[Summit] unwarranted stop signs

[Jessica Jenner]

 I was actually glad and grateful to see the new signs.  I thought having
some four-way stops and some two-way was confusing.  I learned to slow way
down at the two-way points (when I had right of way) because people coming
the other way might not realize I didn't have a stop sign.

I drive south across Highland and turn east at 5th, and because most corners
have been four-way stops, and because it is hard to peek out and see cars
coming up and down the hill, I was always worried when I took the left off
Highland to go up 5th.  Ambulances can flash lights and pop the siren to let
folks know they need to go through the intersection...

Guess it is just one more example that what seems like a good idea to one
person doesn't, to others.  

-----Original Message-----
From: summit-bounces at sna.providence.ri.us
[mailto:summit-bounces at sna.providence.ri.us] On Behalf Of John Bazik
Sent: Friday, October 12, 2007 10:54 AM
To: Allan Tear
Cc: summit at sna.providence.ri.us
Subject: Re: [Summit] unwarranted stop signs

On Fri, Oct 12, 2007 at 10:30:37AM -0400, Allan Tear wrote:
> Andrew, are there particular new stops to which you are referring?

I've got one: 5th and Highland.  That one is especially strange, since it
stops ambulances on the way to the ER.

According to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices
(http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/HTM/2003r1/html-index.htm), section 2B-07,
"Multiway Stop Applications," the criteria for a 4-way stop sign are:

   A. Where traffic control signals are justified, the multiway stop is
      an interim measure that can be installed quickly to control traffic
      while arrangements are being made for the installation of the
      traffic control signal.

   B. A crash problem, as indicated by 5 or more reported crashes in a
      12-month period that are susceptible to correction by a multiway
      stop installation. Such crashes include right- and left-turn
      collisions as well as right-angle collisions.

   C. Minimum volumes:
         1. The vehicular volume entering the intersection from the
            major street approaches (total of both approaches) averages
            at least 300 vehicles per hour for any 8 hours of an average
            day, and

         2. The combined vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle volume
            entering the intersection from the minor street approaches
            (total of both approaches) averages at least 200 units
            per hour for the same 8 hours, with an average delay to
            minor-street vehicular traffic of at least 30 seconds per
            vehicle during the highest hour, but

         3. If the 85th-percentile approach speed of the major-street
            traffic exceeds 65 km/h or exceeds 40 mph, the minimum
            vehicular volume warrants are 70 percent of the above values.

   D. Where no single criterion is satisfied, but where Criteria B, C.1,
      and C.2 are all satisfied to 80 percent of the minimum
      values. Criterion C.3 is excluded from this condition.

I suspect those criteria are rarely met when 4-way stops are put in.

John

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