NEWPORT BEACH : Stop Sign to Stay, Council Decides

Residents who have been arguing over a temporary stop sign at a busy corner took their concerns this week to the City Council, which voted to let the sign stand.

The Traffic Affairs Committee recommended removing the sign at the intersection of Vista del Oro and Mar Vista Drive. The sign had been installed on a trial basis in the bluffs community six months ago, and the council sided unanimously with residents supporting the sign.

Residents cited studies showing that vehicle speed had been reduced from about 40 m.p.h. to 30 m.p.h. because of the sign. They added that recreational fields in the neighborhood bring in additional traffic, increasing the need for the sign.

“It’s loaded with cars and loaded with traffic,” said Samuel W.H. Boyce, president of the Bluffs Homeowners Community Assn. “I don’t know of a stop sign that I like or that’s convenient, but we have to look at the side of potential safety.”

Other residents, however, said the stop sign is unnecessary and asked the council to have it removed. About 145 of the more than 600 members of the homeowners organization signed a petition requesting that it be taken down.

“I think what we have here is a majority that’s just not coming forward and expressing their opinions about this,” said Garry Short, who opposed the sign and collected the signatures.