West Dundee considering downtown speed enforcement program

West Dundee police have proposed launching a new enforcement program to discourage vehicles from speeding through the downtown.

Residents and business owners for years have complained about cars and trucks traveling at high speeds along Main Street, Chief Andrew Wieteska said. However, officers have found it difficult to enforce the 25-mph speed limit in the downtown area because of traffic congestion and limited space to park police cars for monitoring, he said.

Hoping to improve safety by making drivers more aware, police officials are recommending creating a speed enforcement zone on Main Street by adding fixed road signs and portable radar speed displays in both directions, said Sgt. Jim Breon, the village's traffic supervisor. The program would cost about $10,000.

"People are unaware, and they're driving too fast for conditions," he said. "If there's something we can do to maybe mitigate some of the dangers, such as reducing speed, I think we should take the next step and do that."

Over the past five years, West Dundee police responded to 98 vehicle crashes on Main Street between Third Street and the bridge crossing the Fox River, according to village documents. Speed and distractions often play a role in the crashes, which have included personal injury, property damage and hit-and-run crashes, Breon said.

Installing additional signage will likely cause drivers to think twice about how fast they're going, he said. Some may be unaware of their speed until they see the radar display sign, while others could slow down out of fear of receiving a ticket.

The speed enforcement program is especially relevant because of the village's ongoing downtown redevelopment project, which is expected to spur economic activity and generate more pedestrian and vehicle traffic in the area, Wieteska said.

"This is something I wanted to do for many years," he said. "I think now with the revitalization of the downtown area, it's more important than ever."

The portable radar signs also serve as a monitoring device by recording vehicles' speeds and allowing the police department to analyze the severity of the problem, Wieteska said. That feature will work whether the digital speed displays are on or off, he added, so police can determine whether the signs make a difference.

The village board is expected to vote on the implementation of the program at an upcoming meeting. Officials may consider installing the fixed signs first and incorporating the more costly digital signs into next year's budget.

"The downtown area is very dear to everyone here on the board, and I don't want to put up signs with flashing lights without (their) support," Wieteska said. "But I think it can be done very tactfully ... and I think it will be effective."