By Mark Wineka
Salisbury Post
The city of Salisbury, happy with positive comments and results at other downtown intersections, will install four-way stop signs at East Council and Depot streets.
The traffic signals at East Council and Depot streets will be covered and the stop signs will control traffic for a 90-day test period.
Data will be collected over that three-month trial run before city staff makes a final recommendation on possibly removing the traffic signals for good.
Over the past several years, seven downtown traffic signals have been removed and replaced with stop signs.
Traffic Engineer Wendy Brindle said vehicle counts collected at the Council-Depot intersection over a 24-hour period failed to meet any of the minimum volumes established for signals in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.
Volumes for both Depot and East Council were approximately equal, she said.
Staff recommended a four-way stop instead of establishing a through street with only two stop signs because of limited sight distance for the southbound approach of Council Street and the westbound approach of Depot Street.
Salisbury City Council adopted ordinances Tuesday that allowed for the permanent removal of traffic signals at the intersections of South Church and West Fisher and South Church and West Bank streets.
In 2007, council had approved a similar test period of all-way stops at those intersections. The traffic signals had been covered since Nov. 12, 2007.
Brindle said site observations showed compliance with the stop signs, and there were no reported accidents during the past 90 days.
“In addition, we have received several telephone calls and e-mails in support of the stop signs,” Brindle said in a memo. “Therefore, staff recommends that the stop signs be established as permanent traffic control.”
Contact Mark Wineka at 704-797-4263, or mwineka @salisburypost.com.