Deborah Fagan
Trail Systems Coordinator, DuPage County Division of Transportation
421 North County Farm Road
Wheaton, Illinois 60187
Dear Deborah,
I am writing to recommend safety improvements for the intersection of County Farm Road and the Great Western Trail, between the municipalities of Carol Stream and Winfield.
The County Farm Road intersection is the third-busiest at-grade intersection on the Great Western Trail, with an average annual daily traffic (AADT) value of 21,300. This is just behind the trail intersections with Schmale Road in Carol Stream, with an average of 21,400 AADT, and Gary Avenue in Carol Stream, with an average of at least 30,000 AADT (27,500 on Gary plus around 3,000 AADT thru traffic on St. Charles Road).
Left-turn lane conflicts at the Gary Avenue and Schmale Road intersections prevent lower-cost safety improvements from being implemented at these intersections. However, the County Farm Road intersection is an ideal location to add a "refuge island" for trail users.
The existing crossing encourages path users to cross County Farm Road in its entirety, when traffic clears in both directions. With no curbs or other protections in the current median, neither pedestrians nor cyclists have a comfortable area to wait in the median for traffic in one direction to clear after they have crossed traffic flowing in the other direction.
A "refuge island" in the median of County Farm Road would help break up the current 64-foot long crossing into two 24-foot crossings. The latest AASHTO Bike Book (1999) recommends that one of the conditions under which refuge islands should be considered is when "high volumes of roadway traffic and/or speeds create unacceptable conditions for path users." With 21,300 vehicles passing this part of the trail at speeds at or above the 45 miles per hour speed limit, both volumes and speeds create unacceptable conditions for bicyclists and pedestrians.
Such an island may be landscaped, similar to medians on nearby North Avenue. In addition, the Florida Department of Transportation has implemented refuge islands that angle the trail towards oncoming traffic slightly. This encourages cyclists to slow down and look in the direction of oncoming traffic before making their second crossing. "Lean rails" can be installed on the refuge island to assist bicyclists who are stopped at the intersection, allowing them to keep their feet on the pedals while waiting for traffic to clear. An example of offset refuge islands is attached to this letter.
The Kane County Department of Transportation implemented a non-offset, landscaped refuge island at the intersection of the Illinois Prairie Path - Geneva Spur and Kirk Road between West Chicago and Geneva (2008 AADT 32,400 to 32,800, speed limit 45 mph). This refuge island allows cyclists and pedestrians to cross Kirk Road's four lanes and two shoulders in two movements. An image of this island from the motorists' point of view is attached to this letter.
The refuge island design can be applied to other higher-volume crossings on the Great Western Trail. One possible intersection is the crossing with Bloomingdale Road in Glendale Heights. With AADT counts ranging from 9,900 to 14,200, Bloomingdale Road at this point may be considered for a "road diet", reconfiguring Bloomingdale Road from four lanes with no median to three lanes with a center turn-lane between North Avenue and Geneva Road. At the Great Western Trail, the center turn lane can be dropped for a refuge median, allowing trail users to cross this low-visibility intersection more safely.
Twenty years after first opening to the public, the Great Western Trail is now used almost as frequently as the main branches of the Illinois Prairie Path by area residents. A well-designed refuge island at County Farm Road would increase the safety of pedestrians, bicyclists and equestrian users of the trail, and motivate other users concerned by safety at this intersection to use the trail as well.
Sincerely, Robert Guico
Carol Stream Bikes
Attachments: Aerial image of the Great Western Trail at County Farm Road
Street-level image of the Illinois Prairie Path - Geneva Spur at Kirk Road
Florida Intersection Design Guide, pages 3-29 through 3-32 (Refuge areas,
bollards, lean rails)
AASHTO Bike Book (1999), pages 51-52 (Refuge areas and specifications)
Additional signatures in support of a refuge island at County Farm Road
