Residential Sign Policies

Philosophy of Traffic Control

Effective traffic control is achieved by exercising the least intrusive control  to achieve safe traffic flow. When excessive control or unnecessary control is used, motorists feel imposed upon and frequently will ignore the traffic control device. This can lead to severe consequences involving collisions and possibly personal injury.

 

Circle Pines has polices for warning signs multi way stop and standard stop signs. The city believes the consistent application of these policies serves both motorists and residents within the community.

 

Control of Speed and Safety

Each year, the City receives many inquires about installing stop signs as a way to reduce speeding or improve safety. However, research shows that other measures are often more effective in addressing the issues of speed and safety than adding stop signs. The purpose of stop signs is to assign right-of-way at an intersection, not to control speeding. Also, stop signs do not necessarily improve safety at an intersection.

 

Frequently, residents think stop signs at an intersection are needed because an accident has occurred there recently. It is important to keep in mind that accidents are random events. Many collisions are the result of driver error and are not the fault of poor design or insufficient traffic control.

 

Public understanding of the function of stop signs is one of the most critical elements in reducing speeding and traffic accidents. The following information explains Circle Pines policies on intersection traffic control and the correct use of stop signs. A copy of the Uniform Traffic Manual can be found below.