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Residents press council on California–Mitchell intersection safety; staff says intersection does not meet stop-sign warrants
Summary
A resident raised safety concerns at the California and Mitchell intersection after new sidewalks were installed; staff said traffic counts and accident data show the intersection does not meet engineering "warrants" for a four-way stop and suggested traffic-calming studies and community petitioning as next steps.
A local resident, Matthew Orr, told the Escalon City Council on Aug. 4 that changes to the California and Mitchell intersection following a new sidewalk project have created a near-miss and that the city should install a four-way stop. Orr, who identified himself as having traffic-safety experience and accident-investigation training, said a child on a bicycle ran the stop sign and narrowly avoided a crash.
City staff responded that while sidewalks are a city provision, traffic-control devices such as stop signs require technical "warrants" based on traffic volume, speeds and crash history. Staff said they had monitored the intersection multiple times and that it did not meet the formal warrants for a four-way stop. The city manager explained that installing stop signs where warrants are not met can sometimes create counterproductive behavior (drivers disregarding signs), which is why staff follow established traffic-engineering protocols.
Staff told the council the city had previously analyzed the intersection, recommended a traffic-calming program, and could revisit the issue if the community demonstrated broader support; staff also noted some neighbors oppose a four-way stop. A council member suggested the data collection could have been skewed by school schedules; staff said one of the monitoring weeks coincided with a school break and that they had extended monitoring to capture a representative period.
No new traffic-control device was ordered at the meeting; staff advised residents to pursue traffic-calming through the city's program and indicated they would consider resident petitions and a traffic-calming study if the community pushed for it.
