Villa Park to test out stop signs

Two new stop signs could be installed as early as Oct. 19 near Willowbrook High School along Ardmore Avenue.

For a 30-day period, beginning next Friday, signs could be placed by the village of Villa Park at High Ridge Road and Ardmore Avenue, and Riordon Avenue and Ardmore, to test if the signs improve morning and afternoon traffic and safety conditions near the school without causing nightmare backups onto Roosevelt Road.

At a Sept. 24 board meeting, a group of Willowbrook parents questioned why trustees hadn't acted on a previous recommendation made by the traffic and safety commission to place a stop sign at the intersection of High Ridge Road and Ardmore Avenue until federal grant money can be secured to buy a traffic light.

Stop signs at both intersections would cost the village roughly $7,000.

Based on what happens during the trial period, the stop signs could become permanent until funding for lights becomes available, likely in 2009.

Trustees are scheduled to vote for final approval of the stop signs at the board's Oct. 15 meeting.

The issue of stop signs again will be considered by the traffic and safety commission during their meeting tonight. No major changes to the proposed trial are expected.

Exactly how the signs might affect traffic patterns on Ardmore is unknown.

A 2006 village traffic study indicated that stop lights are needed at High Ridge or Riordon, but not at both intersections.

In a recent village memo, Deputy Police Chief Mark Johnson said based on that traffic study, the department was in favor of a stop light at High Ridge and Ardmore, but a single stop sign would cause "a monumental southbound backup that will not alleviate the problem, rather exacerbate it."

Yet, the department further clarified its position on the issue of two stop signs, taking "a broader look at the prevailing traffic in the general area," Police Chief John Payne said in a subsequent letter.

Payne said he could support a three-way stop at High Ridge and a four-way stop at Riordon.

Police likely would be stationed along Ardmore after the stop signs were installed to monitor driver compliance but not to ticket drivers, a policy questioned by Trustee Richard Illian.

"We're not going to go out there and write tickets to further backup traffic," said Village Manager Robert Niemann, though the officer would use squad car lights as a visual reminder of the new signs.