Description
I was surpised today to find this new stop sign on this through road. While this may be simply a test, the positioning of these signs is ill-advised and may not become apparent until the next snow storm.
As anyone who drives regularly up Wurts St when the snow is coming down, unless you "keep going" on this slope, you can easily skid or slide off the road. By placing this stop sign at this location, you are creating a situation that will be difficult to stop at and possibly impossible for non 4-wheel drive vehicles to get going again and could result in accidents.
I notice that a previous poster complained about sight distances due to parked vehicles and snow pileups.
A safer solution to that problem would be "no parking" signs too close to the intersection (a car length). Also just smarter snow storage and shoveling by residents.
One other note - the new stops signs are slightly out of view and I didn't notice it until the last second today. They are also not marked "all ways". So drivers on Spring street who may not use Wurts, may not realize that Wurts now has stop signs too and could create confusion and potential accidents too.
In sumnation - get rid of them. Slowing and stopping traffic only adds to pollution issues in the city as it is. The City should be seeking to reduce the number of unncessary stop lights and stop signs, not create new ones. Use of accident information and traffic volume counts can easily provide these answers rather than rely on loud subjective opinions which may be at the root of the sudden appearance of new stops signs.
16 Comments
Copper (Registered User)
i differ with your summation, sir.
the amount of serious car accidents at this exact location resulting in serious injuries along with the proximity of the natural gas bypass valve make this the exact point to stop all traffic in all directions.
safety being the only priority.
your statements about snow related weather are merely hypotheses, as there has never been a stop sign at this location, thus never a need to stop on the road. therefor, inaccurate to say the least.
the same comments were made about the 4-way stop sign at Hasbrouck & Foxhall last year, yet not one accident was reported at this location this past winter.
the city deserves kudos for actively engaging in proactive safety at this intersection.
i would suggest that perhaps you slow down on Wurts, be more attentive and remember that regardless of the excuses you offer...the responsibility of the operation of a motor vehicle in a safe manner is the responsibility of the driver. making you solely responsible for paying attention to any and all signs, hazards, traffic and pedestrians (regardless if they were there yesterday or are brand new today).
if you failed to see the bright red brand new stop sign, then perhaps you were not paying attention and driving too fast.
King (Guest)
Check out Copper Top (Duracell) goin' off like the Energizer Bunny! I hear ya!
People have some pretty hilarious rationalizations for the positions they take on things. Really, no stop signs at hilltops? That's absurd! Should the one at the top of Spring St hill be removed as well? How about all the other hilly streets around town?
Nearby residents, like myself, also entertained the alternatives. Good luck getting the DPW to give a crap about the height of their snow 'storage' banks. And what good is a car-length parking restriction gonna do there, when people are screaming southbound at 40+?
Get real, and leave a few minutes earlier. Be thankful we didn't get the traffic light originally requested.
wakeup (Guest)
ANNIE (Guest)
me (Guest)
Copper (Registered User)
so, let me get this straight,
the only complaint here is that the intersection is now safe. (?????)
this sounds like allot of crying and whining from grown adults complaining that someone did something in the name of safety. that someone was proactive in saving lives. that someone cares about you and your family. that someone cares about pedestrians crossing the street, about the children in the neighborhood, about the special needs house on the corner, about kingston.
time to look in the mirror.
the problem in this city, is the person staring back at you.
susan (Guest)
Nonya (Guest)
JRS (Registered User)
Community Neighbor (Guest)
HappyMom (Guest)
Michelle (Guest)
I have 4WD and will not be stopping at this intersection during the winter. I agree with this statement. If you want to put a stop sign on the street, do it up where it's NOT on the incline.
"By placing this stop sign at this location, you are creating a situation that will be difficult to stop at and possibly impossible for non 4-wheel drive vehicles to get going again and could result in accidents."
Motorist (Guest)
Folks,
I'm not certain about the problems these new stop signs might cause when the road conditions are bad, but I simply can't believe that they will make matters worse. There have been stop signs for Spring St. traffic, also a a road with an incline, for some time, apparently.
My wife and I live in the area affected and I must say that, since the stop signs were installed, it's been a great deal easier to turn left from Spring onto Wurtz from either direction on Spring.
And despite the totally unsubstantiated statements about how drivers don't stop at stop signs in Kingston, we have seen a great number of drivers stopping fully at this intersection and none ignoring the signs.
vadhopper (Registered User)
Very interesting discussion. I encourage all to be respectful in stating their opinion. To me, this is an example of a politician (Hayes Clement) acting upon citizen requests. There were hearings on this - and that was the time to complain.
Now that the stop sign is there, if you want it removed, you need to talk to Hayes and perhaps attend the public safety commission meetings (On July 28th: http://www.kingston-ny.gov/content/54/1914/default.aspx)
This is an excellent forum to debate the pros and cons, but we would all be better off if we considered both sides of the issue and not degrade the other perspective.
vadhopper (Registered User)
And Michelle, please don't plan to break the law. That's not helpful. You could endanger pedestrians by not stopping at a stop sign. Stop signs on inclines have existed since stop signs have existed. It is not that big of deal.
Most importantly, it is NOT safer to ignore the stop sign.
Closed anon (Guest)