Montgomery surveying homeowners on measures to slow, reduce Mayfield Drive traffic

Residents of Montgomery’s Montgomery Crossing subdivision have until Wednesday, May 19 to select their preferred option to slow or reduce motor vehicle traffic on Mayfield Drive through their subdivision.

Subdivision homeowners have complained for years about motorists speeding on the street that links Concord Drive to the south and Orchard Road at Caterpillar Drive to the north on the village’s west side.

Village officials have said that many area residents use Mayfield Drive as a shortcut to reach the Aldi and other retail stores along the west side of Orchard Road. By using Mayfield Drive, motorists can stay off busy sections of nearby Galena and Orchard roads.

Before taking any measures to slow or reduce traffic on the street, village officials and their engineering consultants, Engineering Enterprises, Inc. of Sugar Grove, are asking subdivision residents to complete a survey.

Peter Wallers, president of EEI, told the village board Monday evening, May 10, that printed surveys were mailed to 272 households in the subdivision last Thursday and a survey form along with additional information have been posted on the village’s website at https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sv/UpWaXxn/MayfieldDrive.

Wallers said as of Monday 46 surveys have been completed and returned.

Village staff and EEI representatives will present the survey results to the board during their next meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, May 24, at Village Hall, 200 North River Street.

Village President Matt Brolley said he expects a spirited discussion among board members on the survey results and a possible course of action for the village--if any--during the May 24 meeting.

In the survey, the village is asking residents to choose from the following options: closing the road to through traffic; installation of narrow parkways or “chokers”; installation of raised crosswalks; and installation of a combination of speed humps and chokers. “No action” is also one of the options.

During an April 12 village board meeting, Wallers detailed the options and their expected costs.

Wallers said Mayfield Drive could be closed near Roxbury Lane to all vehicles except police vehicles, firetrucks, school buses, snowplows and other designated vehicles at an estimated cost of $16,940.

Another option, Wallers said, would be to install “chokers” at four locations along the street at an estimated cost of $42,790. The chokers, essentially enlarged parkways, would narrow the width of the street to 20 feet in selected locations and are intended to compel motorists to slow down.

Wallers said raised crosswalks or speed tables could also be installed at strategic locations along the street at an estimated cost of $55,220.

Another option, he said, would be to do nothing and leave the street as it is with its current 25 mph speed limit in place.

Wallers told board members there are pros and cons to consider for each of the options.

For example, Wallers said that if the village were to close Mayfield Drive to through traffic it would reduce the number of vehicles on the street, but it would also impact nearby residents.

The installation of the chokers along the street would encourage motorists to slow down, but it also would reduce on-street parking opportunities, he said.

Installation of raised crosswalks or speed tables would serve to force motorists to slow down in crosswalks, but it would affect village snowplows and emergency vehicle access along the street, Wallers said.