Tinley Officials Approve Revised Rule for Millennium Student Drop-offs and Pick-ups

Village trustees unanimously approved a student drop-off ordinance Tuesday that was the result of a compromise among parents and local officials.

Trustee Brian Maher, chair of the Public Safety Committee, said that following , they decided to tweak the original ordinance to only allow drop-offs on the south side of Radcliffe Road. The issue initially came to light after police and residents said they regularly watched kids dart in between cars in that area after being dropped off or before being picked up for school.

“During the development of the plan, concerns were raised about the impromptu dropping off and picking up of students near a sidewalk adjoining Radcliffe Road between Durkin Road and 84th Avenue,” Maher said Tuesday, reading from the ordinance.

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The new, revised regulations will be in place between 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on school days, according to board documents, and violators could be hit with a fine of up to $750.

Members of the village board's Public Safety Committee first discussed a potential ordinance in early August.

The idea followed a traffic study and the statewide Safe Routes to School initiative—projects paid for by the Model Communities Grant, Village Planning Director Amy Connolly has said.

A crossing guard was added at Radcliffe and Durkin roads in the spring, but that didn’t solve all issues.

“A we move forward, we’re going to continue to monitor this,” Maher said. “This may be the solution, and it may not. It’s something we will have to keep an eye on.”