Galesburg’s City Council tonight will consider Traffic Advisory Committee recommendations on resident traffic safety concerns citywide, including a crosswalk study for busy West Carl Sandburg Drive, speeding enforcement on Harrison Street near a school zone, and stop signs near Cooke Park.
The committee, which includes the city manager, police chief, fire chief, and directors of Community Development and Public Works, addressed eight resident-driven issues in its November review aimed at safe, efficient city streets. The report has been made available to aldermen and the public.
Among the items is an ordinance up for vote to replace yield signs with stop signs at Holton Street and West Second Street, enhancing pedestrian safety near the new Cooke Park with its playground and future splash pad, at a cost of $150 from the City Gas Tax fund.
The full report is attached to tonight’s City Council agenda.
Here are the committee’s recommendations:
- East Main Street parking: Business owners requested three 30-minute parking signs on the south side from South Seminary Street to Public Parking Lot K to boost customer access, but with nearby two-hour parking and a public lot, no changes are needed.
- Holton Street stop signs: A resident sought to replace yield signs with stop signs at West Second Street’s intersections with Holton and Abingdon Streets due to the new Cooke Park facilities; stop signs will be installed at Holton and West Second, where sight distance is adequate but proximity to the park warrants caution, while Abingdon remains unchanged.
- North Pearl Street sign: A resident requested a “Deaf Child” sign between East Grove and East Losey streets; per a 2011 IDOT statement discouraging children warning signs because they don’t specify the child’s location, have no legal meaning, give a false sense of security, are often left up after the child grows or moves, lack engineering procedures, and have proven ineffective, no sign will be added.
- Florence Avenue parking: A resident asked to prohibit parking on both sides from East Fremont to Fifer Streets, but with a recent “No Parking” sign addition, low bus ridership prompting route reviews, and a resident survey favoring the status quo (three of four responses), no further changes are needed.
- West Carl Sandburg Drive crosswalk: A resident requested a crosswalk in front of Hollow Tree Apartments and the Knox County YMCA; the committee will further study design options and costs, noting four lanes without a median, no ADT study conducted, a 40-mph speed limit, adequate visibility, and 10 crashes in five years from 1250 to 1670 W. Carl Sandburg Drive (one pedestrian-involved).
- Parking Lot A speed bump: A resident requested a stop sign or speed bump at the drive aisle after the handicap ramp in Galesburg Parking Lot A at 260 E. Ferris St., reporting a near-miss with a car while with their handicapped child due to blocked views from the building/ramp; a speed bump will be installed west of the ramp to slow oncoming traffic from west to east, as ADA standards don’t require marked crossings here.
- Harrison Street speeding: resident highlighted speeding and ignored school zone signs, especially during train reroutes at the East Fremont Street railroad crossing, near the Regional Office of Education where middle and high school students attend the RAES Alternative School Monday-Friday; a prior 2022 TAC request for school signage was denied as it’s no longer a grade school; speed data from Nov. 6-13, 2025, shows an 85th percentile of 36 mph, 49.8% of 3,423 vehicles exceeding 30 mph, and 93% exceeding 20 mph; the radar feedback trailer will be placed, and police enforcement increased.
- Bateman Street stop sign: A resident requested a stop sign at the T-intersection with East Dayton Street, but with no restricted views, only one crash in five years, and MUTCD (Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices) criteria not met, no changes are needed.
