• Pay attention and drive carefully.
• Obey laws.
• Set a good example and remind your guests and neighbors to do the same.
• Remind residents at your Neighborhood Watch meetings to use caution when driving through the neighborhood.
• Residents may also assist in promoting traffic safety by reporting stolen or vandalized signs, potholes, debris in the street or other concerns.
• Another extremely important effort of area residents is to education children regarding proper traffic safety. In particular, children should not be allowed to play in or near the street.
• Residents may also assist in improving traffic safety by reducing the potential for restriction of the vision of drivers. For example:
• Bushes and trees near intersections should be kept trimmed in order that cars approaching the intersection can be seen by other drivers.
• Fences and other objects should also be located so that the vision of drivers is not unreasonably restricted.
• Vans or other vehicles should be parked so that they do not restrict visibility.

Should Stop Signs, Children at Play Signs or Other Traffic Devices Be Used to Control Speeding?

Traffic devices have been used for many decades to control traffic flow. This has provided engineers the opportunity to study their positive and negative impacts. National and state standards have been developed in order to provide uniformity and maximum public benefits.

The use of some traffic devices may actually cause the opposite result of what you would expect. For example:

1. Installation of stop signs is often requested to control speeding on local residential streets. However, in such attempts it has been found that the effect on speeds is only within approximately 200 to 300 feet. Many drivers will only slow down slightly at the intersection. Beyond the 200 to 300 foot distance, average speeds will often actually increase, as aggravated drivers attempt to make up the lost time at the "unnecessary" stop sign. Stop signs are typically used on minor street approaches to major roadways or at heavily traveled intersections. Stop signs are ineffective as speed control devices and installing unjustified stop signs will cause more problems than they solve.
2. Children at Play signs are also requested as a means to deal with speeding concerns on residential streets. Such signs actually have a negative effect on safety. Children at Play signs do not have a significant impact on the speeds at which drivers travel. In most cases, the sign does not give the driver any information that was not already known. Most excessive speeding in neighborhoods is by residents who have seen the streets many times and already know that children may be present. However, since parents believe such signs have an effect on drivers, they tend to be much less cautious about keeping children out of the street. Some parents may even misinterpret the sign to indicate that the street is now a safe place to play.
3. Speed bumps and humps are also sometimes requested to control speeds in neighborhoods. However, the concerns for causing a vehicle (especially a motorcycle) to lose control, noise, attracting skateboarders to the street, drainage impacts, aesthetics and other concerns generally result in far more negatives from such devices than positives. The City of Grand Junction no longer provides a Traffic Calming Program and will not install devices such as speed humps on local streets. The Grand Junction Police Department has several programs to assist neighborhoods with traffic safety isues such as the Neighborhood Speed Watch Program. To find out more information on these programs and who the neighborhood beat officer for your area is, click here.
4. The City is working towards a Neighborhood Program to address some of the challenges that all neighborhoods face. For more information on this program you may contact Kathy Portner or e-mail her at kathyp@gjcity.org