City Council Puts a Yield on Manager’s Proposed Traffic Sign Study

The La Grange City Council took no action Monday night on a request from City Manager Jack Thompson to conduct a study into stop signs and yield signs around town.

The study would involve mapping all of the current city-owned stop signs and yield signs, analyze criteria for additional signs based on the Federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), and then identify locations for additional stop and yield signs. Thompson proposed hiring the engineering firm Strand and Associates to conduct the study. The cost would be $16,500.

“The police department continually gets calls for new stops signs to be placed throughout the city,” Thompson said. “We’ve also had kind of a rash of accidents lately at some of our intersections in town.”

Thompson said the study would document and map all of the existing stop and yield signs in the city and help the police department “organize a new game plan” for signage throughout town.

Gene Carson, a citizen who signed up to speak during the agenda item, questioned the need for the study.

“Before we approve $16,500 of taxpayer money from the Capital Improvement Fund, we need to slow down and ask harder questions,” Carson said. “Good intentions do not replace fiscal responsibility. Where’s the data at? What is the specific evidence justifying this study? How many injury accidents are tied to improper signage? … If we cannot clearly identify a documented problem, then funding a consultant to go find one – that’s backwards. Define the problem first and then fund the solution.”

Carson asked whether the work could be performed in-house. He also questioned whether the City has budgeted funds for new signs that the study might recommend, along with installation costs.

“The Capital Improvement Fund is not just a convenience fund,” Carson said. “It exists for major infrastructure projects.”

Councilwoman Patsy Zbranek said that years ago, the police department would determine whether new signs were needed and would make a recommendation to the City Council.

“This is kind of changing it,” Zbranek said. “Maybe we need to do this. I don’t know. But it is a lot of money. You’re spending a lot of money. Where’s it all coming from?”

Councilwoman Bonnie Busch asked if the City has evidence of accidents or “near-misses” at specific intersections.

“Do we already have that data, or is that what they’re going to be collecting?” Busch asked. “I think it’s important that we clearly understand the problem that we’re trying to solve.”

“I rarely get calls from people, but when I do get calls or texts, it’s always about traffic concerns on my side of town,” Busch added. “So I do think that this is important, but do we have some basic information, like an uptick in accidents at a certain intersection, that would help guide us before we spend the $16,500?”

Thompson said inconsistent patterns of stop signs and yield signs on certain streets, or the lack thereof, leads to unsafe traffic speeds.

“We get a lot of calls and complaints regarding speeding on streets,” he said.

“In the past, we just kind of put up a sign here and there,” Thompson added. “After a while, you end up with a massive inconsistency … It’s like a drop of water in a bucket. One ripple affects the whole thing.”

Councilman Ken Taylor said he could not locate any appropriated funds in the budget for this project.

Council ultimately took no action on the study at this time.