We've talked about it before. Now The Panel gets to weigh in. Do we need more or less stop signs in Jefferson? Maybe you feel that we have about the right number. I've heard from locals who insist that stop signs protect their children from traffic. I've heard the other side, stating that Jefferson's speed limits are already among the lowest they've encountered.
Do you err on the side of caution and post numerous stop signs? Do you instead create through streets where two stop signs can be used in place of four? Give us your take. This time Rick gets the last word. Post as many times as you like, respond to each other, mainly just make your point.
Less, way less. Only have them approaching Elm Street and Lincolnway. Yield signs, if anything, elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Rich. I worked with a 70 year old who clocked people going 55 past his place (they were probably going 40ish). Within a few years, a stop sign was there.
ReplyDeleteHe also had half a mind to slam his brakes on semis who'd be right on his tail.
Jefferson, where Sunday driving is an all week, every day event.
I agree with ya both. Some high school student whined to the Chief about traffic by Russell Park (Wilson & Madison I think) by the Webb House, and now they have a flippin 4 way stop there! The Chief conned the council into it by playing the safety card. Next he will get them convinced we should have one at every intersection. Its ridiculous, as many stop signs as vehicles in town. Wait until the overpass, Danny boy will have 10 more placed on the access streets around it.
ReplyDeleteBuford, look at the bright side, maybe McKinley St won't need any since it's going under Highway 4!
ReplyDeleteAnd the ones by the Webb House, ridiculous. When I was a kid, all the Methodists I knew were smart enough to look both ways.
Regardless of your opinion on this "stop sign" thing, you will never see fewer; only increased numbers for these three reasons:
ReplyDelete1. They give the residents something to do.
2. They slow traffic to a feeble crawl. Merchants like this because they can walk alongside your vehicle, washing your front window while begging for a tip. Law enforcement likes this because they don't have to worry about traffic violations. This frees up their time to concentrate feverishly on their staggering backlog of cold case murders.
3. If they do decide to enforce traffic violations between break and lunch, they can ticket a "rolled stop" at any corner in the "city".
As always, I will not respond in any way to my above posting, which as usual is well researched and factual.
ReplyDeleteHow many slick meat sandwiches did Rich Russell eat in 1981? Please do not burn out your calculators on this, folks. Rick - Sorry, don't know enough about the stop signs.
ReplyDeleteMarty: The answer is more than one and less than the number of stops signs around the freakin' square.
ReplyDeleteI drove to the grocery store and then the post office yesterday. I counted eleven stop signs during my trip. That may be a little bit excessive, but the real problem I have is that most of my stops consisted of me waiting for traffic that never materialized.
ReplyDeleteYou shouldn't have to stop over and over again at a place where you never encounter traffic. People are more than capable of looking both ways and using sound judgement when driving these low speeds. Those who use poor judgement also ignore stop signs, so what difference does it make to them?
BTW, Marty, I've had way more shit-eating grins than slick meat sandwiches.
ReplyDelete99% of the time one cannot agree with everyone. This is that 1% of the time where I can agree with everyone who expressed an opinion on STOP SIGNS in Jefferson. Quite frankly, I think they purchased those STOP SIGNS in bulk, probably 500 of them and keep unloading the warehouse for no other reason than to make room. I despise the sheer number of STOP SIGNS. You cannot drive over two blocks without finding another STOP SIGN and usually it is every block. True a little girl got killed riding her bicycle near the post office 65 years ago, but what has happened lately? NOTHING. They do not prevent accidents. Nobody pays much attention to them. Just read in the police report about one of their own. A policeman came to a stop heading east on Central, then pulled out and got hit by traffic on Highway 4. If the police pay no attention to them they should take down at least half of them. I watch around the square and 9 of 10 cars do not come to a full complete stop. Tells me that having too many STOP SIGNS makes all of them less meaningful. WHAT A JOKE: If they need two STOP SIGNS they put up four. Name me one stop sign that Jefferson has taken out after it has been placed. I'm mad as hell! So, come to Jefferson and keep rolling, rolling, rolling right through those STOP SIGNS. The police won't stop you as they are locked behind the bars at the LEC. We need 16 STOP SIGNS around the square like I need an extra hole in my head. You can shoot a canon any place around the square at night and it won't hit a soul.
ReplyDeleteYou need to quit beating around the bush, Braxton, and actually tell us what bothers you about these stop signs.
ReplyDeleteNext time I will tell you what I really think about Jefferson having too many STOP SIGNS. Until then.
ReplyDeleteThis time, I must say, the panel is unanimously correct. We obviously aren't representative of Jefferson, as a whole (even though at least half of us live there). Where I live, if the city began placing stop signs at intersections with Jefferson's traffic, folks would literally be pulling them out at night. It is transparent that no studies or traffic counts are being done prior to the placement of these signs.
ReplyDeleteWhat amazes me is how locals will see no problem with stopping at all of these intersections. When you ask about it, you inevitably get some sort of anectdotal reply, such as, "Well, I saw a truck barrel through that intersection last week". As Braxton correctly points out, these same locals rarely come to complete stops everywhere they meet a stop sign. If the stops were universally enforced, you would find far less local support for them.
Police love stop signs. They slow traffic to a near stand-still. They can selectively enforce them, for instance, targeting out-of-towners. And old drivers generally like them as well, because they many times are unable to deal with fast-moving traffic.
Yes, old folks and police. This is Jefferson today.
Jefferson the "PLACE TO STOP"
ReplyDelete