The town of Oak Lawn, IL, has put a stop to its unique practice of posting humorous spoof stop signs below their actual stop signs. The messages on the spoof signs were intended to draw attention to the signs themselves, and included messages such as “Hammertime”, “Collaborate and listen”, and “In the naaaame of love” [sic].
The signs were removed because they failed to meet federal standards for traffic control devices.
It may not be the most riveting story that you read today, but California’s Modesto Bee newspaper ran a letter to the editor entitled, “Who needs pesky stop signs, anyway?” In this case, the author is upset about what they feel is an unnecessary stop sign, that should be replaced by an entire bypass road. While that seems a bit drastic, certainly it can be frustrating to have to deal with needless stop signs on a regular basis. Do you encounter unnecessary stop signs that should be removed? Sound-off below.
To bring New York State code in line with federal highway design standards, the state has decided to move forward with requiring thousands of “stop ahead” signs at intersections that previously had none, even at intersections where you can see the stop sign ahead of you. But the change is actually required because federal standards now require a graphic “stop ahead” sign in lieu of signs with the equivalent text. Residents of Syracuse were adopting the new code, but grudgingly. Dave Cooper, with the Onondaga County Transportation Department says, “It’s definitely necessary for liability reasons, we have to conform to the codes.”
Your local government constructs a stop sign in your neighborhood. You’re infuriated. Do you write letters to your town council? Contact your local traffic engineer and voice your outrage? Or do you run over the stop sign every morning? One driver in Texas has apparently opted to do the latter. This is the story of the stop sign he hates.
What happens when qualified engineers using standard practices assert that an intersection near a school doesn’t require a stop sign? Residents cheer leading for the stop sign think of other ways to control traffic. But this raises the question: why are people everywhere so obsessed with trying to erect stop signs where they don’t belong?
The story behind one city’s decision to put a (well-intentioned but annoying) traffic-calming stop-sign where there is no intersection to the ire of nearby residents. The reporter notes that while they watched, unsurprisingly, not a single car came to a full stop at the stop sign.
The city’s Traffic Operations Department had recommended a yield sign at the intersection, noting it failed to meet standards for a stop sign under the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. But many neighbors weren’t dissuaded. “Please put a stop sign there to save our kids,” said one resident. “I just hope we’re not creating a false sense of security here by putting in a stop sign,” said one Councilman.
