Four-way stop sign to be installed near St. Finbar School in Burbank

City officials will be installing a four-way stop sign at the intersection of Oak and Myers streets after requests from dozens of parents with children attending St. Finbar School in Burbank, who argued that the current two-way stop sign was unsafe for children walking to and from school.

The Burbank City Council unanimously approved the installation, which went against a recommendation by city staff members that the intersection didn’t warrant the change. There are currently two-way stop signs on Myers at the intersection.

According to a city report, a traffic engineering study found that the maximum traffic demand on Oak Street occurred between 7 and 8 a.m. with 161 vehicles, and between 2 and 3 p.m. with 134 vehicles.

City officials said those numbers were far less than the 300-vehicles-per-hour demand level recommended by the California Department of Transportation to warrant the additional stop signs.

Also, city officials said no accidents were logged at the intersection since 2005.

But local parents said speeding cars pose a safety risk for students walking to and from school.

“I saw a [driver of a] work truck seemingly clueless that a school was to his left speed through on Oak Street. I was thinking to myself, this is an accident or tragedy waiting to happen,” St. Finbar parent Delia Turner said in an email to city officials.

So, the council opted for caution.

“I’m an advocate of four-way stop signs around every school,” said Councilman Gary Bric.

Councilman Jess Talamantes concurred, adding that there should be a consideration for near-misses.

“I feel that schools should have stop signs on all four corners,” he said. “It’s the good, common-sense thing to do for the community and school kids.”
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Follow Alene Tchekmedyian on Google+ and on Twitter: @atchek.

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