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Palatine looks to improve traffic safety by school, Metra station

The village of Palatine will enact turning restrictions in an effort to improve traffic flow on streets near the downtown Metra train station and a school.

In addition, the village council this week approved removing a left-turn ban on eastbound Wood Street at Northwest Highway.

Palatine Township Elementary District 15 spokeswoman Morgan Delack said parents and administrators have been working with the village to create safer conditions for children attending Pleasant Hill School.

Additional residential construction in the neighborhood west of Plum Grove Road and an rise in children walking to school and being driven there led to congestion concerns, Delack said.

Drivers won't be allowed to turn left from Michigan onto Cedar from 8 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Village Manager Reid Ottesen said there will be an education period about the change and that active police enforcement is to begin after winter break.

"The real intention is just when school is taking place we don't want to have people turning when kids are going to school and coming from school," Ottesen said. "We'll work out some of the finer points"

Delack said a planned installation of a new crosswalk sign that lights up when a pedestrian is about to cross the street also is expected to help.

Officials said increased congestion near the Metra depot is why left turns will be prohibited from westbound Wood to southbound Smith Street from 6 to 8 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Eastbound Wood at Northwest Highway had been one lane each way until the recent completion of improvements. Left turns had been prohibited from 4 to 6 p.m. because of the degree of difficulty during afternoon rush hour.

Dedicated left and right turn lanes are now on Wood at Northwest Highway. Wood also has been widened and repaved, with new curbs and gutters part of the work.

  Palatine officials have ended the prohibition on left turns from 4 to 6 p.m. from eastbound Wood Street onto Northwest Highway. Officials said the restriction was lifted because of Wood Street improvements including new left- and right-turn lanes. Bob Susnjara/bsusnjara@dailyherald.com
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