By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News correspondent
A delegation of seven parents attended Mona Town Council
meeting to request the council replace the four-way stop
which was recently removed at an intersection near the Mona
Elementary School.
The four-way stop sign was removed after the council
voted to follow the advice of Doug Bassett, Utah Department
of Transportation Traffic Safety Engineer, to remove two of
the signs, thereby reducing the intersection to a two-way
stop.
"We missed knowing, in advance, that you were taking
out the four-way stop," said Doni Carlton. She said the
walking route to school needed not only the four-way stop
sign but on 100 South and Main a crossing guard was
needed.
Council member, Rick Schnurr, said the issue had been
discussed at several meetings prior to the one where the
decision was made to remove two of the signs.
"On the 8th of August, the council was scheduled to
make a decision but I requested postponing that decision
until we could clarify some points," said Schnurr.
Nevertheless, he said, Bassett would be contacted.
"I'll not just explain the problem to him, I'll request he
come down and look at the scene to see if he will change his
mind or make other suggestions."
Perhaps a school crossing with a crossing guard could
be posted on the route.
"The best thing that can be done to slow traffic, is
to install waterways, like Nephi has done," said Schnurr.
The waterways, because they were, basically, concrete
ditches were easier to plow in the winter than speed bumps,
which would be destroyed by plows.
Traffic on the street is extremely fast, said Tony
Mitchell. When a stop sign was there drivers would at least
slow down for the stop sign, if not stop. He had begun
calling the sheriff's department with license numbers and
then, when the deputy responded to the report a ticket could
be issued.
"This is a public safety issue," said Mitchell. "The
officer who is supposed to be at school to observe traffic
each day, is never there more than five minutes."
Mayor Bryce Lynn said he had more people in the
community give positive comments about the removal of the
two signs than he had had complaints or negative
comments.
"You never stopped for that sign," said Mitchell. "You
did slow down and I am grateful for people who slow down. If
people even come close to a stop, I am happy."
People in the community should be given the
opportunity to respond and to vote on whether to replace the
four-way stop or be satisfied with a two-way stop, said
Bobbi Johnson.
Mitchell said he thought, if the council did not
replace the two stop signs, they should replace a yield sign
that had been in place for more than 30 years.
However, replacing the yield sign would not be
possible, said Lynn. A stop sign requires a stop and, since
that traffic is already stopped, a yield sign coming the
other direction would be pointless.
Carlton said there were at least two other
intersections where stop signs or crossing guards were
needed to assure the safety of children who were walking to
and from school each day.
One solution, said Darlene Fowkes, council member,
might be to involve the school children themselves. They
could, perhaps, put up ribbons to mark the pathway to and
from school. In addition, the school kids could put up signs
alerting motorists to be careful of children on the
roadway.
Mitchell said there were many young children, other
than school children, who lived on the busy street. Some of
the young pre-schoolers would cross the street to friend's
homes and they, also, were in danger from reckless
drivers.
"I've lived in Louisville and Atlanta, really big
cities," said Mitchell. "There people slow down for
children." This happened, he said, because the law was
strictly enforced and people knew it would be.
In Mona, he said, he had begun to get action because,
when it got around that tickets were being issued for
running the stop signs and for speeding, people began to
slow down and to, at least, slow for the stop sign. "Then
you took the four-way stop out."
Lynn said he thought a lot of people traveled past his
house at a high rate of speed. The speed designated for his
street, said Lynn, was 35 mph.
"The road where the two stop signs were removed is a
fire lane," said Denise Pay.
|
