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Neighborhood Traffic Concerns

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1. How do I get a stop sign installed on my street?

Each year, the Town of Castle Rock receives many requests to install stop signs as a way to reduce speeding. The purpose of a stop sign is to assign right of way at an intersection or where traffic is required to stop.

Stop signs are installed at intersections when an engineering evaluation indicates the installation is appropriate. They are installed where a minor street enters a major street, on a street entering a highway or where a combination of restricted view and accident history indicates a need.

Federal and state regulations require the installation of all traffic control devices, including stop signs, to follow the guidelines in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. The manual dictates the size, shape and color of all traffic control signs. This manual has guidelines for installing signs in order to create uniformity from state to state, which makes it easier to drive in places you have never visited before.

Similarly, many people believe installing stop signs on all approaches to an intersection will result in reduced speeding or fewer accidents.

There is no real evidence to indicate that stop signs decrease the overall speed of traffic. In fact, impatient drivers view the additional delay caused by unwarranted stop signs as lost time to be made up by driving at higher speeds between stop signs. Again, if problems with speeding exist, stricter enforcement should be sought from appropriate law enforcement authorities.

2. How are speed limits determined?

Speed limits on Town roadways are determined on the basis of traffic engineering surveys. These surveys include an analysis of roadway conditions, accident records and a count of the prevailing speed of traffic. A safe and reasonable limit is set at or below the speed at which 85 percent of drivers drive.

Traffic flowing at a uniform speed results in increased safety and fewer accidents. Drivers are less impatient, pass less often and tailgate less, which reduces both head-on and rear-end collisions.

Posting the appropriate speed limit eases the job of law enforcement so most traffic chooses to abide by the speed limit posted. Patrol officers then are not subjected to defend unrealistic and arbitrary speed limits.