The recent article on narrowing Wilson Drive quoted Village President Guy Johnson saying, "Nothing is a traffic calmer like a stop sign." I did some digging online to see if stop signs were really an appropriate device for achieving this end. In the hour or so I looked, I found a very large number of resources on the use of traffic control devices for any number of different purposes. None of the websites I found spoke positively of using stop signs as traffic calmers. If anyone finds other sites which disagree with what I have posted below, please send them to me and I will add them.
A number of municipal and county governments apparently encounter this issue regularly from citizens concerned about a given road or intersection, and have put their official position online for reference. Here are some pertinent sections from their websites:
1.
Madison, WI. "Stop signs are intended to assign the right of way at intersections. They do not control speeding. In fact, speed often increases as motorists try to make up for time lost at a stop sign."
2.
Delaware County, OH. "Many people believe that forcing motorists to stop at each intersection will decrease overall speed on the road. However, studies show that stop signs only reduce speed immediately adjacent to the sign, and that most drivers accelerate between intersections to make up for time lost at the stop sign. Engineering studies indicate that the inappropriate installation of extra stop signs may cause additional problems, such as more rear-end collisions, a redistribution of traffic onto side streets, and drivers ignoring the appropriate stop signs."
3.
San Antonio, TX. "Stop signs are a traffic control device intended for assigning the right of way, not controlling the speed.... These emissions increase when vehicles are accelerated and decelerated. It is important to minimize unnecessary stops since steady speeds increase fuel economy and reduce vehicle emissions. Unwarranted stop signs not only cause motorists delay by unnecessarily requiring them to stop, but also reduce the efficiency of our transportation system which results in increased air pollution."
4.
Fargo, ND. "Unnecessary stop signs result in unacceptable levels of stop sign violations and lead to disrespect for all traffic signs. Stop sign compliance studies show that when all-way stop control was installed but not warranted, an average of 30% of the motorists approaching the intersection do not come to a complete stop. In general, if people see no reason for the stop sign, they disrespect the sign. Inappropriate signs become part of the landscape and their effectiveness is reduced."
5.
Yakima, WA. "As with any traffic control device, overuse of stop signs will cause many drivers to ignore them, creating a more hazardous situation of non-compliance, especially on residential streets with low traffic volumes. Many drivers consider a stop sign to be a substantial inconvenience and will tend to speed up after they move through the intersection. Recent studies of stop signs used as speed control devices in the City of Pueblo, Colorado indicated that vehicle speeds were slower within 150 feet of a stop sign, but after that went back to the same speeds or higher. In addition, the resulting “stop and go traffic” from stop signs increases air pollution from vehicle emissions, wastes fuel and creates more traffic noise."
Comments1. Factors that determine whether stop signs are warranted at a particular intersection include vehicular and pedestrian volumes, crash rates, sight distance, turning conflicts, speed (posted and actual), and many other traffic measurements. Installing stop signs at an intersection that does not meet the stop sign warrant requirements will have adverse effects on the overall safety of the intersection. A good articale addressing stop sign warrants can be found at this link: http://www.midwesternite.org/FallJournal/StopSignWarrants.htm
- Eyad Ghani, PE
