Village Approves Establishment of 'Safe Park Zones'

Following a recommendation from the , village officials have designated certain streets near neighborhood parks as "Safe Park Zones," which requires reduced speeds when children are present.

Lemont trustees voted unanimously during their meeting Monday night to approve the establishment of park zones on several streets throughout the village.

Under the Illinois Vehicle Code (625 ILCS 5/11-603), streets adjacent to recreational areas or facilities that are designated as "park zone streets" have a speed limit of 20 mph on any day when children are present and within 50 feet of traffic.

According to Village Administrator Ben Wehmeier, the nationwide initiative is designed to reduce the number of traffic-related accidents near park sites by placing lower speed restrictions on nearby streets.

The minimum fine for the first speeding offense in a Safe Park Zone is $250, Wehmeier said. A second or subsequent violation carries a minimum fine of $500.

The Illinois Vehicle Code states that violators will be charged an additional $50, to be paid to the park district for safety purposes.

For the most part, many of the streets currently meet the speed limit requirement, Wehmeier said. The designated areas, however, would require proper signage, which will be installed by the Lemont Public Works Department in the coming weeks.

Wehmeier said the cost of the signs would be covered through funding from Cook County's Model Communities grant program, which "transform communities and school environments that support healthy eating and active living," according to the Cook County Department of Public Health.

The village in January. One of the five components to their Model Communities funded work, was to establish safe park zones.

Grant money will also be used to evaluate the current transportation plan, incorporate the Complete Streets policy into all road construction and install bicycle signage.

Jim Brown, director of planning and economic development for the village, said the establishment of park zones would be of "almost no cost" to Lemont. In talking with other municipalities, the program is not known for bringing in "a tremendous amount of revenue," he added.

"This will not strain village resources ... It is not intended as a revenue-generating tool for the village or park district," Brown said. "We're doing it for the safety of the children ... That was one component of what the grant was for."

Lemont Mayor Brian Reaves said establishing park zones was "just one more way to raise awareness" of children playing nearby.

"We've got the money to do it, so we should put it to good use," he said.

One street discussed at length by village officials during their committee of the whole meeting last week was McCarthy Road, which is adjacent to . Trustee Debby Blatzer and Mayor Brian Reaves expressed concerns that the village does not have enough officers to enforce a speed reduction on that stretch of road.

Trustees also expressed concerns about the curvature of McCarthy Road and the ability of drivers to see signs.

According to Wehmeier, the village can choose which streets it designates as park zone streets. Trustees agreed to move forward with the plan, leaving out McCarthy Road and 127th Street.

The list of streets recommended by the Lemont Park District was also amended to remove streets that are not under village jurisdiction, according to village documents.

The following streets will be designated as park zone streets and will have a maximum speed limit of 20 mph when children are present:

• 128th Street between 1344 W. 128th Street and Ashbury Place.
• Amberwood Lane between Walker Road and Camelot Lane.
• Ashbury Place between the end of the street and 128th Street.
• Auburn Road between 1235 Auburn Road and Covington Street.
• Blacksmith Lane between 1100 Blacksmith Lane and Woodcrest Lane.
• Briarcliffe Drive between 12388 Briarcliffe Drive and 12422 Briarcliffe Drive.
• Cambridge Drive between 13598 Cambridge Drive and 13648 Cambridge Drive.
• Camelot Lane between 1233 Camelot Lane and St. Vincents Drive.
• Cass Street between Cass Street and East Division.
• Christopher Drive between Klappa Drive and  16421 Christopher Drive.
• Country Lane between Janas Lane and 1244 Country Lane.
• Covington Drive between Overton Drive and  127th Street.
• Covington Drive between Camelot Lane and Auburn Road.
• E. Custer Street between 18 E. Custer St. and 30 E. Custer St.
• E. Logan Street between 21 E. Logan St. and 27 E. Logan St.
• E. Division Street between E. Division and Park Place.
• Eureka Avenue between Singer Avenue and 59 E. Eureka Ave.
• Evergreen Drive between Evergreen and Timberline drives.
• Fairway Drive between Pasture Drive and 1276 Fairway Drive.
• Glenys Drive between 433 Glenys Drive and 1129 Glenys Drive.
• Janas Lane between 1287 Janas Lane and Country Lane.
• Klappa Drive between Mayfair and Christopher drives.
• Kurk Street between 690 Kurk St. and 730 Kurk St.
• Lockport Street between New Avenue and Main Street. 
• Main Street between State and Lockport streets. 
• Mayfair Drive between end of  street and Klappa Drive. 
• New Avenue between State and Lockport streets. 
• Pasture Drive between Fairway Drive and 16550 Pasture Drive. 
• Roberta Street between 56 W. Roberta St. and Timberline Drive. 
• St. Vincents Drive between 1349 St. Vincents Drive and Camelot Lane. 
• Thornberry Drive between 12646 Thornberry Drive and curve in the road. 
• Timberline Drive between Roberta Street and 125 Timberline Drive. 
• Timberline Drive between 12 Timberline Drive and 49 Timberline Drive. 
• Walker Road between 123rd Street and Amberwood Lane. 
• Warner Road between 726 Warner Ave. and Eureka Avenue. 
• Waterford Drive between 12810 Waterford Drive and power line right of  way.