Vandals made their mark on a brand-new stop sign just days before the new four-way stop at Merecroft and Alder was rolled out.
The sign at the south end of the intersection on Alder Street was ruined before it had even been uncovered.
The two new stop signs – both on Alder Street – as well as small white signs reading ‘4-Way’ at all four stop signs were put in place last week but were covered with orange wrapping.
The cover on the damaged stop sign was partially ripped away and the sign was tagged with white spray paint.
Drew Hadfield, the city’s transportation manager, found out the sign had been vandalized just prior to the stop sign’s unveiling but said it would not delay the opening of the four-way which was expected to go into effect Thursday morning as the Mirror was going to press.
“We will be putting a new sign up when we open it up, at an additional cost of approximately $100 to replace (the sign),” Hadfield said Wednesday. The new traffic pattern was approved by council June 25 in response to a presentation to council from Alder Street resident Ted Haylow. Haylow urged council to take measures to slow down what’s become heavy traffic on Alder Street.
“Ever since the reconfiguration to the lights on Dogwood and the modifications to the roadways on Murphy Street and Highway 19A, Alder Street has become a freeway for speeders and heavy traffic,” Haylow said. “Cars constantly speed, tail gate and most of all, drive without due care and attention. Our patience has run out; they use stop signs to slow traffic on four-lane roads in Palm Springs. Let’s learn something to save our roads and our lives.”
Hadfield said while the four-way won’t necessarily affect the volume of traffic it will force motorists to change their driving patterns.
“The four-way stop will provide a break in the flow of traffic along Alder between Rockland and 2nd,” Hadfield said. “In addition to that, it will assist traffic on Merecroft entering on to Alder Street. Four-way stops provide traffic control but are not generally used to achieve traffic calming.”
As part of the traffic pattern change, the city removed the flashing amber lights marking the pedestrian crossing at the intersection. The city is reminding cyclists and pedestrians to be aware of the change and make eye contact with drivers before proceeding through the intersection.
Further improvements to Alder Street may still be coming. This fall, the city is conducting an Alder Street corridor study to look at long-term traffic management along the route. The study will look at impacts on adjacent streets and other main routes and include a public consultation process to gather community input.