Villa Park : Parents Will Protest Dangerous Intersection

A parents’ group plans to present a list of demands to the City Council tonight, seeking safety measures at an intersection where two children have been struck and killed by vehicles in the last two months.

The students, both from Cerro Villa Junior High School, died from injuries after being struck at Taft and Nichols streets, an intersection near Villa Park High School and three other schools. At least 10 other students have been injured in the same area during the past six years.

Parents first expressed their concern about the intersection in December, 1982, when they asked the council for a traffic signal at the crossing. After being turned down, the parents returned in 1984 with petitions for other safeguards. Over the years, the council has authorized the widening and restriping of the crosswalk and extended no-parking zones for the area.

Judy Beyl, a founder of PANIC (Parents Alarmed about the Nichols-Taft Intersection Crosswalk), said the parents drew up a new petition Friday, which they will present to council members tonight. The petition, which Beyl said has more than 500 signatures, includes demands for stop signs, a crossing guard and, ultimately, a traffic signal.

Beyl said the parents will demonstrate in front of the high school from 7 a.m. until 6:30 p.m., when they will march to Civic Center near the high school.

“We hope we have our final answer,” Beyl said of tonight’s meeting. “Everything done in the past has been kind of a Band-Aid job. As you can tell, we’re angry.”