Forest Park School Travel Plan - Active Transportation Policy

3.3 Enforcement (continued)
3.4 Engineering
3.3.4 Create Targeted Enforcement Efforts
Priority: Near-term
No police department can aggressively enforce all laws in
all locations at all times. The Forest Park Police Department
can continue to use existing crash data to identify the most
dangerous locations and target enforcement at those sites.
Stings focused on reckless behavior by motorists have proven
particularly successful in other communities. The Police
Department should continue to hold targeted enforcement
events for crosswalk violations as well as other types of
infractions, such as speeding in school zones. The Village of
Forest Park should review these efforts on an annual basis to
ensure appropriate allocation of enforcement resources.
Having safe and accessible walking and bicycling infrastructure
is a prerequisite for any SRTS effort. Infrastructure
improvements can be made to calm traffic and create safer
conditions for student pedestrians and cyclists. Although many
of the recommended changes will be implemented in the long
term, many low-cost and easily implemented solutions such as
repainting crosswalks or patching sidewalks can be done right
away. The Village of Forest Park should prioritize the following
areas for infrastructure updates:
3.4.1 Construct, Repair, and Replace Sidewalks
Priority: Long-term
Circle Avenue
Circle Avenue is one of two main north-south school routes.
Its narrow sidewalks, present one of the biggest challenges
to ensuring that students have a safe route to school. Several
options may be available. First, the Village may be ale to work
with IDOT to construct a cantilevered bridge on the west side
of the Circle Avenue Bridge over I-290. A cantilevered bridge
can provide a separated facility for cyclists and pedestrians,
eliminating the need for bridge reconstruction or reducing
vehicle lanes. Additional analysis is needed to determine if this
recommendation is feasible.
Forest Park cell phone enforcement campaign.
An alternative recommendation for the Circle Avenue Bridge
include, is to widen the sidewalk on the east side, remove the
sidewalk on the west side, and stripe bike lanes along the length
of the bridge. Finally, the Village and IDOT may be able to
partner to re-construct the bridge to include at minimum 6-footwide
sidewalks and two 5-foot-wide bike lanes.
Forest Park cell phone enforcement campaign.
Narrow sidewalks on Circle Avenue are a barrier to safety.
RECOMMENDATIONS
25