Should There be a Stop Sign at 7-Mile and Nicholson?

After a serious accident over the weekend that sent three people to the hospital at the intersection of 7-Mile and Nicholson roads, some readers asked why there isn't a four-way stop there.


On the Caledonia Patch Facebook page, Becky Jones related her own accident experience at the corner, saying another driver ran the stop sign. Fortunately, there weren't any injuries.

"A guy ran the stop sign just as I was entering the intersection and I could not avoid hitting him. Perhaps a 4-way stop would be in order there," she wrote.

Julie Uher noted that it's par for the course to blow the stop signs.

"That is right by our house and people miss the stop signs all the time," she posted. "Dangerous!"

Getting a four-way stop there, though, means analysis and traffic studies. Caledoina Village Engineer Mike Hayek told Patch that the latest data he has for traffic flow puts the number of cars traveling north-south at about 850 per day and east-west at about 1,200 per day.

"Those numbers on face value might support a stop sign, but there are other ways to make the intersection safer without bringing all traffic to a stop," he said.

One method Hayek said he likes is the rumble strip; ridges placed into the pavement of the road that alert drivers they need to slow down.

"I get a lot of people who don't like those strips, but they work because they jolt drivers out of automatic pilot on those long, straight roads," he added.

Caledonia police Lt. Gary Larsen suggested putting signs that warn motorists that cross traffic doesn't stop.

"We have had some success reducing the number of accidents at 5-Mile and Nicholson and we think it's because we have signs approaching the intersection that give drivers a warning," he said.

On Patch, Susan Schrek offered some suggestions.

"Some tree removal would help, maybe a blinking light stop sign and, hate to say it but, some speed traps along Nicholson.," she said.

But, neither Hayek nor Trustee Jim Dobbs - head of the Public Works committee - have been contacted by residents about a four-way stop at 7-Mile and Nicholson. 

"As long as I've been on the board, I haven't heard from any residents about a four-way stop there," Dobbs said.

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