Streator to buy 2 electronic radar signs for high school crossing, splitting cost with high school board

The Streator City Council and Streator High School board are moving forward to buy two electronic radar speed signs near the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Bloomington Street, where students regularly cross.

Mayor Tara Bedei said the school board agreed to split the cost of the signs with the City Council, and the item may be on the next agenda.

City engineer Jeremy Palm said in October that a solar-powered radar sign would cost $7,000.

The electronic radar sign will tell motorists how fast they are going and to slow down if they are speeding, similar to a radar sign posted near Grand Ridge School.

Streator resident Jeremy Whitfield spoke at a City Council meeting last spring and requested a traffic light to help students cross Bloomington Street, which prompted the topic with the council.

Palm told the council that because Bloomington Street is a state highway, it would require a traffic study for the city to request permission from the Illinois Department of Transportation to install a traffic light along the route. Installation of the electronic radar sign will not require a traffic study, Palm said.

Palm said that in 2006, after a student was struck by a vehicle, the city installed crosswalks, flashing warning lights and new signage to try to make the street safer for students.

Vehicles are required to stop when students are using the crosswalks.

The school day at Streator High School begins at 8 a.m. and concludes at 3 p.m. During these times, the red caution lights are activated near crosswalks, and pedestrian traffic is at its heaviest from students.