The Village of Hinsdale's inaugural Public Safety and Transportation Commission on Thursday voted by consensus to send a staff recommendation to the village board to further vet a rapid- flashing beacon at Ninth Street and County Line Road and to study crosswalk options near Third Street that would provide a more direct route for middle-school students.

The commission's action follows public comment from two residents who described repeated near-miss incidents at village crosswalks and urged upgrades. Adrienne Nolan, a Hinsdale resident whose three children attend Oak School, asked the commission to install rectangular rapid-flashing beacons (RRFBs) at Ninth and County Line, citing Federal Highway Administration findings that RRFBs “are found to increase motorist yielding rates up to 98%.” Theresa McLeer described multiple near misses downtown and volunteered to share video she recorded of drivers making rolling stops.

The commission and staff agreed the Ninth and County Line crossing is a strong candidate for enhancement. Chief Brian King and Deputy Chief Tom Lillie told commissioners that the stretch has relatively high pedestrian volume and that a beacon would be consistent with other village installations used at higher-volume crossings. Deputy Chief Lillie said staff would gather detailed pedestrian and vehicle counts, examine sight lines and queuing risks and evaluate alternatives, including moving a beacon one block north to Eighth Street to reduce the chance of backing traffic up to the 50th/Fifth signal.

Village engineer Matthew Lou and Chief King said the crossing already is served by a morning and afternoon crossing guard, and commissioners noted that recruiting and retaining crossing guards is difficult. Village President Greg Hart observed that enhanced infrastructure should be considered as a complement to, not a replacement for, the crossing guard. “Finding people to serve as crossing guards is very difficult,” Hart said, noting the current crossing guard's long service.

On the nearby Third Street corridor, commissioners pressed staff for design options to provide a safer, more direct crossing route for middle-school students walking from The Woodlands to Hinsdale Middle School. Staff said the Third Street location raises design and right-of-way questions (a sidewalk on one side ends at a private drive) that warrant engineering study; commissioners asked staff to return with options, including short-term striping/visibility improvements and longer-term reconstruction options tied to a road resurfacing scheduled for 2029.

Next steps: staff will perform feasibility and pedestrian/vehicle counts at Ninth/Eighth and at the proposed Third Street location, refine cost and design options, engage nearby residents, and present formal recommendations to the village board for final action.