Urbana Residents Advocate for Improved Signage at High-Risk Intersection to Drive Meaningful Change

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URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — An intersection in Urbana, known for its hazardous conditions, has been the site of two car accidents since August of last year. The most recent incident, which occurred in October, resulted in significant damage to a nearby resident’s property.

The troublesome junction at High and Anderson Streets has prompted local residents to take action. On Tuesday, concerned neighbors presented their case at Urbana’s Traffic Commission meeting, advocating for the replacement of yield signs with stop signs at the intersection.

Residents point out that stop signs are already in place at other intersections throughout the neighborhood, and they are hopeful that this location will soon follow suit. Dennis Roberts, a property owner in the area, expressed the community’s desire for change, stating, “We would like to see some significant change in that, if we can get that done.”

“We would like to see some significant change in that, if we can get that done,” said Dennis Roberts, who owns property in the neighborhood.

“One person had run a yield sign, and it was hit by the other individual,” Roberts said about the crash in October.

This accident sent a vehicle crashing into his cottage. Roberts said he had just finished rebuilding the front half of the house.

“The car hit the corner of the house, cracked quite a few cinder blocks on the corner, damaged the clapboard, and it actually shifted the entire east wall back an inch off its foundation,” he said.

However, his property isn’t his only concern.

“We have children in the neighborhood,” Roberts said.

“I have a small child,” said Kristin Emilsson, another neighbor. “We actually have one on the way who’s due in about a month here.”

She lives right next to the intersection and said that High Street is often where traffic is diverted to when there is construction on main roads.

“We see a lot of traffic that isn’t necessarily immediately local in this area, and that traffic does not know this intersection as well as we do,” Emilsson said.

Traffic coming down High Street doesn’t have to stop, and she said that drivers often disobey yield signs on Anderson Street, making driving through the intersection of Anderson and High Streets a consistent concern for her.

“It’s a little terrifying,” Emilsson said. “I think most of the residents that live on this street, we understand the risk, and so we tend to drive very cautiously down High Street because we are looking for those cars that we know often will fail to yield.”

So, together, Emilsson and Roberts took their concerns to the traffic commission on Tuesday.

“Hopefully, we will convince them to upgrade the signage,” Roberts said.

And it’s exactly what they did, their request at the meeting was granted. Their recommendation will go to city council next for approval, but Roberts said that he’s confident the vote will pass.