The process of acquiring such signage could get less “onerous” should the Dallas City Council vote in a policy change suggested by Council District 1 representative and Mayor Pro Tem Chad West, according to the councilman.
West’s recommendation is part of a broader traffic-calming effort launched following multiple speed-related accidents and fatalities on Jefferson and Twelfth Street.
The new measure on Wednesday’s council agenda could increase the number of intersections with stop signs by polling only the residents closest to the problem intersection when considering the need for the sign.
“I feel like that would bring more control of the traffic to the neighbors that are actually experiencing it,” West told NBC 5 in August 2021.
As it stands, the ordinance first allows city staff to decide on the need for a stop sign. If they do not reach an affirmative conclusion, neighbors can still petition for a stop sign if they believe it is warranted. The petitioner would need to collect signatures of about 67% of neighbors within 900 feet of the intersection in order to have the sign approved, explains West in an email.
“In a typical Oak Cliff neighborhood, that is about 183 signatures out of 274 homes, an onerous requirement,” he notes.
In October the councilman proposed reducing the radius of direct involvement of the homeowners to 300 feet, and the council eventually settled on 600 feet as a reasonable area. It still needs to be formally approved.
“If it is, “the reduced boundary would require signatures from approximately 86 out of 128 homes in a neighborhood with lot sizes prevalent in Oak Cliff,” West says.
See Wednesday’s full agenda here. Email West at chad.west@dallascityhall.com with comments.
