Stop Sign Installation

The Village of Fox Point strives to maintain a semi-rural feel in an ever-expanding urban environment.  To accomplish this goal, the village has limited pathways adjacent to the streets for pedestrians and cyclists and no overhead street lights.  This limited infrastructure creates a situation where pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists all must share the same roadway and work cooperatively to protect the safety of all users.  When the safety of one of the users appears to be threatened, it is more often than not by a motorist and the installation of traffic control measures is suggested as a method to calm traffic.

A stop sign, when used appropriately, is intended to help drivers and pedestrians decide who has the right-of-way at the intersection.

Uncontrolled intersection (those without stop signs, yield signs, or traffic signals) may initially appear unreasonably dangerous; however, they have proven to be safe when traffic volumes are low.

Considerations

When considering a request for a stop sign, the request must meet one of the conditions as outlined in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). Under the current guidance within the MUTCD stop sign requests will be evaluated based on the following:

“.....the use of YIELD or STOP signs should be considered at the intersection of two minor streets or local roads where the intersection has more than three approaches and where one or more of the following conditions exist:

• The combined vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian volume entering the intersection from all approaches averages more than 2,000 units per day;
• The ability to see conflicting traffic on an approach is not sufficient to allow a road user to stop or yield in compliance with the normal right-of-way rule if such stopping or yielding is necessary; and/or
• Crash records indicate that five or more crashes that involve the failure to yield the right-of- way at the intersection under the normal right-of-way rule have been reported within a 3-year period, or that three or more such crashes have been reported within a 2-year period.

YIELD or STOP signs should not be used for speed control.”

Beyond the guidance provided by the MUTCD, Studies have shown:

• Stop signs do not solve a speeding problem, but often times increase the problem by making drivers speed up to make up for the lost time from stopping
• An increase in traffic violations from speeding drivers not stopping
• An increase in rear end collisions from those who don't expect a stop sign in a residential area
• A greater threat to the safety of children who anticipate that cars will stop and then don't
• Other concerns with stop signs, including:
  1. Hindering traffic patterns
  2. Increased noise from the stopping, starting, squealing of tires, etc.
  3. Increased pollution from the stop and go movement of vehicles.

Requests

If you believe that a stop sign is warranted at a location within the village, a request can be made to the department of public works. The request will be reviewed by the DPW and the police department to identify if hazards exist and whether an extended traffic study is feasible.   Based on all of the information collected and consultation with the MUTCD, a stop sign request may be forwarded to the village board for review.