installing stop signs

Between rush-hour traffic and major construction projects, our neighborhood streets can sometimes feel like racetracks — especially with all the drivers trying to bypass the delays around LBJ Freeway. It’s not just an irritant, it’s a safety issue.

Q: People are always speeding through our neighborhood. How do we get the city to install stop signs?

A: You can petition for one, but most residential streets don’t qualify.

The chances are slim for getting all-way stop signs installed. The street must not be a thoroughfare (a high-volume street such as Preston), it cannot be an emergency response route, and it must have at least 300 cars passing through each hour during an eight-hour period, with speeds exceeding 40 mph. That’s why the city has a petitioning process in place. Homeowners and neighborhood associations must obtain signatures from two-thirds of the property owners who are within 900 feet of the proposed location. “It requires a great deal of work,” says Kerry Elder, the city’s transportation planner. “We get calls from all over the city, and most often, it doesn’t warrant a stop sign.” If the request is still denied, neighbors can appeal to the City Plan Commission, which would vote on whether to allow a sign even though it doesn’t meet the criteria. Elder says that road humps are a little easier to obtain than stop signs. To learn more, call 311 or visit dallascityhall.com/services.

—Emily Toman