Concerned Father Wants Stop Sign To Slow Down Speeder On His Block, But Downers Grove Says There's 'No Threat To Public Safety'
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Downers Grove father is worried about speeders on his street endangering kids heading to school and asked the village to put up a stop sign to slow down lead-footed drivers, but officials said no.
Bob Hiller turned to the Morning Insiders for help, so CBS 2's Lauren Victory grabbed a speed gun and got to work.
Hiller said he watches impatient drivers use his street as a cut-through every weekday morning. The village installed traffic sensors to investigate his concerns.
During an unofficial 15-minute test with a speed gun calibrated by Illinois State Police, a total of 26 cars drove by, 19 of them exceeding the 25 mph speed limit, some of them by 6 to 10 mph.
"My fear is that I have two children that are two houses in, and there's a number of kids right here on the block. And there are a number of kids that wait at these bus stops," Hiller said.
He was hoping a stop sign would slow drivers down, but the village said there's "no threat to public safety."
Downers Grove officials pointed to traffic data showing Hiller's intersection doesn't see enough volume for a stop sign.
"For me, it's a percentage of the people that are speeding that's really troubling," Hiller said.
In CBS 2's unofficial test, 73% of drivers were speeding. Village data showed 32% of drivers on the street exceed the speed limit.
A new stop sign would cost only $153.47, a price Hiller believes is worth it.
"It doesn't seem very expensive to me. I mean, I'd be willing to pay for it," he said.
Instead, Hiller said a village official sent him an explanation that included a suggestion police step up enforcement on his street.
But how does that make financial sense? If the lowest-paid Downers Grove police officer worked five hours, that would add up to more than the permanent stop sign.
Hiller said while it might seem like a small potatoes problem for the village to deal with compared to other problems, "I think there's also opportunity for common sense."
The village said a more holistic examination of Hiller's neighborhood has been scheduled for next year. That could result in tweaking traffic signals that might be contributing to commuter cut-throughs.