A month after deciding that a pair of intersections on the north end of Brookfield warranted two-way stop signs, the Brookfield village board on Jan. 10 changed its mind and approved four-way stop signs instead.
Trustees voted unanimously to place four-way stop signs at the intersections at Park Avenue and 26th Place and at Park Avenue and 27th Street, after residents argued for them in December.
Trustee Cathy Colgrass Edwards suggested the board amend its position on the stop signs after giving the matter some thought following December’s discussion. At that meeting in December, residents reminded the board that the village’s Public Safety Committee recommended the four-way stop signs.
In addition, Terry Schreiber, a resident of the area who is also a Brookfield police officer, pleaded the case for four-way stop signs.
“Those two intersections are probably the only two in the village not controlled by any traffic device whatsoever,” Schreiber told trustees on Dec. 13. “It’s a school route and it’s near a park. … I don’t think you can have too much signage.”
In December, trustees felt that two-way stop signs would suffice to slow down cars at the intersections. They also felt the two-way stops would keep traffic flowing better. By Jan. 10, trustees all agreed with Schreiber.
“The residents live with [the traffic] day in and day out,” said Trustee Michael Towner. “I can easily buy into those two intersections deserving a four-way stop.”
Public Works Superintendent Al Kitzer said the stop signs should be up at the two intersections by the end of this week or early next week, weather permitting.
New crosswalk signs in place
Meanwhile, two new signs cautioning motorists to stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk were erected on Friday at two other locations in Brookfield. The signs are on Grand Boulevard at Lincoln Avenue, just outside the Brookfield Public Library, and on Washington Avenue at Hollywood Avenue, near Hollywood School.
In November, Brookfield received a report from the James J. Benes and Associates engineering firm that a stop sign was not warranted under federal guidelines, which have been adopted by the state of Illinois. The recent reconstruction and resurfacing of that stretch of Grand Boulevard was funded in large part with federal money, and the placement of stop signs on such routes must conform to those standards.
Washington Avenue was also resurfaced using federal dollars. The new signs, however, are an attempt to slow down motorists in areas where children often cross busy local roads.
– Bob Uphues