St. Louis Park delays vote on Minnetonka Vista stop‑sign overhaul after heavy resident opposition

St. Louis Park's City Council on Dec. 22 unanimously voted to delay consideration of a staff proposal to reconfigure stop controls in the Minnetonka Vista neighborhood after more than two hours of public comment from concerned residents.

Jack Sullivan, the city's assistant city engineer, told the council staff reviewed 39 internal neighborhood intersections and recommended an "alternating stop control intersection pattern" intended to reduce variability across the network. "The vast, vast majority — only about 12% — come to a complete stop" at existing signs in the study area, Sullivan said, a statistic he cited as part of the rationale for the recommended changes.

Residents rebutted the data and appealed to safety. "The proposed traffic control plan for Minnetonka Vista is dangerous and unsupported by data," said Kate Pickman, a longtime resident who cited outside studies and questioned city sampling (one 24‑hour study of four intersections). Other speakers described children waiting at neighborhood bus stops and the intersection of 39th and…