Traffic Light At York And Diversey?

ELMHURST, IL — Residents on Elmhurst's northside are pushing for a traffic light at York Street and Diversey Avenue, but experts hired by the city say lights are unnecessary.

Last year, residents complained about delays at the intersection, particularly making left turns from the one-lane Diversey onto the four-lane York. Last month, Sugar Grove-based Engineering Enterprises Inc. submitted its report to the city on the intersection.

According to the firm, none of the justifications for a traffic light under the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices apply at York and Diversey. The firm said "unwarranted signals generally cause more safety issues than they fix."

On the west side of the intersection are McDonald's and Shell gas station, while the east side leads to residential neighborhoods. It is just south of York Street and Grand Avenue.

Short of traffic lights, Engineering Enterprises had three recommendations to help with the situation at York and Diversey:

• The city could install signs on Grand Avenue, east of the intersection with York, barring left turns onto side roads that lead to Diversey during rush hours.

• Convert side roads from Grand to Diversey (east of the intersection) into one-way, northbound streets to prevent drivers from seeking to avoid the signal at Grand and York.

• The city could work with local businesses near the intersection to reduce the number of curb cuts at each site, where feasible, in accordance with the recommendations of the North York Street Corridor plan.