Too many speeders in Naperville?

The downtown Naperville area is nothing short of treacherous for pedestrians on weekday mornings. Between the people racing down Washington street, taking shortcuts down side streets, the soccer moms dropping their kids off at the school by the church in time AND people trying to make it to the train in the morning I feel like I'm playing a real-life game of Frogger whenever I walk anywhere!

They need to make those "No turn on red when pedestrians are present" signs in neon green and flashing. I couldn't even tell you how many times I've nearly been run down by someone blazing through a red light turning on red with people in the crosswalk only to come to a screeching halt.

What's the solution? Couldn't tell you. I hate all this big brother nonsense which is becoming commonplace. It's sad we need so much legislation when a "HEY! DON'T BE AN IDIOT!" would suffice.

The driving problems are widespread.

Speeding, running red lights, running through stop signs, illegal U-turns in a school zone, failing to obey a crossing guard or a loading/unloading school bus, failure to yield right of way to pedestrians, bicyclists and other drivers, tailgating, making a left turn from the right lane (and visa versa), backing up on a thoroughfare instead of just driving to a safe spot to turn around properly, drag racing, squids on sport bikes doing wheelies, cutting in and out of traffic and acting like complete a$$hats.

With the weather on the verge of getting nicer, more people will be out and these incidents will increase.

Stand outside the YMCA on Washington between 4PM - 6PM. Watch the number of cars that make illegal left turns onto Van Buren.

Once every few weeks, I see a local restaurant owner traveling south on Washington who makes an illegal left turn on Jefferson as he goes to his establishment. But then, he's big enough that the rules don't apply to him.

As someone who nearly DIED due to a speeding teenager who was late for work and sped through a yellow light (then swerving to avoid someone turning in front of him), causing him to plow into me at over 60 mph in a 40 mph zone, I am qualified to complain about speeders. I make it my personal rule to keep within 5 mph of the speed limit, I always have, even when I was a teenager myself. I was more afraid about facing my parents than being late. Plus, I like my money, and I don't want to pay for a ticket or higher insurance. My son & I even tested & compared while I was teaching him to drive, and we found that those who were speeding & dodging around other cars almost always ended up sitting at the same red light with us. The speeding & rushing just gives you the illusion that you're making better time. That kid who hit me was so worried about being late that he ended up not going to work at all, destroying his parents' car, and nearly killing me. I am sure if you talked to him now, he would agree that no job is worth speeding for. I am ALL FOR having a state database to be able to crack down on repeat speeders, and I am ALL FOR having red light cameras to fine those who run lights. So what if "Big Brother" is watching, or keeping track of my driving record, because if I'm not breaking the law, why would I care? NOTHING except a life-threatening emergency justifies speeding. If you are someone who objects to either the state database or red light cameras, you are more worried about your own behavior and your own wallet than the greater public good. Like I said, I've earned the right to complain.

According to teenagers, the place to put the "pedal to the metal" is heading east on Ogden from WVHS to the 75th street turn off. (shortcut to Costco on Rt. 59) I actually have witnessed kids speeding on that strip. Apparently it is never patrolled and the children get their speeds up to 120 mph. I've contacted the non emergency 911 # to inform them of this problem and yet I never see it patrolled. This is just a terrible accident waiting to happen. Please, can someone get this area patrolled? Therefore the kids will know that the police are onto their drag strip and that lives can be saved?

Get in touch with the commander of that area and you will see things change. You should be able to get your message accross just by calling Aurora's non emergency number but if that wasn't sucessful go over their heads to the commander. The city of Aurora also has a customer service line available on their website. Use that.

I think speeding everywhere is insane! Your always in someones way which makes you go faster than the speed limit even if you dont want to just so you do not make someone mad. I drive a mustang but not to go fast because I like the car and I am noticing minivans flying past me because everyone is in such a rush. I would love to see more speed traps!

Life is to short to not take time to enjoy yours, or even better take someone else's life in the process.

Speeding is a problem, but the biggest problem is people that run red lights. I have seen so many people in the middle of an intersection turn after the light changes and then 2 or more cars follow them! This creates a domino effect with the next series of drivers trying to turn from the other directions. Its about common courtesy not about your desire to get somewhere faster people. Think for a change would ya!

As long as other people continue to drive like they are at present I will continue to be totally supportive of red light cameras. At the current rate at which drivers are ignoring traffic laws it will not be long before we will have speed cameras, stop sign cameras, and probably a few other types of devices that haven't even been invented yet. As long as drivers continue to choose to disobey traffic laws we will all have to learn to interact with electronic enforcement.

Whether or not these electronic devices will make any substantial change or improvement to drivers complying with the "Rules of the Road" is too early to know. One thing is for sure is that every municipality installing these devices can not help but have a hard eye on the potential revenue dollars that will be generated from electronic enforcement. One thing that we all should do is speak up and demand that every penny collected from these devices be reinvested for traffic safety improvements and traffic safety education in the community. To use these funds for anything else would only give credibility to those who do argue that the intent is not for public safety.

For one example we desperately need traffic light synchronization, esp on major roads like Ogden, 75th, Rt 59, etc. Traffic light synchronization will control speeding and running of red lights for the most part. Yet no one seems willing to pay for it. All talk for many years and no action. Well now we have a funding source. Let's use it for something positive and which will be a lasting benefit and traffic safety improvement to our community.

I routinely take Washington St. in the morning to the train, and for almost five years have seen people blow down Washington doing at least 45 mph in a 30 or 35 zone by the Hospital. Many do not realize that the speed limit on Washington changes as you approach downtown from the South. I have never once seen a Naperville police office pull anyone over for speeding on Washington, so why would people obey the laws when no one enforces them?

If any of the police officers that do patrols are like the one I encountered recently then they really do not care about the small stuff. (And how much "big stuff" is there really) We had an accident where someone rear ended us pretty bad, and the officer did not even want to do an accident report. Makes me feel great to pay taxes

To get hired as a police office in Naperville these days it requires an applicant to be a college grad. Face it these officers all want to get promoted and solve "the big case". None of them want or desire traffic duty. Writing traffic tickets to Naperville residents only generates complaints and too many complaints in the file can be a problem come time for a promotion.

Fact is anyone can drive all over Naperville during the day time and rarely see a patrol vehicle. WHERE ARE THE POLICE OFFICERS ARE TAX DOLLARS ARE PROVIDING? They sure are NO WHERE TO BE FOUND patrolling the major streets. They sure are NO WHERE TO BE FOUND around any of the major intersections... you know the intersections that are consistently listed as the most accident prone... you know the intersections that have 4, 5, or more cars run the red light ON EVERY LIGHT CYCLE... and not just during rush hour (not that that justifies anything)... people are running these red lights ALL DAY LONG.

The other night I was out around 11PM and between Raymond and Washington on Ogden Ave there were at least three cars pulled over. After turning south on Washington to downtown there were two more cars pulled over. In twenty years in Naperville I've never seen that kind of traffic enforcement during the day.
Not once. Never.

Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems to me the Naperville Police have shifted their focus to mostly only worrying about DUI at night and the rest of the time they are playing on the computer trying to find and catch child molesters. Don't get me wrong, I have no compassion for child molesters and I do wonder why the police departments in their own communities are not also doing something to catch them. I also have mixed emotions about the Naperville Police enticing these molesters to come to our community so that they can arrest them here and get credit for the bust. How about working to keep this kind of trash out of our town instead?

Let's face it. Naperville is NOT a high crime rate town. The proof is seen in how infrequently the police patrol neighborhood streets. In the vast majority of neighborhoods neighborhood patrols just are not happening. The proof is also seen any time someone calls 911 even for a minor illness and it is not uncommon for 4 or 5 police cars to show up in addition to whatever the Fire Department sends. Sure it give whoever is having a really bad day the warm fuzzies that "The City of Naperville" and their tax dollars are taking care of them during whatever crisis. The reality is that such an over-response is a total waste of taxpayer dollars.

The Police Department is way over staffed based upon the crime in Naperville. We could very easily get by with less than half of the number of officers currently on the city payroll. It is long overdue to get ALL of the officers back out on the street where they belong. It is long overdue to get ALL of the supervisors back out on the street where they belong.

For this to happen though enough people need to contact the city council and let them know that they are fed up with how Chief Dial is running the Police Department. Fact is police departments operate by the chain of command. Patrol Officers do what they are told to do by command officers. Until the command officers tell the patrol officers to start enforcing traffic laws nothing will change.

It is long past time for the city council to give Chief Dial an annual set of performance goals and if he can't or won't deliver on these goals then they should find a new chief who can.

If you want to earn the big bucks these days you must be able to deliver. We should expect no less from civil servants.

I totally agree.

Speeding? When? 4am? I am on Washington around 7am each day, and.. am sitting in bumper to bumper traffic from Bailey to 75th street every morning. Once I make it through Hobson, it's usually clear coasting until you get to Edwards (maybe a mile??)... then it's backed up all the way through downtown. Same thing on the reverse commute. Forget about Naper Blvd... that road is just a parking lot by 7:15, and continues throughout the day. So... when and where do people actually get to break the speed limit... i'd love to know so that I can try that route! Maybe then, it will take me less then 25-30 minutes to drive 5 miles anywhere within Naperville!!! Everyone expects the City to do something about these problems, but they're the ones that allowed this to happen by overbuilding... and doing nothing to the infrastructure to support 25 new homes on a 2 acre parcel!

David,

I'm not really sure how our observations can be so different of Washington at the same time of the morning.

Granted, your description sound like you are headed north and traffic headed in that direction is much heavier.

Southbound traffic is WAY over the speed limit. Every morning I need to turn right onto Washington from Spring and take my life in my hand with traffic flying up out of the BN viaduct. If traffic was going 25, which is the posted limit, it wouldn't be too bad. Fact is when they come into view and are doing 40 or more there is so little time to do anything about it that sooner or later there will be a terrible accident.

I'm sure Naperville's finest will blame the speeded. Though they might put some of the blame on the vehicle entering from Spring for failure to yield too.

The fact that there is a Jr. HS right there and it is s SCHOOL ZONE... meaning 20 miles per hour means nothing to anyone going in either direction. It means nothing to City of Naperville vehicles. It means nothing to school busses. It means nothing to really anyone as the normal traffic speed is at least 35 mph.

I'm not sure why this stretch of road is marked for 25 or why we even have school zones anymore. NO ONE pays any attention to school zone speed limits and the police certainly DO NOT enforce the school zone limit around our schools. The same people speeding down the streets around the schools are also running the stop signs near the schools. But you never see any patrol cars out enforcing this... clearly they have much more important things to do.

People are driving like maniacs, in part, because our police department has allowed them to become conditioned to believe that they can do almost anything out there with only a remote possibility of getting caught.

Every couple of years a child gets hit in a crosswalk. Then for a while there will be some enforcement. Then everything goes back to normal until another child gets hurt. Sadly, we will probably have to wait for another innocent child to get hurt before there will be any increase in enforcement and even then, if history is any indicator, it won't last long.

Where are our police officers? What are they doing? Where are they hiding? Why are they not maintaining a higher, more visible presence in our community... especially on major streets and during rush hour?

Naperville has about 140,000 residents and it takes up 39 square miles of land. The Naperville Police department has about 200 sworn police officers and 118 other employees. What those 118 other employees do is anyones guess.
Our 39 square miles are divided up into 11 police beats... or approx 3.5 sq miles per beat... that is a beat that is less than 2 miles by 2 miles in size!

Dividing our 39 square miles of land by 200 sworn police officers means we have one officer for every 1/5 of a square mile.... yikes that means we have 5 police officers for every square mile of land! OK, so they work three shifts a day so at any one time each office has to cover... wow... a whole 3/4 of a square mile.

That is huge! At any time of day or night we should have about 60 police officers out on our streets. YES, that is what we are paying for! We should be literally tripping over them. We should see them every time we turn around. A trip down Ogden from Rt 59 to Naper Blvd is 6.2 miles. In that stretch we should see at least 8 patrol vehicles. If we don't, then we have to ask... where are they? What are they doing?

Here we go again. Blame the police department. Why do you not put the blame where it really is ? The drivers ! Most are adults that know better to begin with, they do not care, its all about them and what they need to do. If people were responsible in their driving there would not be anything to complain about.