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A Motion to Concur with the Transportation Commission’s Recommendations for Traffic Calming at the Taylor Avenue and Superior Street intersection
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Introduction
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At the June 8th Transportation Commission (TC) meeting, the TC reviewed a traffic calming petition at the Taylor Avenue and Superior Street intersection. The TC voted to concur with the staff recommendations to install the recommended traffic calming items including paint and post pinch points at the intersection, additional signage, and new crosswalk pavement markings.
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Recommended Action
Adopt the Motion.
Prior Board Action
There is no prior Board action associated with this item.
Background
On January 12, 2026, the Village of Oak Park received a petition to implement traffic calming measures at the intersection of N Taylor Avenue and Superior Street. The residents expressed concerns regarding pedestrian safety and driver confusion regarding the lack of stop signs on the Superior Street approaches.
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 June 8th, 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 H.
At the June 8th, 2026 meeting, the Transportation Commission voted six to zero to:
• Install paint and post curb extensions on all four corners of the N Taylor Avenue and Superior Street intersection, extending onto both streets
• Remove “2-WAY” supplemental plaque sign and install “Cross Traffic Does Not Stop” (W4-4P) supplemental plaque sign
• Install High Visibility Crosswalk Markings along the east and west legs of the intersection of N Taylor Avenue and Superior Street
Pending Village Board approval, mid-block paint-and-post pinch point and the high visibility crosswalk will be installed as part of the 2027 resurfacing program. The supplemental plaque signs will be installed by the Village Public Works crews.
Analysis Section
Traffic Study - Volume and Speed (Attachment D)
Forty-eight-hour traffic data was collected along the four legs at the intersection of N Taylor Avenue and Superior Street. The data was collected on Wednesday and Thursday, April 8 and 9, 2026. One component of the traffic data is Average Daily Traffic (ADT), which is the number of vehicles counted over a 24-hour period. The volume along N Taylor Avenue is around 1,000 vehicles per day while the volume on Superior Street is around 600 vehicles per day. These volumes are typical of Oak Park residential streets.
The volumes along N Taylor Avenue and Superior Street are highest between the 7:00 A.M. to 9:00 A.M. and 3:00 P.M. to 6:00 PM periods.
Speed data was another component of the mid-block data collection effort. A review of the N Taylor Avenue speed data shows more than 95% of the vehicles are traveling less than 5 mph over the speed limit. The 85th percentile speeds tend to be consistent during the entire day for both the north and south legs, with south leg recording higher speeds. There are some higher speeds observed during the midnight hours at the south leg of N Taylor Avenue. The volume is very low during that hour, therefore, one speeding vehicle could be skewing the data.
Superior Street speed data shows around a 75% compliance rate with the 25-mph speed limit and more than 95% of the vehicles are traveling less than 5 mph over the speed limit. The 85th percentile speeds tend to be consistent during the entire day. There are some higher speeds observed during the early morning hours at the west leg of Superior Street. The volume is very low during that period, and thus the data may not be statistically significant.
The overall recorded speeds are low due to the narrow width of the streets and the presence of on-street parking on both N Taylor Avenue and Superior Street.
See Attachment D for a summary of the results.
Traffic Study - Turning Movement Counts (Attachment E)
In order to quantify vehicle, pedestrian, and bicycle volumes at the intersection of N Taylor Avenue and Superior Street, six-hour counts were conducted on Wednesday, April 8, 2026 using a video camera system. The traffic data was collected on a weekday with typical traffic patterns while school was in session. Conditions were sunny with a high of 70 degrees and a low of 40 degrees. This weather was conducive to pedestrian and bicycle activity. The traffic count data shows that the morning peak hour occurs between 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and the evening traffic volume is highest between 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Overall, volumes at this intersection are low. Bicycle activity was also low during the data collection period.
See Attachment E for a summary of the results.
Crash History - Collision Diagram (Attachment F)
In order to evaluate safety trends at the intersection of N Taylor Avenue and Superior Street, 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. There were six crashes reported during this period out of which five crashes were intersection-related. All five of the intersection-related collisions were right-angle and one of the crashes resulted in a “B” level injury. There was one fixed object collision due to driver losing control of the vehicle. Based on a review of police report, most of the angle crashes were due to drivers on N Taylor who were unsure whether drivers on Superior would stop.
See Attachment F for the collision diagram.
Timing Considerations
Pending Village Board approval, staff will include this work as part of the design of the 2027 resurfacing program.
Financial Impact
Staff estimates that it will cost $5,300 to install the paint-and-post pinch point treatment. Pending Village Board approval, staff will include this work as part of the 2027 resurfacing program.
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 January 12, 2026, the Village of Oak Park received a petition to implement traffic calming measures at the N Taylor Avenue and Superior Street intersection. The petition organizers were notified of the June 8th 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 June 8th, 2026 meeting, the Transportation Commission voted six to zero to:
• Install paint and post curb extensions on all four corners of the N Taylor Avenue and Superior Street intersection, extending onto both streets
• Remove “2-WAY” supplemental plaque sign and install “Cross Traffic Does Not Stop” (W4-4P) supplemental plaque sign
• Install High Visibility Crosswalk Markings along the east and west legs of the intersection of N Taylor Avenue and Superior Street
Staff Recommendation
Staff concurs with the Transportation Commission’s recommendations for traffic calming at the Taylor Avenue and Superior Street intersection. Staff recommends adopting the motion.
Advantages:
• Traffic calming improvements will be installed per the Transportation Commission’s recommendation, which should improve safety and slow vehicles down.
Disadvantages:
• It will cost approximately $5,300 to install the recommended improvements as part of the 2027 resurfacing program.
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 2027 project.
Alternative 2:
The Board can vote down the Motion.
Advantages:
• Potential cost saving of $5,300.
Disadvantages:
• Misalignment with 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
There are no anticipated future actions in relation to this item.
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 - Taylor and Superior