Shorewood Takes Control of an Uncontrolled Intersection

With two recent car accidents at Marion Street and Prospect Avenue, neighboring residents raised a valid question: Why aren't there any stop signs at our intersection?

Martha and Patrick Bodden moved to the northeast corner of that intersection in October, and already they have seen accidents on Oct. 15 and May 20. Concerned about the safety of their three-year-old son and 16-month-old daughter, Martha circulated a petition and gathered 41 signatures from a group of very receptive neighbors. 

After a group of the residents spoke up at a Village Board in June, Police Chief David Banaszynski suggested the intersection be controlled with two stop signs for east-west traffic on Marion Street at Prospect Avenue. The Village Board unanimously approved Banaszynski's recommendation at a meeting on Monday night.

The Village Board's approval came as a relief not only to the Boddens, but to other families in the area. With three young children at home, Prospect Avenue resident Jennifer Swenson said the new stop signs will give her peace of mind regarding her young ones' safety.

"There are a lot of kids in the area, and we've seen so many people blow through the intersection because they think the cross street has a stop sign," she said. "I don't think people give it a second thought."

The Village Board has also received requests from residents one block down at Prospect Avenue and Olive Street to turn their two-way stop into a four-way stop. On the west end of the village, residents at Marlborough Drive and Congress Street have also requested their two-way stop turn into a four-way stop.