicago," Pickle said. "We're used to it."
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Rain turns to slick ice on north suburban streets
It's been a messy day for commuters, but also for people just walking outside their front door. Many roads and sidewalks were coated with layer of ice making it precarious to get around.
North suburban residents were dealing with similar slick conditions.
Eric Halloran, of Halloran Power Equipment located at 2959 N. Rand Rd., in Palatine, tried to scrape the ice outside his store. He advised spraying brine or spreading salt on the icy walkways, allowing it time to cause melting, then shoveling. But walking on it was not advised as it remained very slippery.
Driving on main roads and highways was a little slow but the bridges, highway exits, and hills were ice-covered hazards. In Northbrook, police closed Woodhill Dr. between Waukegan Rd. and Hillside Rd. because of icy conditions that kept salt trucks from safely navigating the road.
The temperatures are the positive thing about this weather. But even in the mid-30s, you must respect the ice.