Speeding An Issue On Hinsdale Street: Couple

HINSDALE, IL — A couple who lives on Hinsdale's North York Road says speeding is a constant problem on the street. And they want the village to do something about it.

At one point, the husband offered to hire a private security company on his dime to clock speeders and provide data to the village.

During Tuesday's virtual Hinsdale Village Board meeting, Andrew and Jennifer London pleaded for the police department to station an officer on the street to ticket violators.

They live in the 600 block of North York Road, where the speed limit is 25 mph and drops to 20 mph just south of them.

The couple said they have communicated with the village for more than a decade about the issue.

"Nothing substantive has been done to enforce these posted speed limits, and it has resulted in continued speeding," Jennifer London said. "We are both very frustrated. We are simply asking the village to enforce their own rules."

Mayor Tom Cauley asked Police Chief Brian King about what could be done about speeding on North York.

The chief said the police department bases its traffic enforcement on three factors — accident history, officers' observations and citizen complaints.

On North York, he said, "there is no accident history. When we put a car out there, we do get some violations, but not a high rate of violations."

King said he was willing to meet with the Londons about the issue. He said the police department recently reached out to the couple but did not hear back.

Jennifer London acknowledged the department had contacted them, but added the previous exchanges yielded no results.

Her husband agreed.

"There's been so much history on this, wringing our hands for the last 11 years," Andrew London said. "Do I hire my own private security company to do radar tests? I'll do that. I'm happy to pay for it and would be happy to give the information."

Officials said that was unnecessary.

"We can absolutely send an officer to do some traffic enforcement," the chief said. "I appreciate the frustration citizens feel about the speeding. We get these kinds of complaints all over town. It is one of the No. 1 calls for service."

But he said he could not put an officer on North York permanently, saying he had to balance the needs of the community.

The mayor asked whether the city could put an electronic sign on North York that lets drivers know how fast they're going.

King said the sign was at Garfield and First streets, pointing people to the village's parking deck. But he said he could have the sign on North York in a couple of days.

The Londons said more speeding happens during the morning and evening rush hours.

King said he would put an officer on the street and report back to the couple with the data.