No Stop Signs For Now At Elmhurst Intersection

ELMHURST, IL – An Elmhurst city committee took no action this week on a request for safety measures on Kenilworth Avenue, from North to Fremont avenues.

According to a police analysis, two crashes have occurred at Kenilworth and Columbia avenues in the last five years. That intersection has yield signs on Columbia.

In September 2022, a driver failed to yield and crashed, an incident which is considered correctible, Police Chief Michael McLean told the committee.

"Both cars stopped at the intersection. There was confusion about who would go first. One person was on a cellphone," he said.

The other crash was in April, with a driver sideswiping a parked car's mirror, McLean said.

Committee members said they preferred waiting for a traffic study of that area of the city before approving a stop sign at Columbia and Kenilworth. The city is planning neighborhood traffic studies around town.

If the city acted now, Alderman Mike Brennan said, "it would be confusing to reverse a year or two years down the road."

Brennan said he would like the requesting aldermen, Michael Bram and Chris Jensen, to speak with city officials about the problem.

On another issue, McLean said a nearby business' employees had been parking near Kenilworth and Columbia. Even though the parking was legal, he said, it concerned neighbors.

As a result, the city reached a "gentlemen's agreement" with the business to have its employees park elsewhere, the chief said.

If the city eliminated parking in the area in question, that could result in unintended consequences, he said.

"Speeding can increase if you eliminate parking," McLean said.