A Special Exception For Elmhurst Area's Speed Limit?

ELMHURST, IL – Two Elmhurst aldermen want to keep a special exception from the city's residential speed limit for a certain neighborhood.

One of their colleagues disagrees, calling for consistency.

This week, the City Council's public safety committee voted 2-1 to keep the 20 mph speed limit for five streets running south from St. Charles Road – Washington Street and Argyle, Mitchell, Prospect and Cottage Hill avenues.

The City Council takes up the issue at its meeting Tuesday.

The committee's majority consisted of aldermen Mike Brennan and Guido Nardino, with Jacob Hill dissenting.

A traffic consultant recommended raising the neighborhood's limit to 25 mph, which is the standard across the city, as a matter of consistency.

And in April, Deputy Police Chief Jim Gandy said the 20 mph limit sent a mixed message to drivers. He, too, argued for an increase based on consistency.

But neighbors disagreed, saying they wanted the lower limit because of cut-through traffic.

The committee majority said it wanted to "grandfather in" the 20 mph limit.

In an interview earlier this month, Hill said he understood the concerns of residents about cut-through traffic. But he said other areas had similar issues.

"What do I tell people on a street like Glade or Third that see a lot of cut-throughs and don't have sidewalks?" Hill said.

If the city makes a special exception, he said, it should develop criteria so other neighborhoods could also get lower limits.