Elmhurst May Reverse Itself On Stop Sign Request

ELMHURST, IL – An Elmhurst City Council committee took no action earlier this year when two aldermen requested stop signs at an intersection.

The committee decided to keep the yield signs until the city performed a traffic study for the area in question.

The city plans such studies in neighborhoods throughout town, a process that is expected to take years.

In light of recent crashes, though, the Public Safety Committee is poised to reverse itself.

According to a city memo, three crashes have taken place at Columbia and Kenilworth avenues in the last 14 months. Yield signs are on Columbia.

All three involved a driver not observing the existing yield signs, the memo said. Such circumstances meet the threshold under national standards for stop signs, the city said.

Earlier this year, the city approved a report that recommended replacing all yield signs with stop signs throughout town.

But the city said the policy was not meant to create change immediately. It was contingent on the phased traffic studies.

An exception was made for situations where crash histories prompted safety concerns.

On Monday, the committee is expected to vote on a recommendation to put up stop signs at Columbia and attach signs saying "Cross traffic does not stop."

In two instances since October, resident Jessica Pliskie, who lives near the intersection, has given information to Patch about crashes at Columbia and Kenilworth. Patch wrote a story about her concerns a week ago.

In a memo in June, aldermen Chris Jensen and Michael Bram said they wanted to replace the yield signs with stop signs. That's what prompted the committee's original consideration.