Batavia using ‘caution’ before banning left turns on Kirk

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Updated: March 11, 2012 8:35AM

BATAVIA — Aldermen have decided on “caution” signs and additional speed enforcement at two increasingly accident-prone intersections on Kirk Road, before considering a ban on left turns at Giese Road and at Chillem Drive.

Members of the City Services Committee said they were prepared to ban left turns after a review of the rear-end collisions involving northbound motorists making left turns at those intersections over the past three years.

But after considering the potential impact at the intersections of Pine Street and Wind Energy Pass on Kirk Road from drivers seeking alternative routes, aldermen decided to approach the safety concerns incrementally, with hopes warning signs will reduce the number of crashes.

“By blocking off (left turns) at Chillem and Giese we would literally be pushing the can down the road,” Alderman Victor Dietz said.

Dietz said he was struck by the response of residents who live near Kirk and are opposed to the city prohibiting left turns into their neighborhoods. Residents said they would be inconvenienced by having to drive farther to and from their homes.

Police Chief Gary Schira said the safety issue was initiated by a resident expressing concern by the seriousness of the accidents, but by far they have heard from residents who don’t want the city to restrict their ability to access Kirk Road.

Schira said the maneuvers police considers dangerous are the left turns from Kirk Road, and the engineering makes it complicated because it requires a total restriction.

Schira said he didn’t think signs restricting the hours of left turns would be effective in reducing crashes, but he did accept moving incrementally toward a solution. The police chief said Kane County would have to approve of the caution signs.

Schira said from 2009 through mid-December, there have been 10 crashes on Kirk at Chillem Dive — seven which were rear-end collisions. For the same time, there were 13 crashes on Kirk at Giese Road — with nine of those rear-end crashes.