BATAVIA – Kane County and the city of Batavia are coordinating efforts to address concerns about crashes on Kirk Road and left turns at the intersections of Giese Road and Chillem Drive.

“This week, the county has been putting out some traffic counters to look at traffic volume and do a study,” said Tom Szabo, the county’s traffic section manager. “The issue is there are no northbound turn lanes. Anybody trying to turn into those intersections has to sit on Kirk Road in the path of northbound Kirk Road traffic.”

Szabo said the types of crashes they see tend to be rear-end collisions.

“We may be looking at restricting Chillem and Giese as right-in and right-out only,” Szabo said. “A left-turner would have to go to Pine Street or Wind Energy Pass, the nearest signalized intersections.”

He said drivers turning left would have to drive through the neighborhood to get where they are going instead of turning left without a signal.

“We anticipate trying to get the study done in a few weeks,” Szabo said.

Batavia Police Chief Gary Schira said his department’s analysis found 87 crashes on Kirk Road from Wilson Street to Wind Energy Pass since January 2010.

“There should be a protected left turn at both Chillem and Pine,” Schira said. “I would like the county to move it up the priority list. We do not have a concern turning from Giese or Chillem to Kirk, but we’ve had some bad accidents turning northbound from westbound. As people are proceeding to make a left-hand turn … they are usually rear-ended. Or what happens is at the last minute somebody behind the left-turner pulls out and the next car doesn’t see it and can’t stop in time and that forces vehicle into oncoming traffic.”

Another way to steer drivers away from making left turns at intersections without signals or left-turn lanes is to use a triangular shaped physical barrier with a raised center so drivers can go right in and right out only, Szabo said.

Shopping centers and side streets at Randall Road use them, he said.

Geneva installed several of them on side streets at Route 38 near Geneva High School to control left turns. Signs also warn drivers they cannot make a left turn. Those who need to turn left, have to either turn on a street that still allows access or wait until the light at Anderson Boulevard, turn left, then left again to get to the high school.

Szabo said no firm plan is in place yet, and nothing has been budgeted for putting in those physical barriers.

“It would be a decision between both the county and the city,” Szabo said. “Funding would be an issue. It could be the county and city bearing that – what to do and how to pay for it – but that has to be discussed.”