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Wilkes-Barre council pulls stop-sign request, urges traffic study and refreshed line painting
Summary
At a recent Wilkes-Barre City Council meeting, members removed a request for a new stop sign after finding the traffic committee had not completed a recommended speed study and noting limits on using stop signs to control speeding. Councilors emphasized line painting, enforcement and targeted parking measures as next steps.
At a recent Wilkes-Barre City Council meeting, members pulled an agenda item seeking a new stop sign after the council learned the traffic committee had not completed a previously recommended speed study and striping work.
The council’s discussion focused on two threads: whether the traffic committee and police had performed the speed study and striping recommended at an earlier meeting, and the legal limits on installing stop signs to address speeding. “So there's actually 2 reasons that we're pulling it. So I pulled the traffic meeting minutes from September… I don't believe that that was done so I'm not comfortable just going straight for a stop sign until all resources have been exhausted,” a speaker said during the discussion. Council members also cited a federal rule they described as restricting use of stop signs solely to control speeding.
The issue prompted extended public and council remarks about driving behavior in the city. A resident told the council, “I saw 1 guy, phone on this hand, cigarette in the other hand,” as part of a broader account of what they described as pervasive distracted and speeding drivers. Council members urged a mix of short-term and longer-term remedies: repaint worn pavement markings, prioritize school zones and major boulevards for striping, and consider targeted measures to reduce neighborhood parking violations.
Councilman Merriman said line painting is important in school zones, noting that many markings “are pretty much worn away.” Councilwoman McClay raised the idea of using portable parking posts at problem corners, asking whether the city could place them in residential areas to prevent repeated parking violations; council staff said the posts are costly and must be evaluated before broad deployment.
Council members said they would ask staff and the police to confirm whether the traffic committee’s planned speed study and striping were completed and, if not, to schedule those tasks. Funding for line painting was discussed in general terms; a council member noted the city has some liquid fuels money that can be used for road repair and striping, but that overall funds are limited. Other specific spots mentioned for attention included Georgia Avenue, Butler Street, Hazel Street approaching Wilkes-Barre Boulevard and Nesbitt Park’s boat launch.
No formal motion or vote on the stop sign or any ordinance was recorded in the transcript. The item was removed from the agenda and council members directed staff to follow up on the traffic committee work and pavement markings.
Council members closed the discussion by asking colleagues to submit priority streets for line painting and to alert staff to recurring parking trouble spots so staff can evaluate whether permanent or temporary measures are warranted.
