Region: Mattoon
Success

Speed Limit Signs on Western Ave!

Petition is addressed to:
City Council

66 Signatures

The petition is accepted.

66 Signatures

The petition is accepted.

  1. Launched May 2026
  2. Collection finished
  3. Submitted
  4. Dialogue
  5. Success

The petition was successful!

Read News

Petition addressed to: City Council

If you live, drive, walk, bicycle, jog, or otherwise use Western Avenue, you likely know speeding vehicles are a persistent problem. Western is a major thoroughfare in Mattoon with feeder traffic from arterial roads and side streets that contribute to the increasing volume of traffic. But why are there no posted speed limit signs? It seems bizarre considering the number of pedestrians that use Western Avenue and that it serves busy Lytle Park and Riddle Elementary. Furthermore, the problem of speeding vehicles on Western is not simply a matter of subjective opinion. The city's own Mattoon Safety Action Plan, adopted in July 2025, identified Western Ave as one of "the most dangerous areas when it comes to speeding in the city." (MSAP, Western Ave from 19th to 34th St, pg. 18)

Reason

 Posted speed limit signs may not fix the speeding problem, but they're an important part of a more comprehensive plan to address this hazardous issue. And to the extent they are a traffic control measure designed to remind drivers to be aware of their speed, then they do serve a purpose.

Thank you so much for your support, Brian Mr. B Gillaspie, Mattoon
Question to the initiator

Petition details

Petition started: 05/22/2026
Collection ends: 07/16/2026
Region: Mattoon
Topic: Traffic & transportation

News

  • I wanted to update everyone on the petition for speed limit signs on Western Avenue. The petition, with 66 signatures total, was sent via email to the entire city council on July 19. After receiving no response, I sent a follow up email on July 27. Curiously, as of this writing, I've still received NO RESPONSE from our elected officials. Apparently, the people elected to address the needs of the community and their constituents can't be bothered with communication. I can fully understand why people get incredibly frustrated with the "leaders" of our community.

    I did receive a response from the police chief, an unelected official with the city. It sounds like our petition did get attention as speed limit signs will be posted, so that's a win for us! I'm not sure of the timeline, but be on the lookout. It's a strange thing to me that it took this much effort to put into place something that's fairly standard in other municipalities (Charleston for example), but at least it proves that collectively we can make things happen.

    Thanks so much for your support!

    Brian Gillaspie

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