District 99 steps up for pedestrian safety

PHOTOGRAPH BY MIDDLE RIVER ARTS PHOTOGRAPHY

DOZENS OF IDEAS WERE INTRODUCED BY SCHWARTZ AT COMMUNITY MEETINGS, INCLUDING PAINTED INTERSECTIONS. THE PHOTOGRAPHED INTERSECTION IS LOCATED IN FLORIDA.

Community rallies around keeping students and residents safe

BY MAUREEN CALLAHAN A ccording to the Governor’s Safety Highway Association, the estimated number of pedestrians killed in 2018 nationwide in motor vehicle crashes was 6,227. The portable stop-signs that pepper crosswalks around Downers Grove can seem decorative as motorists drive on, while parents wait with strollers and small children. Many pedestrians have been in too many near-misses to trust motorists to live up to their responsibility of pedestrian right-of-way.

The tragic death of Beth Dunlap, a student obeying the law while crossing the street last winter in front of Downers Grove North (DGN), forced the issue of pedestrian safety in the community. District 99 school board members met the day after the accident to discuss the wellbeing of the students walking local streets.

“We could not have prevented what happened, but we are able to control our response to it,” District 99 superintendent Dr. Hank Thiele said during a recent interview. “We must be sure every effort

is made to avoid another tragedy like it.” The accident provoked an inundation of phone calls, e-mails and suggestions from parents, students and community members. Neighborhood meetings began at grade schools, and ideas were collected. The school board and village began working cooperatively last spring to review pedestrian safety surrounding community schools.

While all areas in proximity to Downers Grove schools were evaluated, the two high schools became the focus of the study.

“There are thousands of people arriving daily at each high school within a short window of time, many of whom are pedestrians,” Thiele said. “We have many more high-school students who walk to school, compared to grade school.”

District 58 superintendent Dr. Kevin Russell has been keeping up with the changes and sending staff to meetings. Improvements are also being considered at the grade-school level, with the addition of a stop-sign outside Kingsley Elementary School.

To gain community input, interactive online maps of specific areas of pedestrian interest and intersections surrounding the schools were made available at the beginning of the 2019- 20 school year. These maps provided the opportunity for users to pinpoint specific issues and zones of concern that might have been problematic a half mile away, but potentially contributing to danger near a school.

The joint District 99/village task force hired Sam Schwartz, a Chicagobased pedestrian safety consultant agency, to gather detailed information from the then-current situation, such as videos, vehicle speeds, accidents and near misses. A community presentation of Schwartz’s findings was given at DGN last November. An aftermeeting survey gave audience members the opportunity to weigh in on the recommendations found in the report.

Several changes were implemented immediately. The speed limit was reduced from 30 to 25 m.p.h. on Main Street from Ogden Ave. to south of DGN. Additionally, a school-zone speed limit of 20 m.p.h. was established from Ogden south to Lincoln, just south of the school. Increased signage and speed feedback signs were added outside of both District 99 high schools. Large digital signs were also installed on 63rd Street outside Downers Grove South (DGS) and on Main Street in front of North, reminding drivers to watch for student pedestrians. The village implemented changes in the timing of stoplights outside of DGN to improve the flow of pedestrian traffic. Safety reminder stickers were installed on sidewalks to prompt pedestrians to look up and be alert near crosswalks.

Because they are located on district property, two of the report’s recommendations are already undergoing architectural review. One is a student drop-off on the east side of DGS on Dunham Road, and the other is an access point on the north side of the school,

“We could not have prevented what happened, but we are able to control our response to it. We must be sure every effort is made to avoid another tragedy like it.”

— DR. HANK THIELE, DISTRICT 99 SUPERINTENDENT, ON THE BETH DUNLAP

facing 63rd.

Schwartz introduced dozens of other ideas, but not all of them came to fruition. Proposed projects are vetted by the Downers Grove Transportation and Parking Commission. Approved projects go through budget reviews, and must be designed by engineers. Often, other government agencies such as the Illinois Department of Transportation must get involved, depending on the location of the project. The process can take months or even years to implement.

“Much work has been done, but much remains,” village administrator Dave Fieldman said. “Feedback on the report was presented to the village council and District 99 school board, and both entities will take appropriate actions, recommendations and planning and budgeting efforts.”

According to Schwartz, the fewer lanes pedestrians cross, the less the probability is that they will be hit. A reduction of lanes from four to three on Main Street from Ogden to Prairie Ave. was proposed. A pedestrian island would replace parts of the removed lane, offering walkers a raised, sidewalk-like median as a refuge, while crossing Main. From Prairie to Franklin, the reduced lane would become a turn lane, until it joins with the existing three-lane configuration downtown. Bright paint on the pavement of the intersection of Main and Grant was also proposed, with the idea that it could bring drivers’ attention to the area, encouraging traffic to slow down. There were several considerations regarding stoplights. The installation of a stoplight at 63rd and Springside Ave. at the northwest boundary of the DGS campus will take place this year. In proximity to North, no-turnon-red restrictions were recommended at Main and Ogden. A pedestrianprioritizing traffic signal was proposed at Main and Grant, directly outside the school’s main entrance.

Students traveling to school on foot need a constant network of sidewalks. Schwartz pointed out stretches of the North campus currently without them. An additional crosswalk at Saratoga and Sherman would help complete this grid. Curb extensions, or areas of sidewalk that widen into the parking lane of a street, are found to improve pedestrian visibility, reduce crossing distances and slowing turning vehicles. The need for several of these is cited throughout the research.

The village council accepted the finalized Schwartz report on Feb. 11. Thiele will take the recommendations to the District 99 board.

For a complete look at all proposed changes by intersection, visit the https://www. csd99.org/about/pedestrian-safety-study-andrecommendations. ■