BRIGHAM CITY — One month after the city put up stop signs at 200 South and 200 West to accommodate students walking to Lake View Elementary School, the city wants the signs taken down because not enough students are using the intersection to justify a four-way stop.
The stop signs were put in place based on projections given to the city by residents after the Box Elder School Board realigned school boundaries in the summer.
Parents have asked that the four-way stop not be removed and stated the intersection of 700 South and 200 West is also a concern.
Police Chief Paul Tittensor said his department has found students are not using the intersection at 200 South and 200 West.
“There are plenty of cars, but we have never seen a child go north or south. We have asked those who live in the houses near the intersection, and they haven’t seen any children cross from north to south,” Tittensor said.
City Councilman Scott Ericson said, “As a parent of elementary kids, I would not feel comfortable letting my kids use the crosswalk at 200 South and 200 West knowing that they would have to cross again at 700 South.”
Public Works Director Blake Fonnesbeck said the crossing zone does not meet the state standards for a school crosswalk.
Fonnesbeck said 40 to 60 students need to be using the intersection in order to have a school crosswalk.
“There are not enough students using that intersection to warrant a four-way stop,” he said.
City Administrator Bruce Leonard, who is also the city’s risk manager, said, “The problem with a four-way stop is the increase of accidents in a four-way stop. Injuries tend to be very severe in a four-way stop, as cars usually are broadsided. I’ve learned the hard way that no good deed goes unpunished. We are putting the city at risk to leave that intersection a four-way stop.”
The city is already studying the intersection of 700 South and 200 West. The police department is monitoring the intersection 45 minutes before school starts and 45 minutes after school ends.
Tittensor said he has seen up to 29 students cross at 700 South.
“There were three sets of parents who crossed with three to six kids. There is a high volume of traffic, but we never saw a failure to yield. However, the afternoon was a different story,” he said.
Fonnesbeck said the city is willing to train parents to be volunteer crossing guards.
“The problem with Lake View is, no parents have come forward to volunteer.”
Box Elder Superintendent Ron Wolff asked if the city could train parents not to park on the west side of the street and then call the students to cross the street in the middle of the block.
The city will study both intersections and address the issue again later this month.
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