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Commission approves all-way stop, crosswalks at Harding and Park in North Park
Summary
The Traffic and Safety Commission approved installing an all‑way stop at Harding Avenue and Park Avenue in North Park, plus red curb, warning signs and marked crosswalks after staff cited heavy school pedestrian use though vehicle-warrant criteria were not met.
The Traffic and Safety Commission voted unanimously to install an all‑way stop at the intersection of Harding Avenue and Park Avenue in North Park and to add red curb, stop‑ahead warning signs and marked crosswalks.
City traffic engineer Dennis Barnes recommended the changes after a staff study found heavy pedestrian activity — especially schoolchildren — at the crossing even though the intersection did not meet standard vehicle‑volume stop‑warrant thresholds. Barnes told commissioners the city observed 407 pedestrians and bicyclists during the 7–9 a.m. peak and 236 pedestrians during the 4–6 p.m. peak at the site, and that an absence of right‑angle crashes did not eliminate a safety risk created by frequent pedestrian‑vehicular conflicts.
Barnes said the report referenced standard stop‑warrant criteria — including an eight‑hour 300‑vehicle threshold, a three‑year history of five right‑angle crashes, and peak‑hour delay thresholds — and noted those vehicle‑volume criteria were not met. He recommended treatment nonetheless because of the heavy pedestrian flows and left‑turn conflicts, proposing the all‑way stop along with “red curb on the intersection approaches,” a yellow ladder crosswalk on the north and east legs, and stop‑ahead warning signs on approaches as shown in the staff figure presented to the commission.
During discussion, a commissioner noted parked cars near the intersection block sight lines and supported the red‑curb daylighting measure Barnes recommended. The commission adopted the engineer’s recommendation in a roll‑call vote, with all members present voting yes.
The approved measures also call for a small plaque under the stop signs indicating the intersection is “All Way.” The staff report included average daily traffic (ADT) counts cited in the presentation — about 740 vehicles west of Park and about 865 vehicles east of Park — and a reference to sight‑line improvements linked to the city’s daylighting practice.
The action was limited to installing traffic control and markings; commissioners did not adopt additional enforcement or traffic‑calming measures during the meeting. Staff flagged the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and the local daylighting guidance in the written report and will proceed with sign and pavement‑marking work in accordance with those standards.
