JACKSON HOLE, WYO – Kiwanis made it a target of derision at its Follies this past fall. How do you spot a tourist? They slow or stop on S. Cache when they approach Kelly. Now town officials will consider doing something about the intersection of South Cache St. and Kelly Ave, and that something appears to be an all-way stop sign. The town will also consider measures to slow traffic on Redmond today as well at its afternoon workshop.
Public works has been considering some type of action at S. Cache and Kelly for almost two years now. Finally, after a traffic study by town engineering staff and careful observation by the Jackson Police Department, public works director Larry Pardee will recommend to the town council today that it act to install a four-way stop sign at the Kelly-Milward intersection, and that the Kelly-South Cache intersection be modified to provide additional vehicle sight distance by adding an additional 15 feet of red “no parking zones” to each leg of the intersection.
At issue is the difficult sightlines for motorists seeking to cross or turn onto S. Cache from Kelly. A large pine tree on the property owned by Fighting Bear Antiques has been noted as particularly troublesome to peer around when looking north. The tree also blocks the southbound traffic view of the approaching or stopped eastbound Kelly traffic.
Another problem with S. Cache is that so many motorists—both northbound and southbound—slow or stop at the intersection believing it to have a stop when it doesn’t. At least not yet.
The police study referenced some 22 unnecessary stops on South Cache during a time duration that equated to about 3% of all South Cache movement counts through the intersection.
The reason why people stop on Cache is that the concrete/paver crosswalk treatment on all the intersecting roads gives the impression of an all-way stop, according to the traffic assessment just completed. “If the concrete crosswalks on Cache were removed and replaced with pavement and a painted crosswalk it could give Cache more of a through-traffic feeling like prior to the 2015 reconstruction,” the report continued.
Four collisions resulting in damage in excess of $1,000 have been recorded at the intersection in the past two years. Other minor accidents may have occurred and went unreported.
The uncertainty appears to be what the council is being asked to address today. Pardee stated: “In observing vehicle movements at the intersection…commonly, as vehicles approach from the north and south, drivers mistakenly believe they are required to stop, thinking it is a four-way stop. Once this occurs, vehicles that have stopped east and west bound then too believe it is a four-way stop, and begin to proceed across the intersection, failing to yield to north- or southbound traffic, often nearly causing a collision. This mistake in how the intersection is intended to function can be observed multiple times per day.”
Redmond speedway
While the “fake” stop is the issue on S. Cache, Redmond St. has been plagued with excessive speeds. Residents on Redmond like Chelsea Gray say cars are simply going too fast.
“Most days Redmond is treated like a straightaway on a racetrack. I used to think that a stop sign was the answer, but after much thought and communication with my neighbors, we believe that speed bumps are a necessity,” Gray wrote in an email to the town council.
As a result of Gray and numerous other complaints about speed on Redmond, the council directed the Police and Public Works departments to complete a traffic study and analysis at the intersection of Redmond Street and Hansen Avenue to determine if changes were warranted.
“The main concerns are non-motorized user, children, and dog safety,” the report stated.
A speed study conducted by JPD showed 38% of the vehicles traveling in both directions were between 26 and 55 mph. The 85th percentile for speed was 27 mph. The police department also recorded 10 collisions at Redmond and Hansen from December 2012 to date, and five accidents at Redmond and Simpson from the same time period.
Town engineering issued advice to the council, stating, “We regularly receive complaints from people in residential areas that vehicles are speeding past their house. Residents are concerned about the safety of their children. These residents frequently request the erection of additional stop signs. The addition of a stop sign, however, usually does not solve the problem.”
According to town officials, they don’t like to use stop signs for speed control for several reasons including:
- The Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) states that Stop signs should not be used for speed control.
- Stop signs placed that do not meet the MUTCD requirements might work to stop or slow traffic when first installed, but after time some drivers will start to ignore or look past these signs when there isn’t an adequate amount of traffic on the intersecting street to get their attention.
- Some drivers will speed up between Stop signs trying to make up time that was lost by stopping.
- Pedestrians crossing the street could have a false sense of security and could be in danger from drivers ignoring or looking past the Stop sign.
- The additional stopping/slowing of vehicles results in increased noise and vehicle emissions at intersections.
Town staff identified potential speed bumps or dips as possibly being effective but could cause excessive wear-and-tear on START buses and plow trucks.
Staff is instead recommending an all-way stop at Redmond and Hansen, as well as reducing posted speed limits on Redmond to 20mph. Town leaders may also opt for electronic multiple dynamic (radar) speed signs at the cost of $5,500, each.
