Belvidere council approves 4-way at 5th & West 6th, shifts East 5th/Caswell stop onto Caswell

At its May 4 meeting, the Belvidere City Council approved two traffic-control changes aimed at reducing crashes near neighborhood streets: the council made the intersection of 5th Avenue and West 6th Street a four-way stop and amended a separate measure so that Caswell Street — not East 5th — will carry the two-way stop at the East 5th/Caswell intersection.

The actions followed public comment from neighbors who said speeding and several recent accidents prompted safety concerns. “We have had multiple accidents in our yard… people fly down Caswell 35, 40 miles an hour,” resident Linda Lenhart told the council, and she asked for “a stop sign either 2 way or 4 way, and I would like to see more patrols and some more speed limit signs.” John Fish, who said he has lived on Caswell for 39 years, urged a four-way stop to protect children and older residents: “I recommend it be a 4 way,” he told the council.

Council members discussed alternatives before voting. Alderman Burgin said the request stemmed from a school-district safety concern and suggested flashing lights or a crossing guard. Director Anderson summarized the traffic analysis in staff materials and warned that "the warrants are not there for a 4 way stop condition" at the East 5th/Caswell location; he also told the council that “stop signs are not intended as a speed control device” and that enforcement is the proper speed-control tool.

Alderman Peterson offered an amendment to place the stop on Caswell rather than on East 5th; the amendment carried and the amended ordinance to make Caswell the two-way stop passed on roll call. The separate ordinance making 5th Avenue and West 6th a four-way stop also passed after discussion and a roll-call vote.

Council members said they would add temporary indicators for motorists and explore additional enforcement. "We will flag that intersection specifically just because it's a total change from what the neighborhood's been used to," Director Anderson said. The council suggested placing a speed trailer and coordinating with the police department about targeted patrols. The new stop configurations will take effect as the city implements signage changes and notifications to the neighborhood.

Next steps: the city will mark the modified intersections with new signs and temporary flags and pursue speed-notification tools and increased enforcement to help the community adapt.