Public Safety & Transportation Committee

Village of Lombard Village Hall 255 East Wilson Ave. Lombard, IL 60148 villageoflombard.org Minutes Monday, August 10, 2015 7:00 PM Village Manager's Conference Room Public Safety & Transportation Committee Trustee Dan Whittington, Chairperson Trustee Mike Fugiel, Alternate Chairperson Jennifer Perkins, Michael Corso, John Larkin, John Schwarz, Robert Corbino, Gary Cation, Jerry Schaefer and John Mullins Public Safety & Transportation Minutes August 10, 2015 Committee 1.0 Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Whittington at 7:00 p.m. 2.0 Roll Call Present 8 - Trustee Dan Whittington, Jennifer Perkins, Michael Corso, John Larkin Jr., John Schwarz, Bob Corbino, Gary Cation, and John Mullins Absent 1 - Jerry Shaefer Staff Present: Asst. Fire Chief Jerry Howell, Fire Department Deputy Chief Tom Wirsing, Police Department Mattew Lew, Civil Engineer, Public Works Department 3.0 Public Participation Mr. Mike Goba, 280 E Edward 4.0 Approval of Minutes A motion was made by Michael Corso, seconded by John Larkin, Jr., that the Minutes of the July 13, 2015 meeting be approved. The motion carried unanimously. 5.0 Unfinished Business 140386 Illinois Prairie Path Crossing at Main Street A review of possible additional measures that can be taken to increase crossing safety. (DISTRICTS 1, 4 & 5) Lew explained that this has been an ongoing item at committee to try to enhance safety at the crossing. January staff recommended rectangular flashing beacons. Staff has been looking for funding and just this past month funding was secured. We are anticipating fall installation. Chairperson Whittington asked how much the beacons and installation would cost. Lew answered that it would cost $20,000. Wirsing added that out of all of the alternatives that the committee has discussed this is the most logical. This crossing is complicated and this is a step towards making it safer. 150166 Intersection of Wilson & Edgewood, Pedestrian Crossing Sign A resident request to remove the sign. (DISTRICT #6) Village of Lombard Page 1 Public Safety & Transportation Minutes August 10, 2015 Committee Wirsing commented that based on the data in the this committee chose to put these signs up. There is alack of crash data on Wilson so the Police Department would recommend to leave them up. Lew explained that it is an option in the MUTCD and is something that is acceptable within federal standards. The committee has supported that. Chairperson Whittington explained to Mr. Goba that resident petitions are generally from around the area in question. Mr. Goba stated that he does contest the idea that it was the residents that wanted the signs. In the minutes it says it's because of the baseball field. He also asked if anybody looked at the new traffic analyzer report that came out for Wilson at Fairfield. The traffic in that area is down almost 16% and the headways have increased. He said he would like to know how the Village knows for certain that since installation of the signs it got safer. There were no crashes before and there are no crashes now. If they are in the middle of the road and not providing any benefit then they are an obstacle. Mr. Goba related an near incident that he witnessed. Chairperson Whittington asked if pre-2010 data was available. Wirsing said he can look it up. Mr. Goba said he did a FOIA request for the information and there were no accidents prior. Schwarz commented that the FHA has a website where you can enter questions about various traffic control devices and see what others have experienced across the country. In 2006 there was a question about experiences and adjacent to that was a link to the FHA rulings on these particular signs. There was a ruling in 2004 on how the sign is used and what it's intentions were. The letter states that the purpose of the sign is to be conspicuous and remind drivers of the crossing, they are not regulatory signs. The petition submitted is inaccurate in saying these signs are unwarranted and the DuPage Mayors and Manager's pamphlet has nothing to do with this particular sign. He went on to say that there are no facts to back up that statment that it causes accidents. Mr. Goba replied that that is not his interpretation of the pamphlet. A motion was made by John Schwarz, seconded by Bob Corbino, that this Request be denied . The motion passed by an unanimous vote. 6.0 New Business 150362 Revised Meeting Schedule Discussion regarding changing the standing meeting date to the first Monday of the month. There was a consensus to change the meeting day to the first monday of the month to be held in the Community Room. However, in September it falls on Labor Day, so if there is nothing for the September agenda the meeting will be cancelled. The meeting time will remain 7:00 P.M. Village of Lombard Page 2 Public Safety & Transportation Minutes August 10, 2015 Committee 7.0 Other Business Wirsing informed the committee that the Police Department would like to prepare a report every month for the committee, but if there is something in particular committee members would like information on they should email him. Howell added that the Fire Department would also provide any information the committee members would like to see. Discussion ensued regarding the Prairie Path crossing and cars stopping when they shouldn't. Wirsing suggested that the Communications Coordinator could send something out on social media. Corso suggested that a PRIDE article should be published annually. Chairperson Whittington commented that he thinks the median is part of the problem. Lew explained that because of the width of the roadway, if you can cross half of the road and only be watching one direction at a time it is safer than looking for cross traffic. When the flashing beacons activate, they activate for the whole roadway, so traffic will stop. Perkins asked if there is an auditory cue as well. Lew answered that some systems have those auditory prompts, but the proposed system will likely not have that feature. However, the system push buttons will be ADA compliant. 8.0 Information Only 9.0 Adjournment A motion was made by Gary Cation, seconded by John Larkin, Jr., that there being no further busness the meeting be adjourned at 7:34 p.m. The motion carried unanimously. Village of Lombard Page 3