7 Brew is coming to Montgomery soon, a popular drink chain among many OH students, and students are excited about this closer location, as the nearest ones are currently Plainfield and Naperville.
Known for a drive-thru style operation and customizable drinks, 7 Brew is a welcome addition to the drink offerings in the area, but the growing traffic on Ogden is already bumper-to-bumper at times, making some wonder about the additional traffic with the popularity of 7 Brew on such a busy road.
“It’s a good idea in the sense that I love 7 Brew,” said OH senior Arial Parker, “but a bad idea for the traffic it will create.”
OH students are affected by Ogden’s bumper-to-bumper traffic daily as is, since most of Oswego’s shopping and food selection is on Illinois Route 34. This highway is also the road leading to Naperville, a major center of commerce. 7 Brew is known for its long drive-thru lines, sometimes stretching into traffic, due to its popularity.
“I don’t think [the county] is going to do anything about the traffic, it’s been bad ever since I have lived here,” said OH senior Amelia Mosley.
7 Brew is most popular with the younger generation, meaning a lot of new drivers will be visiting the new establishment. Ogden Avenue can be confusing with lanes ending abruptly and cars refusing to let other drivers merge, and with an increase in cars and inexperienced drivers, OH senior Marcela Colin said accidents are bound to happen.
“I think that there could be an increase in accidents due to the fact our generation enjoys 7 Brew the most..which would then increase traffic too,” said Colin.
With 7 Brew opening on Ogden Avenue, it can affect traffic in unanticipated ways. “I think it’s going to cause the [vehicles to take] more time… since people are going to be new [to the area],” said Mosley.
Many Oswego residents take Ogden to get to work and other priorities. The traffic is unpredictable, and will cause a lot of stress when the location opens. Residents need to leave early to account for traffic. Colin, for example, works at Hollister located at the Fox Valley Mall, the overcrowded road causes her to leave extra early for work.
“The ETA is supposed to be twenty minutes, [but] due to the increase of traffic, I usually have to leave forty minutes ahead of my work time, in order to make it to my shift,” said Colin. “I think that with the 7 Brew open, I would probably have to leave an hour early to account for the traffic.”
However, on her drive, she can stop by 7 Brew for a tasty treat.
Hello, my name is Ashley Dauderman, I'm a senior at Oswego High School. This is my first year on the 42Fifty staff, proudly serving as a staff reporter! You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
