Updated Post, June 18, 2025 / During the June 17, 2025, City Council Meeting, the Council had the choice of voting for two options regarding traffic speed calming along Jefferson Avenue as vehicles approach downtown Naperville from the west: Option 1: Pass an ordinance amending the Naperville Traffic Schedule Manual to establish a four-way stop at the intersection of West Street and Jefferson Avenue: or “Option 2: Concur with staff’s recommendation to not implement an unwarranted four-way stop at West Street and Jefferson Avenue and direct staff to implement traffic calming measures along Jefferson Avenue between River Road and Mill Street.”
Former City Councilman Paul Hinterlong, a 40-year resident of the neighborhood just west of downtown Naperville, spoke in favor of Option 2. Hinterlong cited the Federal Highway Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, saying that the manual advises “not using stop signs for speed control.”
Option 2 passed.
Original Post, June 10, 2025 / School is out! Drive carefully, follow the locally posted speed limit and all the Rules of the Road.
And note that in Naperville, the speed limit is 25 mph unless otherwise posted.
It’s apparent some local drivers either don’t know or don’t follow that speed limit.
Sunday morning within 45 minutes two drivers were observed pulled over by local law enforcement along Plainfield-Naperville Road near Green Acres, both headed north.
Consider Plainfield-Naperville Road from Oswego Road to West Street. The long one-mile stretch of straight road posts two 25-mph signs heading north and three 25-mph signs heading south. And a yellow “no passing” stripe is painted in the middle of the road.
It’s quite likely the Sunday morning drivers didn’t see the 25-mph speed limit signs. And perhaps the presence of the yellow line suggested a faster speed limit on the long stretch of road that does not have or require a stop sign.
Watch out for the other guy
Let us flash back to when we learned to drive a long, long time ago. The resounding message was “Watch out for the other guy.”
The “other guy” was the driver in the oncoming lane, the driver in front and the driver in back. That meant every good driver’s eyes naturally trended toward the left lane, oncoming vehicles, the center of the street, back and forth, and to traffic signs on the right of the road as well as pedestrians.
Jefferson Avenue Approach to Downtown
In recent months, speeding along Jefferson Avenue from River Road to Mill Street has been addressed during City Council meetings. Jefferson Avenue is lined with a yellow stripe down the middle, indicating no passing.
Residents along Jefferson Avenue have concerns about speeders in their residential neighborhoods on the approach to downtown Naperville.
Drivers will note six “25-mph” signs along the south side of Jefferson Avenue from River Road to Mill Street where there is a four-way stop. Five “25-mph” signs are placed along the north side. Other informational signs indicate crosswalks and bike lanes.
Some residents and City Council members are thinking a stop sign might mitigate fast driving. The discussion has considered the merits of another stop sign along Jefferson, possibly at West Street or Ewing Street.
Adding a stop sign comes with a number of issues as well as a learning curve. Some drivers are always going run stop signs, break rules and regulations.
Listening to the experienced City engineers was indeed enlightening and thought provoking.
And we wondered… Are there rules and regulations regarding the space allowed between street signs?
My daughter and I got to thinking during a recent City Council meeting and we began to wonder. What if all the “25-mph” signs throughout Naperville were two-sided as a way to communicate the speed limit from both sides of the street? What if 25-mph two-sided signs were in place to educate drivers by doubling reminders to go that speed?
Testing two-sided 25-mph signs likely would cost less than experimenting with a stop sign that might be more dangerous than safe.
Drive the speed limit or get pulled over
For many years, this PN website has presented safety alerts presented by Naperville Police Sgt. Derek Zook when the Naperville Police Department has partnered with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), the Illinois State Police and other law enforcement agencies to step up state-wide enforcement efforts to reduce speeding.
Certainly those initiatives include Naperville streets such as Jefferson Avenue and Plainfield-Naperville Road where the speed limit is 25 mph.
Throughout the summer months, motorists can expect increased patrols looking for speeding and other traffic violations.
Numerous press releases provided by Sgt. Zook have noted, “Speeding causes unnecessary danger on our roads.”
No doubt, good drivers have observed that higher speed greatly reduces a driver’s ability to steer safely around another vehicle, a hazardous object or an unexpected curve.
Speeding drivers put themselves, their passengers and other motorists at tremendous risk.
Sgt. Zook always notes, “Our goal is to save lives.”
Other things to note during summer vacation
Watch out for local youngsters at play, bicyclists and teen drivers. Remind the young drivers in your life about the Rules of the Road and that the speed limit in Naperville is 25 mph unless otherwise posted. And always buckle up for safety.
Also Note Youngsters on E-bikes
Also, be prepared for zooming youngsters traveling via mini-electric vehicles and e-bikes, both on sidewalks and on neighborhood streets. Be safe.
Residents along Jefferson Avenue have expressed concerns.
From Illinois.gov/Traffic Safety/Speed Limits
Every driver is responsible to be aware of the posted speed limit.
In Illinois, the maximum speed limit is 70 mph on interstate highways outside urban areas, 65 mph on rural interstates and 55 mph on interstate highways near or in major cities and on other highways. The speed limit is 30 mph in an urban area unless some other speed restriction is established.
It could be that residents from other cities are unaware of the 25-mph speed limit throughout Naperville neighborhoods.
If speed limit is not posted in Naperville, speed is 25 mph
Kindly do the community of safe drivers a favor. Help spread the word that the speed limit from one neighborhood to the next is 25 mph. And take note that the speed limit is 20 mph in school zones on school days when students are present.
Thanks for reading! —PN
