October 7 - North of Rt. 14 Begins
October 14 - South of Rt. 14 Begins
The Village's Curbside Brush Collection is offered to Cary residents to assist them with their landscape maintenance. The program is designed to dispose of large branches and tree limbs that cannot be collected through regular yard waste collection. This process may take two weeks to complete. Only one pass is made through each area. If brush is placed at the curb after Village staff have completed their routes, it will not be picked up. Branches and limbs must be on the curb by 7:00 a.m. on October 7th for residences north of Rt. 14, and by 7:00 a.m. on October 14th for residences south of Rt. 14.

Volume & Brush Size Requirements:

• In order to maintain program efficiency, the volume guidelines are strictly adhered to. The volume of brush that should be put out for pickup should not be larger than what can fit into the back of a standard pickup truck. This size is equivalent to 8'L x 4'H x 4'D. The minimum length of brush that can be accepted is 4'L. This is a safety requirement because the brush is put directly into a chipper.
• All brush must be stacked neatly with the cut ends facing the street. Please be careful not to block the sidewalk or the street. If limbs are too long, place them parallel to the curb, separate from the pile.
• Smaller twigs, brush and thorny material are to be bundled or put into the appropriate container or yard waste bags as part of your regular refuse collection day pickup. Root balls cannot be accepted as part of the brush pickup program.

Weekly Curbside Brush Pickup by Advanced Disposal
For regular weekly brush pickup, residents should utilize the unlimited quantity yard waste pickup program offered by Advanced Disposal, which occurs on your regularly scheduled garbage pickup day. Visit the Advanced Disposal page of the Village's website for more information on the Advanced Disposal yard waste pickup program: Advanced Disposal Yard Waste Program.

Special Brush Pickup Program
Brush that exceeds the Village Yard Waste Bag and Curbside Brush Pickup Programs can be disposed of through our Special Pickup Program. To utilize this service, residents must fill out the Special Pickup Form and agree to pay $200/hour, with a minimum charge of $50 for Village staff to pick up and chip the brush on-site. A written quote will be provided by a Public Works staff member prior to the work being done. The fee must be paid in full at Village Hall prior to the brush pickup.

Residents also have the option to take their brush to Algonquin Township's disposal site. You may contact Algonquin Township at (847) 639-2700 or visit their website for more information regarding their disposal site and hours of operation.

For more information, visit the Curbside Brush Pickup Program page of the Village's website.

Cary Lake at Rotary Park is now open to the public.

Now that school is back in session, it seems appropriate to discuss Illinois traffic law as it relates to pedestrians crossing roadways within the Village of Cary. Both motorists and pedestrians share responsibilities related to avoiding conflicts regarding the use of a roadway.

Pedestrians and Bicyclists must obey traffic signals directed to them, unless directed otherwise by a police officer. [625 ILCS 5/11-1001] If there are no traffic signals, a motorist shall stop and yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within a crosswalk when the pedestrian is on the half of the roadway on which the vehicle is traveling, or when the pedestrian is approaching so close from the opposite half of the roadway as to be in danger. However, no pedestrian shall suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a moving vehicle which is so close as to constitute a hazard. A motorist that is stopped and yielding to a pedestrian crossing a roadway, within or not within a crosswalk, may not be passed by a motorist approaching from the rear. [625 ILCS 5/11-1002] Pedestrians crossing roadways at other than crosswalks have an obligation to yield to motor vehicles, even if the pedestrian is physically disabled. [625 ILCS 5/11-1003] The Village of Cary Municipal Code prohibits anyone from crossing a street in a business district at anyplace other than a crosswalk. [Title 10 - Vehicles and Traffic, Chapter 10.44 - Pedestrians, Section 10.44.050(b) - Crosswalk] Drivers must exercise "due caution" to avoid colliding with a pedestrian or person operating a bicycle. [625 ILCS 11-1003.1] This indicates that both pedestrian and motorists share a role in traffic safety.

Motorists entering a crosswalk at a stop intersection, that is an intersection controlled by a stop sign, must stop before entering a crosswalk and yield to any pedestrian entering the crosswalk on either side of the roadway. Additionally, the motorist must also yield to any other pedestrian crossing the roadway in any other crosswalk at the intersection. [625 ILCS 11-903]  When it comes to pedestrians crossing at crosswalks with flashing lights, the color of the light matters. Whenever a crosswalk has red flashing lights installed, motorists must yield to the pedestrian. [625 ILCS 5/11-1002(e)] However, crosswalks equipped with yellow flashing lights only require the motorist to exercise caution as they approach or pass the signal and not necessarily stop. [625 ILCS 5/11-309(2)]

When instructing children to cross roadways, it is important to emphasize that although laws exist to protect pedestrians, the best strategy is to act defensively and assume a vehicle hasn't seen the pedestrian or will not stop. Only until the vehicle has stopped, or the driver acknowledged the pedestrian, should anyone attempt to cross a roadway. By adopting this simple philosophy, it is easy to apply to all situations and assures the safety of the pedestrian.