Stop signs are a good measure of the incompetence of government. The following letter was written in San Francisco (by me) in 1997. Stop signs proliferate with no restraint. No one has ever followed up on my letter.
I gathered the data which showed that the number of stop signs kept increasing for forty years without reason or logic. Sounds like the way government usually does things.
My motto has been: most of our current problems are the result of past legislation.
"Regarding a Serious Policy Problem: The Board of Supervisors may be the cause of public disrespect for traffic regulations.
Recent media reports indicate that
some city supervisors are focusing attention on drivers who ignore
red lights. Red-light running seems to be a nationwide problem.
However, there is a related problem, for which San Francisco
supervisors may have a direct responsibility.
We have a growing number of stop signs in San Francisco. Therefore, it takes longer and longer to drive anywhere in the city. The number of stop signs has been growing at a steady pace for forty years, regardless of population or traffic.
Proliferating stop signs is a gnawing problem that is currently ignored. Stop signs are designed to slow traffic. As the length of time to travel within the city grows, the patience of drivers declines. The willingness to obey traffic regulations probably declines also.
Here is the data: In 1957, when
stop-sign installation was turned over to the city (it was formerly
managed by the California State Automobile Association), there were
1,786 stop signs in San Francisco. That number has doubled twice in
forty years to 9,603 stop signs at the beginning of 1997. This is an
increase in stop signs of 4 percent per year. The number of
intersections, however, is the same as it was in 1957. In the
meantime, the population of San Francisco has declined from 740,000
to 730,000. The number of automobiles has grown from 170,000 to
220,000, a growth rate of a .5 percent per year. The average urban
automobile is shorter than it was in 1957. Much shorter. The number
of stop signs has far out paced the number of cars.
As the number of stop signs increases, traffic slows and drivers become more and more impatient. Is there a way to address this issue?
Ultimately, I hope there will be a supervisor's study of the necessary number of stop signs in San Francisco. With an upper limit established, the law should require that a new sign can go up only if an old sign comes down. "
Note: The data on stop signs for 1957 was
tabulated by me at the Traffic Sign Office. The population and
automobile data were taken from the U.S. Census. The number of stop sign-auto related accidents in San Francisco is not recorded for any period.