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Council debates wide-ranging stop-sign and crosswalk changes, defers to traffic engineers
Summary
Council reviewed proposed ordinance updates to catalogue three-way/four-way stops and school crossings, debated whether enforcement or signage is the better solution, and agreed to request traffic-engineering studies from Schneiders before sending changes to public hearing.
The Maxwell City Council spent an extended portion of the meeting revising a proposed ordinance to explicitly identify three-way and four-way stop intersections and school stops in the municipal code. The debate focused on a set of neighborhood intersections (including North/Metf, Main/North and Baldwin/Fifth), questions about sight-line obstructions, and whether enforcement or signage (stop vs. yield) would best improve safety.
Council members raised competing concerns: some argued that additional stop signs slow traffic and are appropriate where police enforcement is limited, while others said removing stop signs without reliable enforcement risks encouraging higher speeds. "We don't have that kind of enforcement here right now," one council member said, arguing the town has limited police resources and therefore signage must compensate for enforcement shortfalls.
The council also discussed school-crossing controls and high-visibility crosswalks. Members noted a traffic-engineering assistance program that can provide up to 150 hours of free study—covering pedestrian crossings, high-crash locations and safe school routes—and agreed to pursue a formal request to Schneiders (the traffic-engineering contractor) for studies and recommendations.
The council did not send the draft ordinance to public hearing at this meeting. Instead, members directed staff to obtain traffic-engineering input about legal constraints on sign placement (especially on the state highway), the feasibility of moving 'stop ahead' signs to cover multiple intersections, and cost estimates for any required electrical/conduit work to synchronize school-crossing controls. After receiving the engineer's report, the council will reassess whether to hold a public hearing and which specific changes to adopt.
