8/12/2020
A driver comes to almost a complete stop at a new temporary stop sign on Hines Road where it meets Pequot Avenue on Monday. (Breeze photo by Ethan Shorey)
CUMBERLAND – A visit to Hines Road this week found that the large majority of drivers there are coming to at least a rolling stop at two new sets of temporary stop signs, and that traffic in the area has slowed significantly.
The stop signs are part of the first major initiative approved under the town’s new program for analyzing and implementing traffic-calming measures.
Of 42 drivers passing through new stop signs at Hines Road and Pequot Avenue over 23 minutes on Monday afternoon, from 1:11 p.m. to 1:34 p.m., all but three of them came to at least a rolling stop. A total of 20 drivers came to a complete stop or close to it, and 19 completed rolling stops.
For purposes of this story, cars with wheels moving only ever so slightly, with the seeming intent to stop, were considered full stops. Rolling stops were counted when the momentum of the car was never truly halted.
During Monday’s observation by The Breeze, drivers did the following over 42 approaches to the stop signs:
• Rolling stop
• Rolling stop
• Stop
• Rolling stop
• Stop
• Rolling stop
• Stop
• No stop
• Stop
• Stop
• Rolling stop
• Rolling stop
• Stop
• Rolling stop
• Stop
• Rolling stop
• Rolling stop
• Rolling stop
• Stop
• Rolling stop
• Stop
• Stop
• Stop
• No stop
• Rolling stop
• Stop
• Stop
• Rolling stop
• Rolling stop
• Stop
• Stop
• Rolling stop
• Rolling stop
• Rolling stop
• Rolling stop
• Rolling stop
• Stop
• Stop
• No stop
• Stop
• Stop
• Stop
Residents late last week hailed the installation of the signs on Hines Road as a hopeful indication that speeding on this curving section of roadway might finally be curtailed, while also expressing some concern about how people might react to the new traffic control devices. The early indications were that many people were still speeding right through without realizing that they’re up.
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Variable message trailers have been installed in both directions alerting motorists to the presence of the new stop signs.
Community Outreach Coordinator Sarah King, who works with Officer Stephen Bannister on the new Cumberland Traffic Management Group, said the signs at Pequot and Waumsett Avenues, with the Cumberland Police Department’s “defined area of influence” between 90 and 138 Hines Road, are temporary signs for 90 days right now. Officials will be collecting data after the fact to compare it to the speed data previously collected before the stop signs.
“We will definitely know if they’re working the way they intended,” she posted in response on Facebook. “If they do, we’ll make them permanent.”
The temporary signs are placed in an area known for its narrow curves and blind driveways. Hines Road is expected to see increased traffic as the water line project on Diamond Hill Road proceeds.
The Town Council formed the Traffic Management Group in May to accept and analyze resident complaints on traffic. New policies and procedures are designed to keep any efforts aligned with real data rather than simply the volume or loudness of complaints.
Last week The Breeze reported that the Town Council had authorized the placement of temporary stop signs on Hines Road and around town without the council’s approval. Permanent stop signs still need council sign-off.
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August 13, 2020 at 02:17PM
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Majority of motorists stopping at new 'temporary' stop signs - Valley Breeze
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