THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2008
Electric Idea Up For Discussion
By TOM ROBB
Journal & Topics Reporter
Former Wheeling Village President Bill Hein is pushing an idea to allow neighborhood electric vehicles (NEV's) on the roadways of Wheeling---and trustees are listening.
"It's a fine idea and we want to get out in front of the green energy wave, as long as it is IDOT approved," said Acting Village President Patrick Horcher.
In 2006, the Illinois State Legislature amended state vehicle code to allow NEV's on certain roadways.
The state defines an NEV as an, "electronically powered four-wheeled four-wheeled motor vehicle which is capable of attaining in one mile a speed of more than 20 miles per hour, but not more than 25 miles per hour."
The vehicle code also states that the vehicles must have safety features such as windshields, safety belts, head, tail and break lights similar to any other regular vehicle on the road.
Hein clarified that, though they may be similar, NAV's are not golf carts. He said the electric plug-in vehicles could run for as little as $0.60 a day.
Horcher will see that the subject will be on the next village board agenda for Monday, Aug. 18 and said a village ordinance allowing the vehicles could be just a few weeks away.
Hein told the Journal he attend Monday's meeting with several NEV's for board members to see.
Horcher likes the idea but has some concerns about safety. He said the cars, by design, travel slower than traffic on some streets.
He said top Wheeling fire officials are also concerned about the smaller NAV's surviving accidents with regular full sized vehicles.
Horcher said police and public works officials would have to consider options to make the vehicle's travel with normal traffic safe.
He said one possibility might be to designate one lane a slow traffic lane on roads containing multiple lanes.
The 2006 state law leaves it to local municipalities and county governments to determine if they would allow NAV's within their jurisdictions.
Horcher also said that if the measure is approved in Wheeling there might be a need to reach out to Buffalo Grove.
He said in a recent survey conducted to see where bus service in the area should make stops, village residents favored two grocery stores just over the Wheeling border in Buffalo Grove as favored destinations.
Since the stores are across the street from Wheeling, Horcher would like to see residents allowed to shop there.