Campton Hills board approves ordinance lowering McDonald Road speed limit to 40 mph

Campton Hills trustees voted Jan. 21 to adopt Ordinance 25-3, reducing the posted speed limit on village sections of McDonald Road from 45 miles per hour to 40 miles per hour.

The change follows a speed study presented to the board that examined two segments of McDonald Road inside the village and used established engineering methods to recommend a reduction. The board voted with all roll-call responses in favor; the motion to approve was moved by Muncie and seconded by Berson.

The engineering consultant, Scott Marquardt of HR Green, summarized the study for the board. He said, "The summary of the study is both sections of roadway can be recommended to be reduced to 40 miles an hour from the current 45." Marquardt noted the study includes traffic counts and speed distributions and that two standard analysis methods were applied; one method supported reducing both segments, and the other supported a change for one of them.

Trustees discussed whether a five-mile-an-hour reduction would produce noticeable changes in driver behavior. Trustee Janet said she questioned whether a drop to 40 "is enough of a reduction to even be perceptible to the drivers" and asked whether other measures (rumble strips, signage or changing intersections) might be more effective. Board members referenced recent rumble-strip installation on McDonald Road; one trustee reported seeing a decline in accidents since the rumble strips went in.

Village staff estimated the sign costs would be modest. Ray, a village staff member, told the board that replacing a 45 mph sign with a 40 mph sign while keeping the existing post would likely cost "probably less than $100 per sign," and that a new post and base could push the per-sign cost toward $300.

Board members and staff emphasized that signage and public notification alone are typically insufficient to change speeds and that enforcement is a necessary component to lower travel speeds. Marquardt said enforcement was discussed with the police department when the study was prepared.

The ordinance passed on a roll-call vote; those recorded as voting "aye" were Trustee Munsey, Trustee Burson, Trustee Boettner, Trustee McAlvey and Trustee Williams. No no-votes or abstentions were recorded.

The village will coordinate sign replacement and enforcement planning. Marquardt also noted that the engineering study did not support reducing the posted speed below 40 mph based on roadway characteristics and prevailing speeds.

The board did not set an explicit effective date during the discussion; implementation will follow standard village procedures for changing posted speed limits, including installing new signs and coordinating enforcement.