Resident pleads for stop sign and bump-out on Fifth Avenue; council approves new stop sign at nearby intersection

A Moline resident identified in public comment as Darren told the council on July 8, 2025, that he has lived on Fifth Avenue since 1997 and has had four automobiles demolished in collisions near his home. He urged action to slow traffic, requesting a stop sign with a blinking signal at Second and Third Street and a curb bump-out to protect pedestrians, and said he had sent crash video to police.

Darren said drivers treat the stretch like a “speedway,” with speeds he estimated at 60–70 mph on a curve near his home; he said the collisions have been a recurring expense for him and raised the safety risk to children and to himself as a disabled resident.

Separately, the council passed a resolution to install a single stop sign at the northeast corner of the intersection of 20 Seventh Avenue and 30 First Street for westbound traffic. Traffic engineering staff told the council the intersection’s atypical street geometry and traffic patterns led the Traffic Engineering Committee to recommend the stop sign for consistency with other neighborhood intersections. The motion to install the sign was made by Alderman Finch and seconded; the council voted in favor.

No immediate action on Darren’s specific Fifth Avenue requests was recorded in the meeting record; public comment items were forwarded to staff. Council members did not object to staff investigating the resident’s concerns, and traffic staff have previously evaluated neighborhood intersections through the Traffic Engineering Committee.