Stop signs on Main Street are hot topic
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POLSON — Four-way stop signs at Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Avenues on Main Street are a new phenomenon. Some Polsonites love them, and some hate them.
City Manager Todd Crossett said he’d had more positive than negative comments on the stop signs. The city will continue to collect opinions and leave the stop signs as they are through the holidays, Crossett said. He also said four-way stop signs will be added at Seventh Avenue and Main Street.
Polson Police Chief Doug Chase said he has “his knife and fork for eating crow.”
Originally Chase was not in favor of the stop signs, but the police department has received lots of positive feedback, especially about the signs on Second and Third Avenues.
“There are some questions about stop signs on Fifth and Sixth,” Chase said, about whether they are necessary.
Downtown businessman Mike Cripe, from Jackie M’s Footwear said, “I’m getting to the point where I kind of like them.”
“The stop signs are growing on people,” Jackie Cripe added.
Candy Yeater, who works at Treasure State Mercantile, said, “I love the stop signs.”
Karen McMullen, also from Treasure State Mercantile agreed. “I think they’re great,” she said.
Other people polled agreed with Yeater and McMullen. Reasons given were that it’s much easier for pedestrians to cross the street, people drive slower on Main Street since the addition of the stop signs, left turns onto Main Street are easier and slower traffic gives a driver time to back out of a parking space.
“The stop signs were a surprise to me,” downtown shopper Donna Olson said. “I don’t mind them.”
Olson said she thinks the signs might encourage people to shop downtown.
Several others, who preferred to remain anonymous, said they don’t like new signs. Unless a specific errand calls them downtown, these folks use First Street W. to avoid all the stops.Comments about the stop sign situations are welcome at Polson City Hall at 883-8200.
