Temporary stop signs a "big hit" so council makes them permanent

The city council hopes that new stop signs on the alternate route to the north side of town will make it safer.

A resolution to place stop signs on East Elm Street by the BNSF overpass came before the council at last week's meeting.

"These stop signs are ones that we put in temporarily as part of our project down at 13th and Illinois when the underpass closed," said pubic services director John Hehnke. "The stop signs seemed to be a big hit, had a lot of good comments about having those stop signs there."

The council had heard positive comments about the signs at an earlier date as well and had requested that the stop signs be put in permanently.

"I had consistently, probably more than seven or eight people come tell me that they thought that was a huge improvement there," said mayor Wendall Gaston. "And it is, you just can't see either way."

Councilman Mark Nienhueser did not agree.

"I think you're just creating a place where people are gonna run stop signs," he said.

This is just a waste when there's not enough traffic running through the area, people will just ignore the signs, Nienhueser added.

The sign will cause a difference in speed, even if drivers don't stop which would allow for great reaction time, opined councilman Roger Gallaway.

"From my personal experience driving over there, by the time you come around the corner and see somebody it's usually a little too late," Gallaway said.

The council decide that installing the stop signs permanently wouldn't be detrimental at the least, and that it was better to err on the side of safety.

The resolution was passed with four in favor and one against. Nienhueser voted against the resolution.