Description

At every threeway junction along hathorn blvd there are three stop signs. Every street that runs into hathorn blvd should have a stop sign. Every other stop sign actually along hathorn itself should be removed. These signs are actually making people go faster through the area, causing dissent in the the residents, and lowering the sensitivity of everybody to traffic signs and signals. The argument can be made that the signs are for children but the fact is that a majority of people are running the signs anyway. So in reality they are ineffective and legally stop signs are not to be installed in attempt to control speed. The main reason for this is because engineering has found that in most cases this attempt actually causes people to go faster. The following parts are directly out of the federal guidelines for traffic signs.

"MUTCD GUIDANCE FOR STOP SIGN INSTALLATIONS

General Guidance for STOP Signs

In terms of general guidance, the MUTCD (§ 2B.05) states that STOP signs should be used if engineering judgment indicates that one or more of the following conditions exist:

● Intersection of a less important road with a main road where application of the normal right-of-way rule would not be expected to provide reasonable compliance with the law

● Street entering a through highway or street

● Unsignalized intersection in a signalized area

● High speeds, restricted view, or crash records indicate a need for control by the STOP sign

The MUTCD also states that STOP signs should not be used for speed control. This principle appears to be based on the results of several studies that have shown that when STOP signs have been installed for the purpose of controlling the speed of vehicles rather than to reduce the likelihood of vehicle conflicts at intersecting roads, the vehicle speeds between the sign installations typically increase over what they were prior to the signs being erected.

In addition, the MUTCD states that:

● STOP signs should be installed in a manner that minimizes the numbers of vehicles having to stop. At intersections where a full stop is not necessary at all times, consideration should be given to using less restrictive measures such as YIELD signs.

● Once a decision has been made to install two-way stop control, the decision regarding the appropriate street to stop should be made based on engineering judgment. In most cases, the street carrying the lowest volume of traffic should be stopped.

● A STOP sign should not be installed on the major street unless justified by a traffic engineering study.

The MUTCD lists several considerations that might influence the decision regarding the appropriate street upon which to install a STOP sign where two streets with relatively equal traffic volumes and/or characteristics intersect. These include:

● Stopping the direction that conflicts the most with established pedestrian crossing activity or school walking routes

● Stopping the direction that has obscured vision, dips, or bumps that already require drivers to use lower operating speeds

● Stopping the direction that has the longest distance of uninterrupted flow approaching the intersection