Algonquin looks at making Randall Road pedestrian friendly
Residents want to make it clear: Algonquin needs to do something to make Randall Road a better place for pedestrians to cross.
That was the message more than 60 people sent to village officials Wednesday night during a public input session on how best to improve the busy road, which has been compared to the video game "Frogger."
What residents don't agree on is how best to make it happen. Some say officials should install underpasses or over passes at some or all of the 12 intersections in town along Randall Road.
There are currently are crosswalks at Bunker Hill Drive/Huntington Road and County Line Road.
Others say to improve those crosswalks with better lights, sidewalks and signage, create new ones at other intersections and increase police enforcement of traffic laws now on the books. Residents also debated on how the village pay for all of the improvements.
Some said Algonquin should hit up the federal government, state, McHenry and Kane counties for the cash.
Others said the village should ask merchants and developers near the crossings to help pay, use vehicle stickers or create a special I-PASS for pedestrians.
Nathaniel Williams, a resident since 2001, wasn't opposed to forking over higher sales or property taxes to get the job done.
"I don't mind paying taxes, I like our road system," said Williams, a cyclist who in his travels compares the road system in this country to those in others.
The next step is for Algonquin leaders to sit down with its engineer and compile a study based on residents' input that will outline and price the most feasible options.
Residents will get to comment on that study later on this fall or in the winter.
It then moves to a board vote in the spring.
The idea of getting input from residents and then creating a document based on what they said is a novelty, said Karen Guenther, who has lived in Algonquin for 15 years.
Doing it this way helped avoid a lot of headaches down the road, she said.
"It's nice to give input rather than complain about something that was done after the fact," she said.