Mixed Reviews over Stop Signs in Crystal
Earlier this year we told you how the city of Crystal was removing more than 60 stop signs. Some Crystal residents are saying the change is dangerous, while the city and other residents maintain some stop signs simply weren’t needed.
“I’ve talked to several neighbors and they think it’s a very bad idea,” says Robert Bellos Sr. of Crystal. “It puts public safety at risk.”
Bellos has lived in the city of Crystal for decades. He says that ever since the four-way stop at 58th and Hampshire Avenues was changed to a two-way stop, people have been speeding in his neighborhood more often.
“A child is going to get hit as a result of this,” added Bellos. “We had one car last week that came through here probably about 60-70 miles an hour.”
According to data we received from the city, that intersection has under 200 vehicles per day, which is on the low side of normal for residential streets in the city. The data also shows 90 percent of the traffic through that intersection was traveling under 35 miles per hour.
“There are some studies that suggest that uncontrolled intersections can be safer,” said Mark Ray, the city of Crystal Engineer in an interview earlier this year . “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.”
Some Residents Happy With Change
Other residents say they’ve seen a positive impact from the removal of stop signs in their neighborhood.
“I was happy to see that less people where rolling through the stop signs particularly this one,” says Albin Andolshek, a Crystal resident. “The stop sign that was removed is near a park. I was told that stop signs give pedestrians a false since of security especially in this situation. If kids think people are going to stop for them they might walk across the street of somebody rolling through this stop sign.”
For those who are concerned, police say never hesitate to call law enforcement with issues that they see.
“They should contact us,” says Lt. Peter Underthun with the Crystal police department. “We have several different abilities to work with public works to do a study on that area. If it’s a matter of wanting more police presence, we can do directed patrols or extra patrols in that area.”
If you have a concern or would like to know more about the studies conducted by the city, they have two YouTube videos you can view for information by clicking here and here.
