By Stephanie Irvine
Village residents took to social media to express concerns over the width of the streets, particularly at intersections within the new downtown streetscape that feature bump-out curbing. For many residents, the bump-out curbing at intersections along Second Street appeared too narrow for two larger vehicles to pass simultaneously.
The village directly addressed concerns about the curbing on Facebook, but many members of the public remained skeptical if the space would be sufficient.
A July 15 construction progress post by the Village of Peotone on Facebook included pictures of the construction site and one of the intersections in question.
The post prompted 20 responses, nearly all critical, questioning the feasibility of the intersection, how many parking spots would be lost, and the purpose of the bump-outs. Some expressed concerns over Santa’s sleigh being able to make the trek down Second Street during the winter holiday parade, while others questioned accessibility for fire trucks.
In an effort to obtain more information, The Vedette made a FOIA request to the village on July 22. The following day, July 23, a 46-page response was provided, containing mostly drone pictures of the site. The communication requested in the FOIA was in regard to curbing and parking, though the response did not provide much about that.
The response offered by the village primarily related to sidewalks, identifying difficult businesses, and those who did not have alternative access during sidewalk construction, for sidewalk notification schedule, landscaping, stone wall color correction, bills and grant paperwork, pedestrian accessibility, and the construction schedule.
Within hours of the village sending the FOIA response, the Peotone Police Department also posted two videos attempting to quell concerns about the curb-limiting accessibility.
The videos showed a stopped pick-up truck at one of the intersections with another turning from the other direction — without obstructions. However, there were no parked vehicles, and the two vehicles turning were standard pick-up trucks used by public works, not larger vehicles residents feared could not complete the turn.
“These videos provide clear evidence the current design supports safe two-lane traffic flow and allows for left-hand turns as needed,” the police department’s post read.
“We appreciate your feedback and are committed to ensuring the safety and functionality of our roadways. Please feel free to view the videos for a better understanding of the traffic flow and how the current design supports it,” the post continued.
Responses to the police department’s videos were mixed, with some residents noting the intersection shown in the video was not the intersection they were most concerned about.
“Mount the snow plows on the trucks and try again,” one resident said.
Some sniped at those expressing their concerns, and a few thanked the village but, mostly, people still raised the possibility of accessibility issues for delivery trucks and buses, along with worriment over how parking and snow would impact the space.
When questioned, Village Engineer Troy Golem asserted the curbing and street width were within regulation.
“At the narrowest points between the curbs the lane, widths are 11 feet wide each (22 feet of pavement),” Golem’s response read.
“The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT)’s Local Roads and Streets Manual states the design criteria for an urban local street with these characteristics requires minimum lane widths of 10 feet. The lanes on the Peotone Streetscape are 11 feet wide,” Golem explained further.
Despite the brouhaha over the curbing, street paving went on as scheduled. Mayor Peter March posted a progress update video on July 26 to the village’s Facebook page, which showed the downtown streetscape was progressing on time.
Stephanie Irvine is a freelance reporter.