Village of Godfrey Board of Trustees: Public Safety, Finance, Board Meetings
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GODFREY – Godfrey trustees this week tabled a policy guiding the future use of speed bumps and humps to deter speeding on residential streets throughout the village. As officials sort through the details, the item is set to return for another vote in two weeks.
Speed Bumps vs. Speed Humps: Key Distinctions
The proposed policy defines the differences between a “permanent speed hump” and a “temporary street bump.” While both are 3 to 4 inch tall platforms aimed at reducing vehicle speeds, the two contrast in a few key ways.
Permanent speed humps are installed in fixed positions, and are longer, flatter, and more gradual than speed bumps. Their general goal is to “promote traffic flow while safely reducing vehicle speeds.”
Temporary speed bumps are portable and are typically only used “for a limited trial period.” A speed bump is significantly shorter and less gradual than a speed hump – as a result, it “forces a much more significant reduction in vehicle speeds due to a more disruptive jolt when traveling across it.”
Public Complaints Of Speeding Prompt Policy
Godfrey residents have previously complained about speeding in their neighborhoods and have consistently called for more traffic safety measures, including speed bumps and/or humps and other possible solutions.
Village Engineer Rich Beran initially advised against using speed bumps and humps due to the issues they were expected to cause with snow plows. However, he wrote in a Sept. 30, 2025 memo that more recent testing by the village’s Street Department has shown speed humps will only have a minor effect on the speed of snow removal operations.
After multiple complaints and sightings of drivers speeding through Glazebrook Park, the village’s Street Department installed a speed hump in the park with the intention of installing more on streets across Godfrey. The traffic calming devices quickly generated interest after the first residential speed hump was installed on Levis Lane.
“Multiple emails, phone calls, and even public comments during Village Board meetings led to Levis Lane being chosen as the first location to receive one,” Beran’s memo states. “Almost immediately after its installation, the Village began receiving requests for similar speed humps at other locations.”
Before any more speed humps or bumps are installed in Godfrey, Beran and his staff drafted a policy outlining the process to request speed reduction devices be installed on a particular street. At Tuesday’s Village Board meeting, trustees voted to table an item approving the policy to allow them and the Village Attorney more time to look over the details.
Requesting A Speed Hump: How It Would Work
Only certain streets would be eligible for speed humps under the new policy, if approved. Eligible streets would include “residential streets functionally classified as local streets with block lengths and geometries appropriate for bumps/humps.” Streets with frequent bus routes, truck routes, or transit routes are not eligible.
Village staff would also only consider streets with an average daily traffic count below 1,500. If the street is owned by a jurisdiction other than the Village of Godfrey, the village would require written permission from the applicable agency.
Any resident-initiated request for speed hump installation would require a petition signed by at least 60% of households on the affected block(s) directly adjacent to any proposed installation. The mayor and Village Board are allowed to initiate installations without a petition “to address critical safety needs.”
In addition to the petition, residents would need to submit a completed application with photos, a map, description, and any other village-requested documentation to the Village Clerk. Petition and application forms would be made available on the village website.
After a resident’s petition/application has been approved, village staff would then evaluate the site conditions and perform a traffic study in the area of concern. If over 85% of drivers exceed the posted speed limit by 5 mph or more, a temporary speed bump would then be installed for a trial period.
A permanent speed hump may be warranted in the area if the temporary speed bump’s installation slows the speed of 85% of drivers by 5 mph or more, or if the number of speeding vehicles in the area decreases by 10% or more. However, residents would have to submit another petition to the village requesting the installation of a permanent speed hump, and local fire and EMS personnel would have to approve of the installation.
The item was tabled until the next Village Board meeting on Oct. 21, 2025. Stay tuned to Riverbender.com for the latest coverage on this and other items.
A full recording of the Oct. 7, 2025 Godfrey Village Board meeting is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.
