Hampshire resident Dan Sauer voiced concern to the Village Board last week over the 45 mph speed limit on Oak Knoll Drive (Illinois 72).
“It should be 30 to 35 miles per hour,” Sauer said.
Signs stating the 45 mph limit are posted along Illinois 72 roughly between its intersections with Runge Road to the east and French Road to the west. The speed limit beyond the 45 mph zone is 55 mph.
Pedestrians cross the intersection at State Street and Illinois 72 on foot or by bicycle to reach the Dairy Queen, Dunkin’ Donuts and Subway restaurant in the Hampshire Commons area.
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Hampshire police Chief Brian Thompson agreed it would be a good idea to lower the speed limit.
“There is too much going on there for 45 miles per hour,” Thompson said.
The intersection, which originally had four stop signs, now has timed traffic lights. Village officials said a child was hit by a vehicle when the stop signs were still in use.
The Village Board recently responded to a resident’s request to lower the speed limit by Gary D. Wright Elementary School, 1500 Ketchum Road, and Hampshire High School, 1600 East Big Timber Road.
The village established a new school-entrance speed zone on Ketchum Road between the intersection with Big Timber Road to the north and a distance beyond the southern border of the property owned by Community Unit School District 300 to the south. The speed limit was lowered to 30 mph and is effective from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on school days. It mirrors the school-entrance speed zone on Big Timber Road.
While the village worked with the school district regarding Ketchum Road, the situation on Illinois 72 is different.
“We don’t have jurisdiction on that road,” Trustee Mike Reid said. “This is something that has been on our radar for a long time. We commissioned the state two years ago, and I have followed up on it. We encourage anyone who wants the speed lowered to contact the state.”
Village President Jeffrey Magnussen said that a redesign of the intersection at Illinois 72 and State Street, which should include crosswalks, is scheduled for 2017-18.
Denise Moran is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.