Citing recent car crash history, town officials last week approved a stop sign for southbound traffic at the intersection of White Oak Shade and Gerdes Roads.
Currently, motorists traveling toward the intersection from Gerdes and northbound traffic on White Oak Shade both face stop signs, “but we do not have a stop control on the southbound approach and there’s been some accident history there of late—some very concerning accident history there of late,” Public Works Director Tiger Mann told members of the Police Commission at their Sept. 17 meeting, held at department headquarters and via videoconference.
Citing the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices or “MUTCD,” Mann said the intersection of White Oak Shade and Gerdes amounts to a “left-turn conflict.”
“We have one left turn conflict from White Oak Shade onto Gerdes while someone is not stop-controlled coming southbound, and then an ‘intersection of two residential neighborhood collector through-streets of similar design and operating characteristics where all-way stop control would improve traffic, operational characteristics of the intersection,’ ” Mann said.
He continued: “So basically a catchall to say OK, the traffic volumes might be a little bit higher on White Oak Shade, but Gerdes and White Oak Shade take a lot of volume together and at that intersection to have a three-way stop, I think it’s an expectation by the other two [directions]. I think it’s an expectation to have that and given the fact of the recent accident history that we’ve had there, I think it would be a prudent measure.”
Commission Chair Paul Foley, Secretary Shekaiba Bennett and member Jim McLaughlin voted 3-0 in favor of the stop sign installation.
Foley asked whether there’s a “flashing stop sign” northbound over the Merritt Parkway overpass. Mann said yes and Foley asked whether there should be another flashing sign for the new southbound stop sign.
“We can certainly install one there,” Mann said. “I just have to order it and put it in. I can put a standard stop sign with a ‘stop ahead’ sign prior to it. And then as the [Police] Chief [John DiFederico] suggested, put a variable message sign further than that saying ‘new stop sign ahead.’ ”
DiFederico said there’s a problem with the northbound warnings because “there’s not enough sight line with the crest of the bridge.”
“We’ll monitor it, we’ll give warnings for the first month or so,” he said. “We’ll give enough advance warning, we’ll put up the variable message signs.”
Mann noted that his summer interns had told him, even as younger drivers, that they have a hard time seeing the stop sign at the intersection’s northbound approach.
This is excellent!!! Better safety, will slow speed down coming up Gerdes and will make turning left from Gerdes onto White Oak Shade significantly easier (maybe people will actually use their turn signal when they stop now!) I’d check with neighbors about a flashing stop sign on the southbound side. (The northbound flashing sign was just installed but is not in a neighbor sight line. )
About time !!! It should slow down speeding a little, but not much as Police rarely monitor speeding in this area of White Oak Shade. Should be done at least once a week, not once a month or longer. We have clear view when it is monitored, but Police very lax in speeding enforcement in both directions. Many will make the stop northbound, but once they go to man hit the gas until they approach Nursery Rd –
Please omit the flashing red lights on the stop sign. This is a quiet residential area (except for the speeding!) and if no one heeds the speed limit signs, will they stop because a sign is obnoxiously flashing in our neighborhood?