Public Safety & Transportation Committee

Village of Lombard Village Hall 255 East Wilson Ave. Lombard, IL 60148 villageoflombard.org Minutes Monday, November 6, 2017 7:00 PM Lorraine G. Gerhardt Community 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 November 6, 2017 Committee 1.0 Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Whittington at 7:00 PM. 2.0 Roll Call Present 7 - Dan Whittington, Jennifer Perkins, Michael Corso, John Schwarz, Gary Cation, Jerry Shaefer, and John Mullins Absent 2 - John Larkin Jr., and Bob Corbino 3.0 Public Participation Mr. John Smolak said that he has contacted Village staff on and off for 15 years regarding the intersection of Fairfield Ave. and Madison St. He went on to say that the latest study done on the 500 block of S. Fairfield showed 7,700 vehicles, but he believes the study was flawed as the equipment was not placed in the middle of the block and was only done for one direction. He added that it is amazing for a residential street to have so much traffic. Mr. Smolak stated that he is here to ask the Village to help to make that one street safer. There is a 25 mph speed zone on Fairfield south of Madison which he would like extended north of Madison. Every year there are more vehicles which create pollution which effects many people with lung issues. Something permanent needs to be done to deter speeders. If the Village can't slow the traffic he would like Fairfield made a dead end street. 4.0 Approval of Minutes Item 170277 should read that the motion failed by the following vote. A motion was made by John Schwarz, seconded by Gary Cation, that the Minutes of the October 2, 2017 meeting be approved as amended. The motion carried unanimously. 5.0 Unfinished Business 6.0 New Business 170477 Request for 4-Way Stop A resident request to install a 4-way stop at the intersection of E. Madison Street and S. Fairfield Avenue. (DISTRICT# 5 & 6) Chairperson Whittington told Mr. Smolak that the request will be put on the agenda for next meeting for further discussion. Sgt. Grage reviewed the results of the traffic study. The accidents were not met, the vehicular traffic was met for Madison, but not for Fairfield. Village of Lombard Page 1 Public Safety & Transportation Minutes November 6, 2017 Committee There are no sight line restrictions present. It is a problem with people failing to yield for the stop sign. The Police Department did directed enforcement to address motorist behavior. Based on the traffic study staff can not recommend a 4-way stop. The officers did not make a lot of stops, but it appears there may not be accidents because the officers are there. Schwarz pointed out that there are 4-way stops at Washington, Wilson and Central. It seems that Fairfield is a natural local collector and unless we do something to move traffic off of Fairfield it's going to continue because there is a traffic signal at Roosevelt. Sgt. Grage reviewed the accident history. Eight were failing to yield for a stop sign, so five were not related to the intersection itself. Schwarz reiterated that every main street that intersects with Fairfield has a 4-way stop except this one. If a 4-way stop is not implemented, there will continue to be an increase in crashes. DC Wirsing summarized that one of three categories was met, and another category is close to being met. Schwarz asked if Public Works staff had a recommendation. Sgt. Grage replied that Matthew Lew reviewed the item and did not have additional comments. Schwarz asked when the directed enforcement is taking place. Sgt. Grage responded that it is during rush hours. DC Wirsing suggested that the Police Department continue to monitor the intersection and report back to the committee. Sgt. Grage also suggested that he will ask Public Works staff for historical traffic count data for increases and bring back after the first of the year. A motion was made by John Schwarz, seconded by Gary Cation, that the Police Department continue to monitor the location and that this Request be continued to a future meeting. The motion passed by an unanimous vote. 170478 Request for Speed Limit Reduction A resident request to reduce the speed limit to 25 mph on Grace Street. (DISTRICT #5) Sgt. Grage reviewed the item. The Police Department did a speed study, but rather than just looking at the 85th percentile, staff also reviewed a guidance document from IDOT for setting/reducing speed limits. This document takes into account side streets, driveways, on-street parking, average speed, etc. The study was done at Grace and Morningside between September 8th and October 3rd. The 85th percentile is 33 mph. Based on that, and because of the number of driveways and access conflict from side streets, using the formula in that document the speed limit could be altered to 25 mph. The staff recommendation is to reduce the speed limit to 25 mph in that stretch between Maple and Madison. It seems like a natural extension. Matthew Lew was consulted as well and he concurred. Corso asked if the speed limit will remain 30 mph between Madison and Wilson. Sgt. Grage replied that it will, and it's a much wider Village of Lombard Page 2 Public Safety & Transportation Minutes November 6, 2017 Committee street there. Schwarz suggested that the committee should also look at that section. A motion was made by John Schwarz, seconded by Jennifer Perkins, that this Request be recommended to the Board of Trustees for approval. The motion passed by an unanimous vote. 170482 Request for a 4-Way Stop A staff recommendation to permanently convert the intersection of N. Park Avenue and W. Grove Street to a 4-way stop. (DISTRICT #1) Frank Goettl stated that he was told that Grove had a stop because Park had a light at St. Charles. One day it's a 4-way stop and then 1-1/2 weeks ago the stop sign was removed. He also commented that the sign saying cross traffic does not stop was behind a tree. Park always has cars parked on it. He added that as a 4-way stop he was happy and now he is not happy. Chairperson Whittington explained the sequence of events to the residents in attendance. Assunta Karris spoke stating that the middle school bus stops at that corner and when there is no stop sign it's a long stretch so traffic gains speed. The bus also has to wait for traffic before he can continue. She further stated that she is nervous walking there because people are going through it so quickly. Right now the sidewalk is closed and pedestrians are forced to walk in the street or cross to other side of street. She also said that when the home construction at the intersection is complete, they are pretty tall buildings and she thinks the last house will cause a blind spot at the intersection. That intersection is just one block in from downtown and anytime there's an activity Grove becomes the parking lot, so those people going to the activities, they're safety is being jeopardized. Mr. Ladd stated that he supports the other speakers. That is a blind spot and people are picking up speed. A motion was made by Gary Cation, seconded by John Mullins, that this Request be recommended to the Board of Trustees for approval. The motion passed by an unanimous vote. 7.0 Other Business 8.0 Information Only 150468 Fire Department Reports/Information Howell reported that the Fire Department has received two federal Village of Lombard Page 3 Public Safety & Transportation Minutes November 6, 2017 Committee grants. One was for the driver training simulator that is shared with neighboring fire departments. During the month of November the simulator will be at Station 1. The Department also received a grant for $349,000 to replace all of the SCBA units. The committee is in the final stages of selection. One of the part-time secretaries just retired and as part of a staff reduction plan, the position will not be replaced. The Department is also in the final stages of vetting three part-time fire inspectors. It is anticipated that they will be on staff around mid-November. The Fire Marshal/Bureau Chief position is currently posted. 150469 Police Department Reports/Information DC Wirsing advised that there are currently people in the academy and they should be done by the end of December. The Department is looking for three to four more. The Department applied for the Ben Roethlisberger K-9 grant. Any town that is within 50 miles of where the Steelers play an away-game against your local team can apply. The Village was awarded $11,000. General discussion ensued regarding retirement age for K-9 dogs and the number of area departments that have K-9 units. Schaefer asked about the validity of the stop light at Hickory and Main since Mr. Z's has closed. He said he is not advocating taking it down, but just wondering if it's necessary any longer. Mullins suggested that it could be flashing yellow at off-times, but trying to get out of BMO Harris at rush hour would be difficult without it there. Public Works staff will investigate why it's turning red when there is no traffic. General discussion ensued regarding an impact study for the addition of the multi-family units at Yorktown. 9.0 Adjournment A motion was made by Gary Cation, seconded by Michael Corso, to adjourn the meeting at 7:47 PM. The motion carried unanimously. Village of Lombard Page 4