Sometimes people ask: “How can I get a 4-way stop installed?” Below is some basic info on how SDOT decides where 4-way stop signs are appropriate.
SDOT only adds stop signs where accidents or other data show that drivers are not observing the right-of-way rule under State law. Stop signs are not added to slow traffic. When stop signs are installed as “speed breakers”, accidents don’t decrease, and sometimes increase.
SDOT follows the national standards presented in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) for the review and installation of all-way stops. The MUTCD has two standards for installation of all-way stops. One is based on safety and the intersection’s reported collision history. The second standard is based on high volumes and the delay created by these volumes. According to national guidelines that the city follows, when there is an uneven flow of traffic at an intersection, the street that carries the lower volume of traffic should have stop signs.