Illinois Administrative Code › Title 92 - TRANSPORTATION › Part 556 - TRANSPORTING PUPILS WHERE WALKING CONSTITUTES A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD › Section 556.115 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 28, July 12, 2024
The following words or phrases when used in this Part shall
				have the meanings ascribed to them below.
"Controls providing pedestrian protection" - Either of the
				following:
All way stop - all approaches to the intersection are required
				by signs to stop; or
Adult crossing guards - any intersection where traffic is
				stopped by an adult crossing guard, regardless of other traffic
				controls.
"Crossing protection" -
Crossbucks only - An "X" shaped sign mounted upon a post at a
				rail-highway crossing inscribed with the words "Railroad" on one panel and
				"Crossing" on the other.
Active protection - Any protection that is designed to be
				actuated by the approach of an oncoming train (including lights, bells and
				gates) or protection by a crossing guard.
"Curb" - A vertical or sloping barrier along a roadway at least
				4 inches high, clearly defining the edge to motorists.
"Department" - The Illinois Department of Transportation,
				acting through its District Engineers.
"Length of hazardous section" - The length (rounded to the
				nearest tenth of a mile) of the hazardous condition to which pupils walking
				along a roadway are exposed. For Type I hazards (see Section
				556.120
				), it is limited to those sections where pupils walk on a shoulder within 10
				feet of the roadway or behind a curb or ditch within 8 feet of the roadway. For
				Type II hazards (see Section
				556.130 ),
				it is limited to those sections where pupils must walk on the roadway because
				no shoulder or walkway exists off the pavement, or because of a narrow bridge
				or underpass. All of the pupils covered by the submittal must walk the complete
				length of the hazardous section. The length may be scaled from a map or
				measured by a "walking wheel", or a car odometer.
"Narrow bridge or underpass" - A narrow bridge or underpass
				that forces pupils walking to school, because of the narrowness of the
				structure and its lack of a sidewalk, to walk on the roadway for a minimum of
				50 feet.
"No stop control" - When no stop signs or traffic signals exist
				on the roadway the pupils are crossing, requiring vehicles to stop. Yield signs
				are not stop controls.
"Number of tracks" - The total number of tracks that carry
				trains during periods when pupils are normally going to and from school.
				Example: If 2 tracks carry trains during the morning period and one of those
				tracks carries trains during the afternoon period, the number of tracks is
				2.
"Number of trains" - The daily number of trains passing through
				the crossing during the periods when pupils are normally going to and from
				school. This number may be obtained from railroad companies or by counting
				trains. Example: If 2 trains cross in the morning period and 1 crosses in the
				afternoon period, the number of trains is 3.
"Roadway" - The portion of a road, street or highway on which
				vehicles travel, consisting of the pavement surface, exclusive of the
				shoulders.
"School Code" -
				105
				ILCS 5/29-5.2.
"Shoulder" - The relatively flat area between the outer edge of
				a roadway with no curb and the point where the earth begins sloping either
				upward or downward, intended for the accommodation of stopped vehicles or for
				emergency use.
"Speed of traffic" - The speed of traffic shall be based on the
				posted speed limit. In special school speed zones as authorized by Section
				11-605 of the Vehicle Code [625
				ILCS 5/11-605 ], the speed limit that is in force when
				the special school speed zone is not in effect shall be used. If speed limit
				signs are not present, the speed of traffic shall be considered to be 30 miles
				per hour in an urban area and 55 miles per hour in a rural area.
"Train" - One locomotive by itself, 2 or more locomotives
				coupled together, or one or more locomotives with train cars.
"Train speed" - The highest lawful speed at the crossing. This
				may be obtained from either the railroad company or the Illinois Commerce
				Commission, or local law enforcement officials may use radar.
"Volume of traffic" - The peak hourly volume of traffic during
				the periods when pupils are going to or from school. In many cases, Average
				Daily Traffic (ADT) volumes may be available from the agency maintaining a road
				(the State or county highway department or municipal street department). In
				those cases the hourly volumes may be considered as 15 percent of the ADT in
				rural areas and 10 percent in urban areas. If no ADT figures are available, or
				if the school district prefers, it may make a one hour count (of vehicles in
				both directions) on a typical school day (e.g., 7:30 a.m.-8:30 a.m., 2:30
				p.m.-3:30 p.m., or, for kindergarten pupils, during the noon hour
				period).
"Walkway" - The area on which pupils normally walk along a
				street or highway, including a concrete sidewalk, a surfaced or unsurfaced
				pathway, or a roadway shoulder. The walkway, when immediately adjacent to the
				roadway, must be at least 2 feet in width and maintained in suitable walking
				condition throughout the school year; otherwise, the pupils should be
				considered walking on the roadway, a Type II hazard. Walkway also includes
				pathways created by school districts or other groups on public land that may be
				used by pupils to avoid a more hazardous route.