The News-Gazette had some basic information on how one goes about getting a stop-light from local government when the traffic gets to be too much.
Stopping Traffic: Costs, vehicle numbers among factors in stoplight decisions
When an intersection becomes too busy for stop signs, cities turn to the manual.
That is, the Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.
“We follow the procedures strictly in that manual,” said Craig Shonkwiler, an assistant city engineer for Urbana.
The manual lays out nine factors that cities should study when considering adding a stoplight, including traffic volume over different times, pedestrian traffic, school crossings and whether it’s near a railroad crossing.
“We’ll go out and measure the traffic over periods of time and also look at the pedestrian use,” Shonkwiler said.
However, stoplights being warranted at an intersection doesn’t mean they will be added.
“It still is a judgment,” Shonkwiler said. “Every situation you have to evaluate and make a call on.”
One of the biggest factors affecting these judgment calls is cost.
Full article
here.
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