Requesting a Stop Sign

Q: I want a stop sign near my house/place of business.

A: Stop signs fall into two categories: two-way and all-way stop applications. Installation of stop signs is based on the requirements of Chapters 2B.06 (STOP Sign Applications) and 2B.07 (Multi-Way Stop Applications) of the latest edition of the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CA MUTCD). The CA MUTCD provides uniform standards and specifications for all official traffic control devices (e.g., signs and pavement markings) in the State of California.

Two-way stop control is appropriate on a minor street approach when the major street has high average daily volumes, poor visibility requires vehicles to stop to observe oncoming traffic, or minimum crash history thresholds are met.

All-way stop control is appropriate when one or more of eight warrants specified in the CA MUTCD are met. Generally, these warrants cover traffic volumes, crash history, issues with left-turning vehicles receiving insufficient gaps in traffic to proceed safely, high pedestrian traffic generators (e.g., schools and parks), obstructed sight lines that cannot be easily removed, and intersection delay where two collector streets meet. Multi-way stop signs are ineffective for traffic calming (e.g. reducing speeds), and unwarranted stop signs tend to have reduced levels of compliance. Stop signs are not shown to reduce speeds substantially, and drivers disobeying stop signs can create additional safety hazards. For these reasons, the TAC does not recommend implementing all-way stop control when the primary concern is traffic speed.