Residents of the northeast section of River Forest opposed to controversial modifications to streets in their neighborhood gained a partial victory April 10 when the village board voted unanimously to undo changes to Greenfield and LeMoyne streets at Harlem Avenue that were made late last year.
Under the modifications, which were recommended by Traffic and Safety Commission members at their March 15 meeting, the barricades at the intersections of LeMoyne and Harlem and Greenfield and Harlem will be adjusted to allow southbound traffic on Harlem to turn right onto westbound LeMoyne and right on westbound Greenfield. Eastbound traffic on LeMoyne and Greenfield still will be allowed to only turn right on to southbound Harlem.
The changes also will restore two-way traffic on LeMoyne and Greenfield west of Harlem. The two streets had been one-way eastbound from the alley west of Harlem to Harlem. Area signage will be modified accordingly by village staff members.
As they have at village board meetings for several months, 16 residents and business operators from the northeast section of the village spoke against the modifications that were approved in October and implemented in November and December.
Those changes, which affected Bonnie Brae Place, Clinton Place and William Street in addition to LeMoyne and Greenfield, were designed to address concerns raised at meetings of the traffic and safety commission and the village board over cut-through traffic from Harlem and North avenues.
Matt Walsh, acting village administrator, explained that traffic and safety commission members indicated their intent to revisit the other modifications at their meetings in May and July, taking into consideration results of the village wide traffic study that is currently being taken and responses to a related resident survey that was recently completed. He also emphasized that all changes are temporary pending completion of the village wide traffic study.
The village board also voted unanimously to adopt a policy statement April 10 regarding the northeast section traffic measures to provide what village President Cathy Adduci called a “clear direction” for staff members and traffic and safety commission members moving forward.
According to the statement, “all requests for modifications to the traffic barriers and associated traffic control measures” are to be referred to and discussed by the traffic and safety commission and all modifications to the current traffic barriers and controls “will require village board action by vote at a village board meeting” following discussion and recommendations from the traffic and safety commission.
Also, the village board in the statement directed village staff members and the traffic engineering consultant firm to collect traffic data counts at appropriate locations on William, Monroe Avenue and Division Street as part of the village wide traffic study to measure the effects of the current traffic barriers.
In response to complaints from residents and business operators over a lack of notification regarding the modifications prior to their implementation, the policy statement expands the number of those who will receive notice for all future traffic control implementations that close a road to traffic. Moving forward, notice will be provided by mail to residential and commercial properties within 1,000 feet of the proposed location prior to village board consideration. Previously only those within 500 feet of the proposed location were notified.
Trustee Bob O’Connell pointed out, however, that in the case of commercial properties, such notices will be sent to building owners and not to tenants, which might prevent the message from reaching its target audience.