When Is An "Urban District" NOT An "Urban District"?

First, what exactly is an "Urban District," you might ask. Well, according to Illinois Statute, an Urban District is:

"The territory contiguous to and including any street that is built up with structures devoted to business, industry, or dwelling houses situated at intervals of less than 100 ft. for a distance of a quarter of a mile or more (625 ILCS 5/1-214)."

Hmmmmm. So, what is the importance of THAT definition, you might ask.

Well, the statutory speed limits in Illinois are defined as follows:

"Urban District for Any Vehicle: The maximum speed limit in an urban district for all vehicles is 30 MPH for a street and 15 MPH for an alley."

Voila! Eureka! We've caught IDOT going against the Illinois statute, right? I mean, Galena Road is CLEARLY an "Urban District," and statute says that the maximum speed limit in an urban district is 30 MPH, and... and...

Whoops. The statutes go on to give IDOT the power to INCREASE the maximum speed limit on any highway under their jurisdiction, based on engineering and traffic investigation. And, of course, any traffic study along Galena Road will show that the traffic is SPEEDING. Why? Because they're allowed to, that's why, by keeping the speed limit 15 MILES TOO HIGH for an "urban district," and by not allowing traffic signal lights, when they are allowed virtually everywhere else under similar circumstances.

Let's play a game here. Knowing what the definition of an "Urban District" is, according to Illinois statute, the next time you're out and about on an Illinois state highway, make note of when you're going through an area that you believe could be defined as an "urban district." Then, make note of what the speed limit is along that area. A few places pop into my mind. Chillicothe, Creve Coeur, Havana, Mason City, etc. etc. I can double check the next time I go through these "urban districts," but to the best of my recollection, the speed limits are, without fail, in the 30-35 MPH range. Except Galena Road. Why is that?

We'll explore the possible WHYs in the next posting.