4-Way Stop On Table In Hinsdale

HINSDALE, IL – Hinsdale trustees said Tuesday they would consider a four-way stop at Elm and Walnut streets – an action some neighbors are requesting.

The issue was prompted by the Village Board's approval of zoning for HCS Family Services to move from Memorial Hall, which houses village government offices, to the old Hinsdale Humane Society building at 22 N. Elm St. That is south of the intersection in question.

Trustees have different philosophies about stop signs. Trustee Luke Stifflear, for example, is a stickler for following the national standard calling for stops if an intersection has five or more crashes in a year. He says a proliferation of stop signs may render them relatively meaningless, with drivers perceiving them as suggestions.

"If they meet the standards, yes. If they don't, unless there are extenuating circumstances, which may be the case here, then no," Stifflear said at Tuesday's Village Board meeting.

In the last decade, the intersection has gone years without crashes, according to the village. At one point, though, four crashes occurred in one year.

Trustees more open to stop signs noted a 3½-foot wall on the northwest corner of Elm and Walnut that obstructs the line of sight for pedestrians and bicyclists. They also said inclines near the intersection make it more dangerous in the winter.

Additionally, they said the hospital, which is southeast of the intersection, is another factor.

Now, Elm has stop signs and Walnut does not.

Trustees agreed to have the village study the intersection's traffic three months after the pantry opens on Elm.