Noise from LaGrange Road traffic has become an issue in Palos Park. (Photo by Jeff Vorva)

Traffic noise has some residents of Palos Park up in arms and holding their ears.

Two separate noise-related issues came before the village council at the Dec. 8 meeting, one from Roger Jensen representing McCord Place residents and another issue of too much traffic noise throughout the village caused by motorcycles, large trucks, drag racers and other loud vehicles.

McCord residents are asking to allow building a six-foot fence to block the LaGrange Road noise on the 28 McCord Trace property. The current code is a max of 4 ½ feet. The village’s Zoning Board of Appeals recently denied the request 3-1 with three members absent.

Jensen appeared at the village board meeting to plead his case.

“We are really suffering there,” he said. “We are very close. If you take the traffic level of LaGrange Road and you take that and compare that to the total traffic on a daily basis for Route 7, for Route 83 and 123rd Street, they are about equal.

“There are 31,000-to-33,000 cars per day going on LaGrange Road. Why do we have to suffer when there has been some relief given on Southwest Highway, on Route 83 and other places on LaGrange Road? Why are we being denied?”

He also said that those residents who live as close to 75 feet from LaGrange Road endure 60-70 decibels of noise and that 80 is considered loud enough to cause health problems.

Jensen said the ZBA told them to consider plants that would stifle the noise but that there is only a 28-foot space that would allow that.

“It should be reconsidered based upon the fact that we didn’t spend enough time explaining to the ZBA that there was only 28 feet of space,” he said. “It was never brought up as part of the fundamental discussion.”

The village board did not make a decision but kicked it back to the ZBA for further discussion. 

Mayor Nicole Milovich-Walters said the new information is important for that board to hear.

“They can review it and make a recommendation,” she said.

Commissioner Mike Wade said that the board trusts the ZBA’s opinion, “but, given that we have some new information that’s come to light, they should look at it again.”

Meanwhile, some citizens are getting fatigued with loud traffic noise throughout the village and feel officials are not doing enough to stop it.

“I have been complaining about the noise pollution coming down Route 45 for years and I’ve been ignored and even mocked,” said Shannon Hoop, who lives on Wild Cherry Lane. “This has come even more to fruition now that the roads have been closed.

“I’m glad about it, so I’m not the only nag. I’m not alone. It’s not just me. And it continues to get worse.”

She said most of the noise is coming from drivers of illegal vehicles.

“It seems to me that this town is not penalizing motorists,” she said. “It needs to stop. We want the laws enforced.”

Lisa Gibbs, who lives on 83rd Avenue, also said the noise is getting out of hand.

“It’s a disturbance of the peace for the residents of Palos Park and not just along LaGrange,” she said. “I live on 83rd and it was loud. It was like they were on 83rd. We live on 83rd and this was happening on LaGrange.

“That’s excessive.”

Aside from the noise, Gibbs pointed out that these are safety hazards on the roads and could cause accidents.

She said that the village needs more solutions to this problem and that citations and fines should be implemented and the word would get out and offenders would avoid going through Palos Park.

“You have to make it painful for these people,” Gibbs said

Milovich-Walters said the police have been working on solutions and that she is trying to get speed cameras in the village to help deter some of the problems.

“I’ve been working with state representatives who are proposing a bill to get us speed cameras everywhere around Chicago,” Milovich-Walters said. “They want to get communities like ours to have speed cameras.

“In Chicago, they are only allowed near schools and parks. I asked them to include forest preserves in their language so there would be no misunderstanding that a forest preserve is or is not a park. Our goal is to get them to pass the legislation so that we can install speed cameras on LaGrange Road, Route 83, LaGrange Road and Southwest Highway.”

She added that residents can help by sending letters to their state representatives urging the village to allow the cameras.

“It would give us the opportunity to not only ticket and penalize but also to deter,” the mayor said. “You want to stop the behavior.”

Next meeting cancelled

The Dec. 22 meeting has been cancelled in observance of the Christmas holiday. The next meeting is slated for Jan. 12.

15 replies on “Palos Park traffic noise issues getting louder”

  1. Construction doesn’t help matters. I typically drive thru the Palos Park area to get to work in Romeoville. Whether it’s rt83, McCarthy (partially closed), 127th st (bridge is out)… Some of us have no choice but to go through the area, and my car is admittedly louder than some. But I will agree on the uptick of aggressive drivers causing noise and danger.

  3. Yes loud and speeding and aggressively honking traffic on Residential areas of SW Highway in Palos Park is absolutely belligerent, and we have recurring crashes at the outdated misaligned “Legacy Hwy” intersection at 121st & SW Hwy (over 30 crashes in last 5 yrs) – near the Village Metra Train Station and Post Office, access route to the area Trails , which is also the access route for area kids to get to the Park w Municipal Pool – with no safe pedestrian access there where area residents, retirees and children stand on the corners & cross Residential lined SW Hwy to get to these major Village amenities. Other Villages have at least some pedestrian infrastructure and safety features, but Palos Park has basically zero pedestrian safety features and then drivers abuse the road on a daily basis by disregarding the rules of the road so it’s a “double whammy” lack of Public Safety all around. There isn’t even pedestrian crossing signals or crosswalks to get to the CVS pharmacy in a place where you have townhome developments right on the other side of the street (SW Hwy & Cal Sag Trail IL-83). It’s time to “modernize” the roadway infrastructure here for sure!

    It’s so bad I have been recording all the crashes, speeding, LOUD exhaust cars that just BLAST right by people’s homes every day and night.

    https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfhzw6c1J8SCIVihuzX4xxxD&si=9voDNM53ZMOdka7T

    https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfjctZ2JAq2MQ4X3Gqch2tG3&si=BYruWS3LCnvlEvHj

    https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfiKOcXHbEEV-T7aU5q2P0Lf&si=jaEsxs82SV-fBK36

    https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfg7uP2BCpnozxh69EVd0LJ3&si=179_yczDCcHAzom-

    https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfgHXM15gYsXJLELlxokrrNu&si=pJ-6FozhhRTK943C

    https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfhIdd_slxdvUSsNglyBJF_T&si=DnF_uqS9Ci4tonNy

    https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfhSodZr8JiSf3PlVNbPeP0m&si=Y3ltoeHWffjetXg1

    https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfjsd-6bHiWCVmm2tS8u2e89&si=fLM53x4q8_dMUpvf

    https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfgQ2J9H6Mb636hbco5w_2pw&si=Fd9hyMtIABeiqs2Q

    https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfgp_ldDRFRXfsNhCEUk43FW&si=OmaKsCuXPDifNHMD

    https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfiC8j0o4t-C1b6D0-AnlpEZ&si=IgJNEbxT4E0wdWMc

    https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfi4fgcd0lpf7B5G4PEv6O5Z&si=QQNtANs8D09utOSN

    https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfiXKag2SIgr6–a3ZPk0rIt&si=JPbTnQ6mQXVUwskp

    https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfiZtumbPzkIUyndNiGewLmt&si=piITnobdDRzODzCQ

    https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfhMHPnXuD1FJmg4FFnCDRNI&si=DgTubCzCfghdT-sQ

    1. Additionally, since I am a licensed Civil Engineer that has recently moved to Palos Park and I live right along SW Hwy – to document the extent of the problem of the inadequate community infrastructure along IDOT roads running through Palos Park, as well as the persistent aggressive driving, and to illustrate the hazards to the community this combination creates, I have created a Crash Report and a Vulnerable Users “showcase” Report that illustrates the lack of 
”code compliant” basic pedestrian features and shows that the Community user demand levels (pedestrian, cyclist, kids, and even drivers) present in the Village have been inadequately provided for along IDOT arterial roads in Palos Park.

      Since we have lived here we even had our own car rear ended (and declared totaled) right in front of our home by a speeding driver as we were waiting to make a left hand turn off of SW Hwy at 121st, and in this case one of the primary contributing factors is the lack of dedicated turn lanes at a key Village intersection (SW Hwy & 121st). Our “crash event” is just one among MANY recurring rear end and other types of crashes at SW Hwy & 121st. We even have cars entering the oncoming traffic lane and have had several variations of “head on” collisions as a lot of through traffic “thinks” they will be able to just drive through here quickly but, due to the lack of dedicated turn lanes at 121st, these “in a hurry” drivers are often not anticipating a traffic “slow down” for turning cars, this is when they fail to recognize what is happening and in their reaction they either rear end the vehicle in front of them OR they swerve into oncoming traffic, sometimes with “bad outcomes”.

    2. Regionally IDOT is working on “right sizing” roads and what they are calling “speed management”. The need is real and you can see why based on my documention of the problem. Do we want/deserve “uncivilized” and hazardous roads going through our communities with dangerous conditions at places where people and children stand to cross roads like IL-7 SW Hwy to access Village features? I don’t think so. Lets fix this before more bad things happen (we have had fatalities outside of the Forest Preserve parking lot on La Grange and 119th https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/2-killed-4-injured-in-unincorporated-palos-park-crash-sunday/3013536/ ).

      IDOT roads in the Palos Park area are totally unsafe thanks to un-checked aggressive drivers and inadequate community roadway and community mobility “safe” and modern infrastructure for the benefit of the actual Residents – everywhere else nearby is being “built up”…we can’t let IDOT neglect the community areas of Palos Park while everything else around here gets “expanded” and “improved”.

    3. Here are some examples:
      4/11/24 Crash: Speeding Vehicle Enters Oncoming Traffic Lane to Avoid Cars Stopped to Make LH Turn
      https://youtu.be/JF_EC51BDI0

      As Child Waits For Bus, Speeding Traffic Skids to Halt, Enters Oncoming Lane at Misaligned Crossing
      https://youtu.be/nOodjBOpvWU

      Head On Collision Near Miss:
      https://youtu.be/hETwBfk4g58?si=U3gNuYstNYpkfDhc

      Near Miss: Due To Lack Of Turn Lanes-Speeding Car Skids & Enters Oncoming Traffic Lane (recurring)
      https://youtu.be/9SqqbkWG5_8?si=S3ROEBqJ6xbn39wZ

    4. IDOT’s “nearby” Residential lined Harlem at 131st has a lot of the community safety “bells and whistles” including dedicated turn lanes, sidewalks, etc where homes line the roadway there, and where they access their section of the Regional Trails, and they also have a lower speed limit of 35mph at 131st, so if WE in Palos Park only 1.5 miles away also have similar Regional Trails access at SW Hwy and 121st in Palos Park, AND at the same location we ALSO HAVE access a Metra Station, a Post Office, access to the Palos Heights Community Park w a Municipal Pool (kids and community members walk to this location in the Summer and year round, etc.), even access to a Hospital, all within easy walking distance for members of the community, then FOR SURE we should have better basic Village infrastructure than what is currently present, which is basically “nothing” (we should have at least equal to what other places in the area have, especially along State IDOT roads which are supposed to be a build to a “modern standard”, safe for communities, and “up to code”).

    6. Intersection Crash and Hazardous Conditions You Tube Videos:

      Loud Aggressive Exhaust
      https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfhzw6c1J8SCIVihuzX4xxxD&si=9voDNM53ZMOdka7T

      Cars over 70mph in 40mph Residential Area Near Metra Station, Park, & Two Major Regional Trail Systems
      https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfjctZ2JAq2MQ4X3Gqch2tG3&si=BYruWS3LCnvlEvHj

      Cars Who “Punch It” Aggressively
      https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfiKOcXHbEEV-T7aU5q2P0Lf&si=jaEsxs82SV-fBK36

      Drivers Speeding by the Electronic Speed Enforcement Sign
      https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfg7uP2BCpnozxh69EVd0LJ3&si=179_yczDCcHAzom-

      Constant Honking: Due To Cars Crossing Misaligned Intersection
      https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfgHXM15gYsXJLELlxokrrNu&si=pJ-6FozhhRTK943C

      Cars Racing In Residential Area
      https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfhIdd_slxdvUSsNglyBJF_T&si=DnF_uqS9Ci4tonNy

      Crashes / Collisions
      https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfhSodZr8JiSf3PlVNbPeP0m&si=Y3ltoeHWffjetXg1

      Aggressive Drifting In Front Of Homes and Crossover
      https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfjsd-6bHiWCVmm2tS8u2e89&si=fLM53x4q8_dMUpvf

      Big Rig Jake Brake
      https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfgQ2J9H6Mb636hbco5w_2pw&si=Fd9hyMtIABeiqs2Q

      Motorcycles Going Fast
      https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfgp_ldDRFRXfsNhCEUk43FW&si=OmaKsCuXPDifNHMD

      Kids Crossing SW Hwy
      https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfiC8j0o4t-C1b6D0-AnlpEZ&si=IgJNEbxT4E0wdWMc

      Metra Commuters Crossing SW Hwy
      https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfi4fgcd0lpf7B5G4PEv6O5Z&si=QQNtANs8D09utOSN

      Cyclists Crossing SW Hwy
      https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfiXKag2SIgr6–a3ZPk0rIt&si=XY6gkjbzhJwlCUFJ

      Kids & People With No Safe Sidewalks
      https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfiZtumbPzkIUyndNiGewLmt&si=piITnobdDRzODzCQ

      Walkers & Joggers Crossing SW Hwy
      https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfhMHPnXuD1FJmg4FFnCDRNI&si=DgTubCzCfghdT-sQ

  4. Palos Park Must Do More as Lagrange Rd Running Through Palos is Out of Control

    The November police report documented 133 enforcement actions on LaGrange Road within Palos Park — roughly 4 to 5 caught violators every single day. Of those, 66 were Stop Cards — meaning 66 drivers were stopped for violations but received no citation and no consequence. When that many documented violators walk away with only a warning, it signals to residents that enforcement alone is not being taken seriously and dramatically understates the true danger on this roadway.

    And the tickets that were issued were not for minor infractions. November’s citations included negligent driving, speeding, improper lane usage, no insurance, no driver’s license, registration violations, equipment violations, and nighttime visibility issues such as driving with only one working headlight. These are high-risk drivers moving through our Village at all hours.

    Using national enforcement data, where police typically catch only about 2% of actual violators, there may be well over 200 dangerous drivers going uncaught every day on this short 1.5-mile stretch through our Village.

    This is no longer just a policing issue. At that volume, it is a roadway design and safety failure, and residents are living with daily danger and constant near-misses. Right now, it feels as though the Village is understating to its residents the significance and scope of the problem. Residents complaints are real and well founded. Residents are being forced to watch a dangerous situation develop rather than watch their Village lead on solving it.

    The Village needs to acknowledge the problem to itself and to our residents. Share the same report I have with the residents. They are not imagining the problem. Stop downplaying it.

    A Concrete Leadership Step: Pursue a State-Designated Safety Corridor

    A Safety Corridor would:

    Legally double fines under state law
    Bring Illinois State Police into enforcement
    Add high-visibility safety signage
    Clearly signal that this stretch of LaGrange Road is a priority safety zone for Palos Park

    The November numbers already prove the scale of the problem. Seeking a Safety Corridor designation would show residents that the Village is taking the strongest available action to slow traffic and improve safety on LaGrange Road.

    IDOT must be given a wake up call from the Village. A well written and polite letter requesting help from IDOT resulted in little action steps being allowed. Time to take the Gloves off…..

    Steve Desmond

    1. Steve – I 100% “agree” ! Residents need and deserve “real results” and not just “shrugging” off this “societal” problem of delinquent drivers rudely affecting working families in a community who pay property taxes and expect a reasonable standard of living and a quality of life that does not include daily barrages of “rude and unsafe drivers” right outside their doorsteps.

  5. Forget speed cameras that won’t stop the noise. Someond could loudly rev their engine with their illegally modified exhaust at any speed. We need noise cameras.

    2. DJ you have a very valid point, ideally BOTH speed cameras and noise cameras would be in place in problem areas where Residential Quality of LIfe is being degraded by drivers constantly making excessive loud exhaust noise (i.e. above OSHA workplace “safe legal limits” in many cases) with their illegally modified exhausts.

      And a lot of this excessive public nuisance noise can be and is generated at driving speeds that are at or below the posted speed limit. For instance, when cars, “take off” at 121st & SW Hwy, after having had to slow down, come to a stop, or switch lanes to get around cars waiting to turn left. Due to the lack of dedicated turn lanes, on a daily basis, we have cars with loud exhausts who “Punch It” to get out from behind traffic that is slowing down to make a Left Hand turn. If there were dedicated turn lanes, then through traffic would not be slowing down and stopping for turning traffic because the turning traffic would be “off to the side” in the dedicated turn lane. So this is an example of how the roadway designs around here are basically “out of date”. Traffic and population has increased over the last 50 years but the roadway is still pretending like “not much is going on”, and children stand on the corners here to go to the park etc while all these loud cars will find they have to slow down or stop when all they want to do is “keep going” so when they are done “slowing down” or “stopping” (and they are “aren’t happy about it”), they PUNCH IT as loud as they can with their high horsepower engines and modified exhausts. We have Mothers literally with babies in strollers standing on the corners here, heading towards the Trails and Park, etc, yet traffic treats the area like it is a place to pretend like it’s the Indy 500 and “Punch It” along this Residential Lined intersection.

      We need both speed AND noise cameras because drivers are making “commotion” on purpose. They also love to speed by the Electronic Speed Sign as well; yes, they actually speed up instead of slowing down, and they do this “for fun” despite the fact we have people and children who cross at 121st (granted it’s not even designed with pedestrians in mind so a lot of drivers just think there are no people around, this is IDOTs responsibility to fix that discrepancy).

      Examples:
      Cars Who “Punch It” Aggressively
      https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfiKOcXHbEEV-T7aU5q2P0Lf&si=jaEsxs82SV-fBK36

      Loud Aggressive Exhaust
      https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfhzw6c1J8SCIVihuzX4xxxD&si=9voDNM53ZMOdka7T

      Constant Honking: Due To Cars Crossing Misaligned Intersection
      https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfgHXM15gYsXJLELlxokrrNu&si=pJ-6FozhhRTK943C

      Aggressive Drifting In Front Of Homes and Crossover
      https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfjsd-6bHiWCVmm2tS8u2e89&si=fLM53x4q8_dMUpvf

      Mom w Stroller Crosses at Unmarked Crossing where Cars Speed 50-70mph & Crash onto The Corners
      https://youtu.be/DBrmdNI3MTI

      Family w 2 Strollers & Dog Cross Where Cars Go 50-70mph w Repeat Crashes in 40mph Residential Area
      https://youtu.be/c2TVmM5ImhI

      Dad With Stroller Crosses SW Hwy, Later Loud Mustang Takes Off Super Aggressive (see link)
      https://youtu.be/qNvfCwW3g-A

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