BELLEVIEW, Fla. — A driver inquired about whether a Marion County stop sign is up to code after he says he got a ticket for not seeing the sign.
Tommy Shapard says it’s too short.
What You Need To Know
- Tommy Shapard received a ticket for driving through a Belleview stop sign
- Shapard says the stop sign was too low, and he didn’t see it
- Belleview Public Works Director says the sign’s height is adequate based on its location
To get home to Jacksonville from a family vacation in St. Petersburg, Shapard’s navigation app directed him to cut through the state and make his way through Belleview.
“Instead of veering to the left, I went straight and ended up on some back road,” he said.
Between looking at his phone to get back on the right road and following behind two vehicles, Shapard went through the stop sign on Southeast Magnolia Road at Southeast Agnew Road.
“I admitted to the officers that I just didn’t see it,” he said. “It looks very short there.”
Shapard got back on track and made it home, but the stop sign’s small stature bothered him.
“Let me message Jerry and see if he knows anything about this,” Shapard said.
So I took my tape measure out to the Southeast Magnolia Road and Southeast Agnew Road intersection.
The Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices states the minimum height of a stop sign, measured from the top of the curb or ground to the bottom of the sign, shall be 7 feet.
Based on my measurement, the stop sign in question was about 5 inches short.
I measured the other stop signs at this intersection, and all but one was below 7 feet.
“I would like to see if the stop sign is up to code,” Shapard said.
I asked Bob Titterington, the public works director for Belleview, about the stop sign’s height.
That 7-foot height rule is for urban areas where parking or pedestrian movements are likely to occur, or where the view of the sign might be obstructed.
“I reviewed the intersection referenced and determined that the roadway does not have any sidewalks for pedestrians or parked cars that may prevent visibility of the stop sign,” Titterington said. “Therefore, in my opinion, the height of the sign measured by you is adequate and visible.”
Titterington, who started a year ago, admits if he were to install new stop signs, he’d make sure they’re at least 7 feet high.
“Being higher up (in an SUV) and being on the left, the driver’s side, I missed it,” Shapard said.
He still thinks the stop sign’s height isn’t adequate, especially for taller vehicles.
But he’ll pay the $170 ticket and take a class to avoid points on his license.
“I ran through it; I’m going to take care of that, but I’d like to prevent perhaps others from missing it, and who knows, maybe an accident,” he said.
Submit any traffic concerns on the Spectrum News App in the Traffic and Transit section, or go to mynews13.com/trafficinbox, and fill out the form on the right side of the screen.
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September 13, 2022 at 08:30PM
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