What Oak Forest Streets Need to Move Out of the Fast Lane?

On the surface, the term "traffic calming" sounds like a New Age remedy for road rage, involving candles and crystals.

But at the heart of the idea is a desire to make sure motorists are traveling along community roadways at a safe speed. And it's not just for the drivers, but it's also for those living and working around them. (The term actually comes from the literal translation of the German word, verkehrsberuhigung, according to Wikipedia.)

And it's something Mayor Hank Kuspa wants Oak Forest officials to take a serious look at.

At the end of Tuesday's Oak Forest City Council, Kuspa asked the aldermen to suggest any city streets where they felt vehicles were going too fast. That information then would be part of the research City Administrator Troy Ishler and the Public Works Department has already started to compile, he said.

"We have certain streets, certain intersections, where traffic goes too fast or too fast during certain weather conditions or doesn't stop completely," Kuspa said during the meeting Tuesday, May 28. "We do have what some residents consider some hazardous situations."

As far as what measures would be taken to slow down traffic, Kuspa suggested roundabouts and speed tables as possibilities, adding that he wasn't a fan of speed bumps. But the first step was identifying the trouble spots.

"This is something I really, really want to get more information back to the council sooner than later," Kuspa said.

With that in mind, what streets and intersections do you think are hazardous because of how fast people are driving? How do you think the city should handle slowing down drivers?

YOUR TURN: Share your thoughts and concerns in the comments section. Patch will collect them and map out where residents think are the most hazardous streets and intersections.

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