Trustees act to slow traffic near Lincoln Middle School

Mount Prospect village board members this week voted to approve so-called "traffic calming" measures on Lincoln Street in front of Lincoln Middle School.

The measures, however, will not exactly reflect what the transportation safety commission recommended.

The village will not install "bump outs" - which, in essence, extend the curbs at intersections - at the corner of Lincoln Street and Wego Trail.

However, there will be bump outs at Lincoln/Nawata Avenue and at Lincoln/Candota Avenue. Most students cross Lincoln at Nawata as well as Candota.

Bump outs are meant to reduce the crossing distance for students, reduce the time students are in the crosswalk and improve the visibility of stop signs.

Village Traffic Engineer Matt Lawrie said Lincoln Street carries about 3,000 vehicles per day.

During the peak morning hour and the peak afternoon hour, counters tallied 110 student crossings at the Candota and Lincoln intersection, 58 crossings at Nawata and 63 at Wego.

Lawrie said the village has been working with Mount Prospect Elementary District 57 to look at ways to enhance student safety and slow traffic along Lincoln Street.

Mayor Arlene Juracek, who lives in the neighborhood, said many, including herself, at first resisted the stop signs that were installed to slow traffic. That resistance has melted into acceptance.

Trustee Michael Zadel, who introduced the amendment that eliminates bump outs at Wego and Lincoln and replaces them with pavement markings, said the bump outs would, indeed, further address that visibility issue. But, he added, "I don't know that there has been an excessive amount of crashes at that corner. Certainly the stop sign has helped slow the traffic down."

John Heidcamp, who lives at Wego and Lincoln, said, "The (number) of kids that actually cross north and south at Wego, I think, this semester is about two kids."

Lawrie confirmed most of the children cross east and west at the intersection on the north side of the street. He also said he thinks the traffic issues at that corner can be addressed with the pavement markings.