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A Motion to Concur with the Transportation Commission’s Recommendations for Traffic Calming at the 500-600 Block of Belleforte Avenue
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Introduction
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At the April 13th Transportation Commission (TC) meeting, the TC reviewed a traffic calming petition at the 500-600 block of Belleforte Avenue. The TC voted to concur with the staff recommendations for temporary speed feedback signage and high visibility crosswalk markings, and added recommendations for a mid-block pinch point, target enforcement, and installing no parking here to corner signage. Pending Village Board concurrence, the paint-and-post pinch-point will be installed as part of the upcoming 26-15 Bike Boulevards project. Other recommendations will be implemented by Public Works crews.
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Recommended Action
Adopt the Motion.
Prior Board Action
There is no prior Board action associated with this item.
Background
On September 13, 2025, the Village of Oak Park received a petition to implement traffic calming measures on the 500-600 block of Belleforte Avenue. The residents expressed concerns regarding excessive speeds along 500-600 Belleforte Avenue between Chicago Avenue and Augusta Street.
See Attachment A for a copy of the letter of explanation. Public testimony was received. See attachment B for public testimony. See Attachment C for the aerial imagery of the area.
The petition was reviewed by the Transportation Commission at its April 13, 2026, meeting. Staff gave a presentation on the issues, including: background on the petition, history of the area, analysis of the collected traffic data, collision diagram, and recommendations. Residents provided public testimony on the items. After hearing the staff’s presentation and public testimony, the Transportation Commission deliberated on the items. Relevant pages from the Transportation Commission meeting minutes are included as Attachment F.
At the April 13th, 2026 meeting, the Transportation Commission voted five to zero to:
• Install paint-and-post pinch point (also known as a neckdown) with two 20-foot-long bump-outs on the northern side of the block.
• Targeted speed enforcement
• Install a temporary radar speed feedback sign for northbound traffic
• Install high-visibility crosswalk marking along the north leg of Belleforte Avenue at Chicago Avenue
• Install signage to daylight the corners at Augusta and Chicago on Belleforte Avenue and the parking on the north side of Chicago Avenue at Belleforte Avenue
Pending Village Board approval, the paint-and-post pinch-point will be installed as part of the upcoming 26-15 Bike Boulevards project.
Analysis Section
Traffic Study - Volume and Speed (Attachment D)
Forty-eight-hour traffic data was collected along the 500-600 block of Belleforte Avenue using radars. The data was collected on Wednesday and Thursday, February 4 and 5, 2026.
One component of the traffic data is Average Daily Traffic (ADT), which is the number of vehicles counted over a 24-hour period. Volumes along Belleforte Avenue are around 700 vehicles per day. Volumes along Belleforte Avenue are close to the typical Oak Park residential street volume, which ranges between 800 and 1,200 vehicles per day.
The volumes along the 500-600 block of Belleforte Avenue are highest between the 8:00 A.M. to 9:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. to 6:00 PM period. Outside of the morning and evening rush hours, volumes drop off.
Speed data was another component of the mid-block data collection effort. A review of the 500-600 block of Belleforte Avenue speed data shows a 70% compliance rate with the 25-mph speed limit, and more than 93% of the vehicles are traveling less than 5 mph over the speed limit. The 85th percentile speeds tend to be highest during the early morning hours and lowest during the middle of the day.
The speeds along this block are generally fairly low, potentially due to the high utilization of on-street parking, particularly towards the southern portion of this corridor.
See Attachment D for a summary of the results.
Crash History - Collision Diagram
In order to evaluate safety trends on the 500-600 block of Belleforte Avenue, reported crash data was obtained from the IDOT Safety Portal and the Village of Oak Park from January 2021 through December 2025, a five-year period. This data shows that there were no mid-block collisions during the five-year period.
Timing Considerations
Pending Village Board approval, staff will include this work as part of the design of the upcoming 26-15 Bike Boulevards project.
Financial Impact
Staff estimates that it will cost $3,800 to install the paint-and-post pinch point treatment. Pending Village Board approval, staff will include this work as part of the 26-15 Bike Boulevards project. The FY26 Budget includes $75,000 for traffic calming for petitions and commission items in the Capital Improvement Fund, Public Works - Engineering, Traffic Calming Improvements account no. 3095.43780.101.570955.
Operations Impact
This is a core service responsibility of the Engineering Division of the Public Works Department. Implementation of this item has minimal staffing impact. Preparing the materials for the Transportation Commission for this traffic calming petition took around 60 hours, including obtaining and analyzing traffic data, preparing exhibits, and presenting at the commission meeting. Including the design of the traffic calming improvements into the street resurfacing project and neighborhood greenway project is a minimal effort and would take somewhere in the range of 20 hours.
DEI Impact
The Vision Zero plan highlights that traffic accidents disproportionately affect minority communities within the Village. Traffic calming improvements will enhance safety for all users, with particular benefits for these vulnerable groups.
Community Input
On September 13, 2025, the Village of Oak Park received a petition to implement traffic calming measures on the 500-600 block of Belleforte Avenue. The petition organizers were notified of the April 13th TC meeting regarding these petitions, and public comments from residents were heard at the TC meeting. TC meeting minutes are attached for reference.
At the April 13th, 2026 meeting, the Transportation Commission voted five to zero to:
• Install paint-and-post pinch point (also known as a neckdown) with two 20-foot-long bump-outs on the northern side of the block.
• Targeted speed enforcement
• Install a temporary radar speed feedback sign for northbound traffic
• Install high-visibility crosswalk marking along the north leg of Belleforte Avenue at Chicago Avenue
• Install signage to daylight the corners at Augusta and Chicago on Belleforte Avenue and the parking on the north side of Chicago Avenue at Belleforte Avenue
Staff Recommendation
Staff concurs with the Transportation Commission’s recommendations for traffic calming on the 500-600 block of Belleforte Avenue. Staff recommends adopting the motion.
Advantages:
• Traffic calming improvements will be installed per the Transportation Commission’s recommendation, which will slow traffic on the 500-600 block of Belleforte Avenue. The proposed paint-and-post pinch point will improve safety.
Disadvantages:
• It will cost approximately $4,550 to install the recommended improvements as part of the 26-15 Bike Boulevards project.
Alternatives
Alternative 1:
The Board can delay to gain additional information.
Advantages:
• The Board can be presented with the requested information.
Disadvantages:
• Significant delays could impact the staff’s ability to incorporate the recommendations in 2026 project.
Alternative 2:
The Board can delay to gain additional information.
Advantages:
• Potential cost saving of $4,550.
Disadvantages:
• Misalignment with the Transportation Commission and Staff’s recommendation to address resident concerns.
• Potentially unsafe traffic conditions would persist.
• Resident concerns would not be addressed.
Anticipated Future Actions
Pending Board approval, the pinch point will be installed with the upcoming Bike Boulevard project.
Prepared By: Jenna Holzberg, Transportation Commission Chairperson; Bill McKenna, Village Engineer/Assistant Public Works Director
Reviewed By: Rob Sproule, Public Works Director
Approved By: Kevin J. Jackson, Village Manager
Attachment(s):
1. Attachments - 500-600 Belleforte