tanya_the_dancer
Well-Known Member
Just wondering, has anyone here tried to request a town to put up an all-way stop sign at an intersection? Does it work?
Stop signs
- Thread starter tanya_the_dancer
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cornutt
Forum Master
Most traffic engineers don't like all-way stops. There is data showing that they aren't effective at reducing accidents, and they increase traffic congestion. A traffic signal is better (although a lot more expensive to put up).
Peaches
Well-Known Member
I hate 4-way stops. All you need is one jack-arse to not follow the rules and you've got a bunch of people following in behind him, and then things get ugly.
Around here we've seen a trend towards traffic circles everywhere instead of 4-way stops or signals. Any info on them, Cornutt? (BTW, you've got the most interesting and varied repository of random factoids. And, BTW, DH thought of 2 other things with a 6/4 time signature--but he did agree as to it's rareness.)
Around here we've seen a trend towards traffic circles everywhere instead of 4-way stops or signals. Any info on them, Cornutt? (BTW, you've got the most interesting and varied repository of random factoids. And, BTW, DH thought of 2 other things with a 6/4 time signature--but he did agree as to it's rareness.)
tanya_the_dancer
Well-Known Member
That would be perfect, however it probably would cost too much money for the town to get it done right at that particular spot. They'll have to widen the road to make room for turn pockets. Considering this, I think it is useless to ask them for a traffic light. And a stop sign would be better than nothing in this particular spot, trust me.
cornutt
Forum Master
Er, um, thanks... I do seem to be a repository for useless knowledge... my DW keeps saying I should audition for Jeopardy.
About traffic circles, or rotaries, or roundabouts: First, I'll have to admit that for the first 12 years of my driving career, so to speak, I never saw one. My first encounter with them was when I lived in New Jersey in 1988. At that time, NJ was actively trying to get rid of its rotaries; there were several in Red Bank and Bricktown that they had plowed through the middle of and turned into conventional intersections, using the former parts of the rotary as right-turn lanes.
What I've read about rotaries is that they work decently as long as there is a more or less random traffic flow. Where they get into trouble is when you have a large flow of traffic all going in one direction, say straight ahead. When this happens, traffic from the cross streets finds it impossible to merge in. I've seen this happen. The related issue with rotaries is that you need a pretty big circle in order for traffic merging in to have enough time/space to change lanes, so that they aren't forced to make an unwanted right turn. And that makes the rotary take up a lot of land, such that it's rarely practical to replace a conventional intersection with a rotary in a built-up area.
Where I live, there have never been any rotaries until recently. The city, for some unknown reason, decided to put one in downtown next to the civic center. It will serve a hotel and parking garage that isn't finished yet, so whether or not it will work remains to be seen. Another one has been put in, on a busy street in a residential area. A developer who is bulding one of those "village community" developments convinced the city into doing it, in order to add an air of faux nostalgia to the development. One of the two steeets that crosses there will eventually be high-traffic, as it leads out of the development to a major highway. I'm afraid that one is going to become a problem eventually.
tanya_the_dancer
Well-Known Member
We don't have many rotaries in the streets here. There is one, as far as I know, near one of the hospitals, where there's only visitor traffic. And another one, in the middle of one residential area.
Traffic increase is the source of our present problem, I think. They built a couple of new residential areas on what used to be empty farmland, then a local gym chain built a new sports facility, and the resulting traffic increase is sufficient now that it needs to be regulated somehow in that particular area.
Adding: so, folks, do you think it is any use to write to the town officials and ask them to do something? Is there any critical mass of complaints needed, or there'd have to be an accident before they do something?
Traffic increase is the source of our present problem, I think. They built a couple of new residential areas on what used to be empty farmland, then a local gym chain built a new sports facility, and the resulting traffic increase is sufficient now that it needs to be regulated somehow in that particular area.
Adding: so, folks, do you think it is any use to write to the town officials and ask them to do something? Is there any critical mass of complaints needed, or there'd have to be an accident before they do something?
DennisBeach
New Member
They just put a traffic circle in 2 blocks from were I live. It was a really bad intersection, that averaged 1 fatal accident a year, it seems like an improvement, but has only been in place a few days. It is an intersection with a highway, were people like to fly low and turning onto it from the stop sign was dangerous. So far it has made me a fan of traffic circles.
If the road is too narrow for a real traffic circle, one thing that seems to work is a mini traffic circle made by sticking a bit of grass and maybe a tree or bush in the middle of the intersection...just enough so that the cars can go straight through the intersection. I've only seen these in quietish residential areas though.
Your statement about circles causing congestion-- not quite true, They are proliferate in the u.k. and from what i have seen since my return, work very well indeed . They promote courtesy , and control flow very well, and are in and around most major motorways .The real upside, late at nite , you dont have to wait for a stupid signal to change .
I think it's worth contacting City Hall. They generally move slowly about things like that, so the sooner you get the ball rolling, the better. Are there any homeowners associations or neighborhood groups that you could contact to support the need for a stop sign? In addition to contacting whatever office handles traffic, also get in touch with the mayor and city council people or whoever the local politicos are--for them, pushing for a stop sign might be an easy way to please a bunch of constituents.
Peaches
Well-Known Member
To answer the OP's question...
I don't have any experience with it, but if you're dealing with a large increase in traffice due to development or some such, it certainly can't help to get it on their radar ASAP. As some else said (can't remember who), if you can get HOA's involved, probably much better.
No guarantee that it will work, but it can't hurt to try, and it's not a huge time investment. It might be worthwhile to call some city/county offices and see if there's someone to talk to who could tell you the procedure is and what the criteria are for putting one in.
I don't have any experience with it, but if you're dealing with a large increase in traffice due to development or some such, it certainly can't help to get it on their radar ASAP. As some else said (can't remember who), if you can get HOA's involved, probably much better.
No guarantee that it will work, but it can't hurt to try, and it's not a huge time investment. It might be worthwhile to call some city/county offices and see if there's someone to talk to who could tell you the procedure is and what the criteria are for putting one in.