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Request denied for East Third Avenue-10th Street stop signs

Council sides with traffic study
Durango Police Department motorcycle patrol officers, Ron Wysocki, left, and Rob Haukeness, monitor the intersection of East Second Avenue and Eighth Street. On Tuesday, the Durango City Council decided not to install new stop signs at East Third Avenue and 10th Street.

In a split vote, the Durango City Council denied a request to install a four-way stop at 10th Street and East Third Avenue.

A traffic study showed the intersection did not warrant stop signs, and city councilors did not want to set a precedent of making decisions not backed by set standards because it could lead to inconsistent decisions.

“Let’s not have a code if we are going to ignore the recommendation of the code,” Councilor Keith Brant said.

Brant was joined by Councilors Sweetie Marbury and Dick White on Tuesday in opposing the new stop signs.

If there is an extra stop sign, people tend to speed to make up the time they lost at the stop sign, White said.

Councilor Dean Brookie recused himself because he uses the intersection frequently.

Mayor Christina Rinderle supported the stop signs, saying she understood the neighborhood feels overwhelmed by traffic.

Brie Stahnke has advocated for traffic controls, and she was disappointed the traffic study was done in the winter, when there would have been few pedestrians and cyclists.

The traffic study was seasonally adjusted to account for lower wintertime counts, officials said.

The intersection at 10th Street and East Third Avenue has limited sight lines, and pedestrians must walk into the road to be seen by drivers, making it a hazard, she said.

“I am not giving up on this,” she added.

mshinn@durangoherald.com



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