Hinsdale Considering Installation of Posts to Protect Businesses from Cars

The Village of Hinsdale is considering the purchase of 22 bollards—sturdy post-like barriers—to be installed in front of businesses in the Hinsdale downtown to protect them from cars, the Chicago Tribune reports.

According to the paper, the topic has come under consideration after three incidents in March where drivers accidentally hit the accelerator pedal instead of the brake while parking and crashed into storefronts on the 100 block of S. Washington Street—the Steinway Piano Gallery twice, and a neighboring building once.

"In talking with the village engineer, he feels very confident that this would address the issue," Hinsdale Police Department Chief Brad Bloom told the paper. "This isn't a foolproof situation… We know how important it is that the design fit in with the area.”

Such crashes have been seen in the downtown since 2001, the Suburban Life reports, before the repeated incidents over the last three months, but even if the idea is approved, it would take some time to implement.

"What we told the zoning and public safety committee on Monday was that we would come back with some designs and some cost and get some direction from them if they wanted to move forward with this," Bloom told the paper.

Read more at the Chicago Tribune and Suburban Life websites.