Where's a Stop Sign Needed? Where Should a Stop Sign be Removed?

Beverly is no stranger to debates about stop signs.

There were the two stop signs installed a few years ago on Kernwood Avenue at Harris Street that drew the ire of drivers for a while. Those drivers were used to zooming from Bridge Street to the Kernwood Bridge and weren’t happy about the new signs.

There was also a debate in the Shingleville neighborhood, where residents requested two stop signs – at both the intersection of Matthies and Pearson streets and Sturtevant and Pearson streets. The request was denied and in the end resulted in a study of traffic in the entire neighborhood, which sits off McKay Street between Elliott Street and the Beverly Golf and Tennis Club.

The latest request is for a new sign at the intersection of River and Bridge streets. City Councilor Maureen Troubetaris made the request because she said a second stop sign on River Street will make it easier for drivers to pull out of Bridge Street.

Requests for a new stop sign typically start at the City Council, where a councilor will submit a so-called order and the process begins. In the end, it requires a change to the city’s traffic ordinance for a new sign to go up.

There’s got to be other spots around the city where a stop sign might make an intersection safer. Or maybe there’s a stop sign in a spot that just doesn’t make sense. Tell us in the comments.