Traffic calming in Oak Park is a noble goal, but it is becoming too excessive.
Example: Corner of Grove/Thomas. Residents once asked for a stop sign there. Instead, we have a crazy number of bollards around each corner which makes most drivers think the intersection can only admit one car at a time. Adding to that now, at the intersection of Oak Park/Thomas, we have traffic diverters and a No Left Turn for northbound traffic on Oak Park Avenue. This throws more traffic up one block to Division which already has too much traffic and puts more drivers past Horace Mann School, making it snarled and difficult.
So there is almost no traffic on Thomas anymore, and it previously served as a relief-valve street for traffic choking Division.
Same with the intersection of Thomas/Ridgeland, which didn’t need any traffic calming. Putting a speed table and traffic diverter there moves more traffic past Whittier School rather than keeping it on Thomas.
Thomas Street is just one example. It has had its problems, but I would like to see any traffic studies that show it was hazardous enough for such excessive measures.
There is the cost to all this. Where is this plethora of cash coming from? Then think about problems with snow plowing and speedy access for emergency vehicles.
P.S. The bollard company today is checking and replacing bollards that have been run down by errant drivers. More expense for the village, which could be better used elsewhere.
Charles Chauncey Wells
Oak Park