Laserfiche WebLink
I <br /> I <br /> I <br /> I <br /> I <br /> I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />! <br />I <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />Traffic Noise, Air. Quality, Energy Consump- <br />tion. Noise is increased near the intersection <br />due to the increased activity of acceleration <br />(many drivers speed up to make up for time <br />lost at the stop sign) and added braking. Ad- <br />jacent residents may complain about the addi- <br />tional noise. <br /> <br />Air quality is worsened and fuel consumption <br />is increased due to added deceleration, ac- <br />celeration and id!lng. Unnecessary stops <br />reduce the efficient movement of traffic flow, <br />by increasing travel time on the route. <br /> <br />Community Reaction. Mixed. Some resi- <br />dents would feel "anything is better than noth- <br />Lng" or are misinformed about the potential <br />impacts. Some vieW this measure as a safety <br />improvement. Others view this measure as an <br />unnecessary impedLment to reasonable move- <br />ment thru the area .and an encouragement to <br />"blow the stop signs" in the area. Many resi- <br />dents in the immediate vicinity of all-way stop <br />signs view them in a positive manner. It is up <br />to traffic engineers or other governing agents <br />to responsibly determine the best traffic con- <br />trol under the specific circumstances based on <br />reasonable guidelines. <br /> <br /> Additional Considerations <br />Installation of all-way stop signs is often used <br />by a governing body as an immediate, tan- <br />gible and inexpensive response to a <br />neighborhood's concern about safety on a <br />local residential street. The use of stop signs <br />creates a solution which is one of perception <br />rather' than effective improvement. This <br />misuse of stop signs should be resisted by the <br />local traffic engineer and governing body. <br />Some studies have shown that the warrants <br />for stop signs can be expanded to include <br />other considerations such as presence of <br /> <br />designated school crossings and sight dis- <br />tance problems. The failure to follow the es- <br />tablished warrants, to install stop signs <br />without specific justification, may have legal <br />implications to the local government agency. <br /> <br />Reference <br /> <br />Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices <br /> <br />Neighborhood Traffic Control <br /> <br />January 1994 <br /> <br /> <br />