Rockford Sun

City of Rockford Traffic Commission met June 2.

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

I. CALL TO ORDER

The meeting was called to order by Dorien Peterson at 5:30 PM.

Attendee Name	Organization	Title	Status	Arrived
Scott Capovilla	City of Rockford		Present
Kerry Lin	City of Rockford		Present
Don Bissell	City of Rockford		Present
Dorien Peterson	City of Rockford		Present
Patrick Yarbrough	City of Rockford		Present
Tom Okite	City of Rockford		Present
Cedrick Ketton	City of Rockford		Present
Andrew Hartman	City of Rockford		Absent
Charles Smilinich	City of Rockford		Present
Emil Mosny	City of Rockford		Present
Aprel Prunty	City of Rockford	Alderman	Present

Also Present

Mrs. Sherrie Bias, 2204 Lucille Street, 61103

Ms. Ruth Torina, 2104 Lucille Street, 61104

Mr. Stephen Blais, 2111 Martha Avenue, 61104

Alderman Jaime Salgado, 1225 9th Street, 61104

Mr. Matthew Flores, Legal Department

II. ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES

The minutes of the last regular meeting held on May 14, 2025, were approved as submitted.

III. TRAFFIC REQUESTS

A. New Business

1. Request in the 5th Ward, by Stephen Blais, 2111 Martha Avenue, to establish a 25mph speed limit on Clara Avenue from Christina Street to Lucille Street, thus repealing the 30mph speed limit on Clara Avenue from Christina Street to Lucille Street. (This and the following four items were discussed and voted upon as a group. K. Lin explained the results of the speed studies and commented that staff does not consider there to be speeding problem. She also stressed that consistency of speed limits throughout the City is important and that staff does not support the request. P. Yarbrough pointed out that even if Traffic Commission approved the request, it still needed to be approved by Codes and Regulations and City Council. Recently, neither have supported speed reductions. Mrs. Sherrie Bias, Ms. Ruth Torina, and Mr. Stephen Blais felt that the speed study results do not reflect typical conditions. They expressed concern about speeding and the increased number of children in the neighborhood. Other methods to address these concerns were discussed. A speed limit sign will be installed at the entrance to the subdivision and Ms. Torina will come back to pick up the “Slow Down/ Save Lives” yard signs to distribute to her neighbors. K. Lin will request additional enforcement in the neighborhood. After these efforts, staff will conduct another round of speed studies and will reevaluate the request. Commission recommended laying items over to September. Motion by P. Yarbrough, seconded by C. Ketton, Voted 9-0).

2. Request in the 5th Ward, by Stephen Blais, 2111 Martha Avenue, to establish a 25mph speed limit on Martha Avenue from Clara Avenue to Sylvia Avenue, thus repealing the 30mph speed limit on Martha Avenue from Clara Avenue to Sylvia Avenue. (See discussion above.)

3. Request in the 5th Ward, by Stephen Blais, 2111 Martha Avenue, to establish a 25mph speed limit on Lucille Street from Clara Avenue to Sylvia Avenue, thus repealing the 30mph speed limit on Lucille Street from Clara Avenue to Sylvia Avenue. (See discussion above.)

4. Request in the 5th Ward, by Stephen Blais, 2111 Martha Avenue, to establish a 25mph speed limit on Sylvia Avenue from Lucille Street to Martha Avenue, thus repealing the 30mph speed limit on Sylvia Avenue from Lucille Street to Martha Avenue. (See discussion above.)

5. Request in the 5th Ward, by Stephen Blais, 2111 Martha Avenue, to establish a 25mph speed limit on Mary Court from Martha Avenue to end, thus repealing the 30mph speed limit on Mary Court from Martha Avenue to end. (See discussion above.)

6. Request in the 5th Ward, by Stephen Blais, 2111 Martha Avenue, to establish a “No Parking Any Time” restriction on the west side of Lucille Street from Clara Avenue to Sylvia Avenue. (Mrs. Sherrie Bias and Ms. Ruth Torina expressed concern about the lack of parking created by this restriction. K. Lin confirmed that one residence on the west side of Lucille Street does not have a driveway and that many of the driveways are shared, thus reducing the area available to each residence. Mr. Stephen Blais called attention to the difficulty that emergency vehicles have on Lucille Street due to parking on both sides of the street and the narrowness of the road. S. Mosny acknowledged that this is an accurate statement but also stated that there are other areas of the city where this same situation occurs and that the lack of parking should be considered in the decision. Commission recommended taking “No Action.” Motion by P. Yarbrough, seconded by S. Capovilla, Voted 9-0).

7. Request in the 5th Ward, by Stephen Blais, 2111 Martha Avenue, to establish one-way stop control at the intersection of Mary Court and Martha Avenue. (K. Lin explained that the intersection has low volumes as it is a cul-de-sac and there were no accidents in the study time period. Mr. Stephen Blais explained his request and pointed out that exiting Mary Court can be difficult due to the proximity of parked cars at the intersection. K. Lin commented that “No Parking Here to Corner” signs could be installed 30 feet either side of the intersection. Mrs. Sherrie Bias, Ms. Ruth Torina, and Mr. Stephen Blais, expressed concern with that distance and asked that it be reduced to 10 feet either side. K. Lin responded that the distance can be reduced to 10 feet. The Commission felt that stop control was not warranted but recommended establishing yield control at the intersection of Mary Court and Martha Avenue with Mary Court yielding for Martha Avenue. Motion by P. Yarbrough, seconded by C. Smilinich, Voted 9-0).

8. Request in the 11th Ward, by Rockford Public Works Department, to repeal the existing one-way street restriction on Columbia Avenue from 11th Street to 12th Street, thus restoring two-way traffic. (This and the following four items were discussed together but were voted on separately. K. Lin commented that staff noticed this one-way pair when reviewing the 11th Street plans. She explained that in order to provide for two-way traffic, the “No Parking” restriction is needed on both streets. Survey responses were mixed for the requests on Columbia Avenue but were more strongly in favor of “leaving as is” on Herbert Avenue. Alderman Salgado described his conversation with staff regarding the request and stated that he was neutral on the issue. K. Lin stated that Public Works staff was neutral but did feel that, at a minimum, the “2- Hour Parking” restriction should be repealed on both sides of Herbert Avenue. S. Capovilla expressed support for the request to be consistent with the goal of looking to the future in regards to two-way conversions throughout the City. Commission recommended repealing the existing one-way street restriction on Columbia Avenue from 11th Street to 12th Street, thus restoring two-way traffic. Motion by P. Yarbrough, seconded by S. Capovilla, Voted 9-0).

9. Request in the 11th Ward, by Rockford Public Works Department, to repeal the existing one-way street restriction on Herbert Avenue from 11th Street to 12th Street, thus restoring two-way traffic. (See discussion above. Commission recommended repealing the existing one-way street restriction on Herbert Avenue from 11th Street to 12th Street, thus restoring two-way traffic. Motion by D. Bissell, seconded by S. Capovilla, Voted 9-0).

10. Request in the 11th Ward, by Rockford Public Works Department, to establish a “No Parking Any Time” restriction on the south side of Columbia Avenue from 11th Street to 12th Street. (See discussion above. Commission recommended establishing a “No Parking Any Time” restriction on the south side of Columbia Avenue from 11th Street to 12th Street. Motion by S. Capovilla, seconded by S. Mosny, Voted 9-0).

11. Request in the 11th Ward, by Rockford Public Works Department, to establish a “No Parking Any Time” restriction on the north side of Herbert Avenue from 11th Street to 12th Street, thus repealing the “2-Hour Parking” restriction on the north side of Herbert Avenue from 12th Street to 1/2 block west of 12th Street. (See discussion above. Commission recommended establishing a “No Parking Any Time” restriction on the north side of Herbert Avenue from 11th Street to 12th Street, thus repealing the “2-Hour Parking” restriction on the north side of Herbert Avenue from 12th Street to 1/2 block west of 12th Street. Motion by T. Okite, seconded by S. Mosny, Voted 9-0).

12. Request in the 11th Ward, by Rockford Public Works Department, to repeal the “2-Hour Parking” restriction on the south side of Herbert Avenue from 11th Street to 12th Street. (See discussion above.

Commission recommended repealing the “2-Hour Parking” restriction on the south side of Herbert Avenue from 11th Street to 12th Street. Motion by K. Lin, seconded by P. Yarbrough, Voted 9-0).

IV. ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was closed at 6:44 PM by S. Capovilla, seconded by T. Okite.

https://cityoflovespark.com/minutes-agendas/city-council/