Committee denies four-way stop request at 20th Street and S Street, citing state warrant criteria

Merced City’s Traffic Committee voted to deny a citizen request to install stop signs on 20th Street at S Street to create a four-way stop near Fremont Elementary School, after reviewing crash reports and state warrant criteria.

A committee member said the intersection sits on one side of the school and noted that nearby 22nd and S already has a four-way stop. A public-safety speaker said the location’s proximity to the school was concerning; a representative from police noted inconsistent counts in the incident report during the discussion, at one point stating “two in a year” and later clarifying the data review. Committee members discussed whether school proximity could justify an exception from warrants but were advised the city typically follows state multi-way-stop warrant standards.

Public works and fire representatives noted visibility concerns and vehicle stacking at certain times, but committee members concluded the documented crashes did not consistently meet the state’s threshold for installing an unwarranted multi-way stop. One committee member moved to deny the request, a second was recorded, and the motion passed by voice vote.

Committee members asked staff to raise the request with the school district at an upcoming meeting to confirm whether the district had outstanding safety concerns; the district had not previously listed this intersection among its top safety issues. The committee denied the request as presented but left open further evaluation with additional information from the school or new crash data.