Imperial eyeing new stops at multiple intersections
IMPERIAL — The city Planning Commission recently voted to recommend placement of new four-way stop signs, as well as crosswalks, at the intersection of P Street and Barioni Boulevard.
This action was approved during the commission’s regular meeting on July 22. The final decision on the matter now rests in the hands of the City Council, which is expected to put it to a vote Aug. 5.
A timeline for installation will be determined if the council approves the project.
The intersection currently has stop signs on P Street but not Barioni, which runs east and west of the intersection. Barioni becomes Worthington Road east of the intersection.
While there is one ADA ramp, sidewalks are not provided at all approaches to the intersection.
There are also no marked crosswalks, and no parking restrictions at the approaches of the intersection.
Discussion of the stop signs and crosswalks came about after the city received complaints from residents regarding pedestrian safety, speeding and visibility at this intersection, per a staff report.
Based on field observations, city staff reported that there were no “visibility” obstructions at the intersections for drivers stopping on P Street; rather, it is more of a speeding issue from east to west on Worthington coming into city limits.
Initially, city staff did not recommend for the stop signs and crosswalks when they first presented this action during the July 8 regular meeting. However, after collecting more data, they changed their recommendation during the July 22 meeting.
In the staff’s recent findings, it was discovered that there have been seven collisions (four property damage and three minor injury), and a combination of nine citations and traffic violations at the intersection within the past three years.
A four-way stop was judged to be the best solution.
Also during the July 22 meeting, the commission discussed approving three other stop-sign projects: New three-way stop signs at the intersection of Fonzie Avenue and Cancun Drive; new four-way stop signs and crosswalk at the intersection of Canon Drive and Neckel Road, and new three-way stop signs and crosswalk at the intersection of Brewer
Road and Monterey Park Lane.
As staff presented no alternatives to street signs, the commission directed them to go back and evaluate any other ideas that can be applied at these intersections, such as 30foot striping, speed bumps, police presence, flashing speed signs or a flashing beacon.
The commission is also seeking community input on how these three projects could best be conducted.
Public comments can be submitted via email to cityclerk@cityofimperial.org.