Batavia residents share concerns about crosswalk after pedestrians struck
After her son was hit while in the crosswalk at McKee Street and Route 31, Batavia resident Shiloh Remmers is urging city officials to do something to keep pedestrians safer.
Remmers was one of several residents to share their concerns about the crosswalk during the public comment portion of Monday's Batavia City Council meeting.
“This past Friday, my son was struck while trying to cross the crosswalk there,” Remmers said. “We are very lucky that he was not hurt and that he is still with us.”
She said her son was walking home from fishing in the river when he reached the crosswalk.
“He could not see the traffic from the inside lane, and that motorist could not see him,” Remmers said.
Batavia resident Lew Girmscheid also expressed his concern about the crosswalk at the meeting.
“My nephew was hit at the same intersection when he was an early teenager,” Girmscheid said. “And my son also survived a car-versus-pedestrian accident when he was 16 years old.”
The crosswalk had flashing streetlights to warn drivers and pedestrians for three years until 2018. Then the city was unable to replace one of the signals, which was destroyed by a truck, because the Federal Highway Administration withdrew approval for such devices.
“I urge the council to look at options, which it seems like you are, to keep other crosswalks for all of our residents safe,” Girmscheid said.
Aldermen said that only so much can be done on the crosswalk by them since it's technically not under city jurisdiction.
“This has been in the city council's agenda several times over the last few years,” Batavia Mayor Jeffery Schielke said. “We are not technically in control of that intersection. It's the Illinois Department of Transportation.”
Batavia Public Works Director Gary Holm said the city has been working with IDOT on safety improvements to the crosswalk.
“It is their jurisdiction,” Holm said. “I can report to you positively the project has not stalled. Last October, the city council approved a contract with an engineering firm to do an initial feasibility study for a road diet.”
Holm said the “road diet” would reduce traffic through the intersection to one lane both ways, divided by a center lane meant to provide a safe place for pedestrians.
“As the project was getting started, [we] really began with the basic question of would IDOT even consider this idea,” he said. “They said that they would, but we would need to demonstrate through traffic studies and analysis that it would work.”
As part of the contract signed in October, the feasibility study would analyze variables such as traffic data and environmental issues through the crosswalk. Holm said if a certain data criterion is met, IDOT will approve a project on the intersection.
“They're scheduled in mid-March, literally in another week or so, to have the feasibility study finished,” Holm said. “We have our fingers crossed that IDOT will approve it. It does appear that the road diet concept will work.”
He said construction could probably start as soon as 2024.
“I know that sounds like a long time, but that's just how long these projects take,” Holm said. “The city cannot just go and do anything out there because it's not our road.”
• Daily Herald reporter Susan Sarkauskas contributed to this report.