CRESCENT PARK: Stop sign recommended for Hale Street

Neighbors' request granted by city staff after study

A mounting number of two-car, right-angle accidents at the intersection of Hale Street and Hamilton Avenue in Crescent Park has finally convinced city transportation officials to recommend placing two more stop signs at the intersection.

Since 1991, there have been seven accidents at the intersection, four in 1996 alone, all involving cars that hit each other at right angles.

Several years ago, at the neighbors' behest, the city installed two stop signs along Hamilton Avenue. The neighbors asked for a four-way stop but the city felt two would be enough, along with signs indicating that the intersection was a two-way stop.

But the problem hasn't gone away, said Crescent Park resident Cathie Lehrberg. People driving on Hamilton often don't realize that Hale doesn't have stop signs, she said.

"There are plenty of times when they think the traffic is going to stop, but it's not," Lehrberg said.

The city uses several criteria to justify putting in stop signs: a "guard and go" policy, in which stop signs are installed at every other intersection to discourage through traffic in neighborhoods; Caltrans criteria; and traffic control near schools. The policy for arterial streets is that they should not have stop signs.

"Since additional signing improvements have been made in the past and visibility is clear at the intersection, installation of stop signs on Hamilton Avenue may help reduce the number of right-angle accidents," said city transportation engineer Christopher Thnay in a staff report on the stop signs.

The recommendation was expected to be discussed at the City Council's Policy and Services Committee meeting yesterday.

The city recommended against installing four other stop signs requested by area residents, including one at Parkinson Avenue and Harriet Street, which was requested by three residents to reduce speeding. But city staff surveys found that speeding was not excessive on the street, and that Parkinson's stop signs were consistent with the "guard and go" policy.

Neighbor Warren Kallenbach was disappointed. "People come speeding from Melville and screech to a stop, and then keep going," he said, adding that he expects to take up the issue again.

--Elizabeth Darling Lorenz

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