Fed Up With Dangerous Gridlock, Lincoln Square Ald. Andre Vasquez Resorts To Directing Traffic Himse

Block Club Chicago / by Leigh Giangreco / September 11, 2026

LINCOLN SQUARE— On a recent hot weekday morning in Lincoln Square, the sound of Mariah Carey’s “Fantasy” cut through the humid air as cars inched along a gridlocked Western Avenue.

Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th) was blasting the ’90s hit through a large speaker to keep himself awake as he directed traffic at 7:30 a.m. on the corner of Western and Argyle Street. Waving down cars during the morning rush hour isn’t part of the alderman’s job. But Vasquez took it upon himself after a car recently smashed into a garage on Argyle following a traffic jam that had escalated due to water maintenance work on Ainslie and Oakley. Read More Here.