Crystal Removes Stop Signs at Some Intersections

You may want to stop and look at what’s missing at certain intersections in Crystal. The city recently removed stop signs at dozens of intersections. One example is along Fairview Avenue North. You may think it may lead to more accidents, but city officials say that’s not the case.

“From a safety standpoint there are some studies that suggest that uncontrolled intersections can be safer,” said Mark Ray, Crystal’s city engineer. “The theory on that is that drivers are hopefully being a little more cautious because they don’t necessarily know if they have the right of way or not.”

Crystal has removed 65 stop signs so far. Ray says those signs weren’t needed based on standards set by the Minnesota Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.

“It was a matter of going out in to every individual intersection and making the decision on a case by case basis should we make an adjustment or not,” Ray said. 

Removing the signs, Ray says, will also help drivers save on fuel and wear and tear on their cars. Overall, the hope is that when drivers are traveling through residential areas, they are using caution and minimizing distractions.

Crystal