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Commission declines all-way stop at Seventh Avenue and Decorah Road; orders enforcement and sight-line work
Summary
After a consultant and staff review, the Traffic Safety Commission did not adopt a 4-way stop at Seventh Avenue and Decorah Road, citing a steep grade and winter safety concerns. The commission directed increased enforcement, vegetation trimming and deployment of a radar trailer while keeping the two-way stop control in place.
The West Bend City Traffic Safety Commission on Sept. 29 declined to convert the existing two-way stop at Seventh Avenue and Decorah Road to an all-way (four-way) stop, instead directing stepped-up enforcement and site maintenance to address concerns raised by residents and a crossing guard.
Kevin Wayner of KL Engineering reviewed prior studies (including a 2018 Traffic Analysis and Design, Inc. assessment), crash history and more recent data. He reported that a previous 2018 study indicated a high crash rate (2.87 crashes per million entering vehicles) and recommended monitoring after vegetation trimming rather than immediate implementation of an all-way stop. Wayner’s follow-up found a reduction in the crash rate to 2.05 and a drop in southbound-vs-eastbound crashes; the predominant crash patterns remained northbound-vs-westbound. He also noted a steep grade on Decorah Road (approximately 12%), which raises the risk that vehicles could be unable to stop safely in winter conditions if an all-way stop were installed.
Wayner and staff recommended retaining the current two-way stop control and continuing vegetation trimming, monitoring and enforcement. Several residents and a school crossing guard urged more aggressive mitigation: Chuck Schroeder (resident) described a personal fender-bender at the intersection and said a four-way stop might have prevented it; crossing guard Ruthann Shaw said drivers frequently run stop signs and that winter braking makes an all-way stop problematic; other residents (Lori Spathe, Richard Mercik, Virginia Steiner) reported frequent high speeds on Decorah Road and near misses.
Police and city staff told the commission they would take immediate steps: directed enforcement with concentrated officer attention for a three-week period, deploy the radar feedback trailer where safe, and request parks/forestry to re-cut vegetation on the northwest corner to improve sight lines. Staff also said they would track enforcement outcomes and return to the commission if conditions do not improve. Commissioners and the police chief cautioned that adding an all-way stop could create different safety risks on the steep grade in winter and might increase crash risk.
No motion to adopt an all-way stop was made; the item did not advance to a change in traffic control. The commission’s actions from the meeting were procedural directions to staff and police rather than adoption of new traffic control devices.
