The Village of Oak Park is considering adopting a policy that would help better govern whether blocks around town should get “speed tables” to slow motorists.
Three of the traffic-calming devices were placed on a stretch of South East Avenue in the summer of 2008, as the village tried to impede drivers speeding between the two high schools. Village hall says the speed tables have worked, decreasing the average speeds along that stretch by about 10 mph (one has since been removed, on the 300 block of South East Avenue).
“The residents have been very happy with the results,” said John Cloak, a traffic engineer for the village.
Five other blocks have since clamored for their own speed tables, submitting petitions to have the devices installed on their streets.
The village board, however, has been reluctant to start installing speed tables all over town. Oak Park budgeted about $25,000 to buy four of them his year, but trustees yanked the amount from the budget, and asked village staff to first come up with a policy to regulate them.
The Oak Park Transportation Commission has finished drafting the new guidelines, which are up for village board review, likely in September. Among the rules, each block must see more than 1,000 vehicles per day and have the vast majority of passing drivers traveling at more than 27 mph to qualify.
Those blocks interested would need to submit a petition with signatures of at least 51 percent of residents on the block. And if they got the OK, temporary speed tables would be installed for six months, followed by permanent ones if they prove useful based on traffic data.
Village President David Pope said Oak Park has a longstanding policy not to install speed bumps in the community. He worries that such devices just shift traffic to other neighboring blocks, and thinks Oak Park should be cautious before it starts installing more of them.
“I think we just need to be careful when we’re looking at the potential unintended consequences throughout the community,” Pope said.