City Approves Stop Signs for Busy Los Altos Drive

Residents of the Los Altos Drive area hope to get some relief from speeding drivers with the help of two new sets of stop signs.

After a six-month campaign by homeowners, who have complained about speeders using neighborhood streets as shortcuts to nearby businesses, the City Council voted Monday to post the signs.

“The traffic on Los Altos is ludicrous,” resident Carrie Simpson told the council. “There are tons of kids in that neighborhood, and they are not car-literate.”

Council members had said last year, when the complaints began, that stop signs would be a last resort.

Instead, traffic officials had painted stripes on the roadway to make it appear narrower, but residents said that was ineffective.

In voting unanimously Monday for the stop signs, council members said their hope is that traffic in the area will slow down, though personally they expressed some doubts.

“This is not the answer,” said Mayor Patsy Marshall, who nonetheless voted for the signs at residents’ request.

“It gives children a false sense of security. It may be a temporary Band-Aid, and I will support it as a temporary measure.”

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Calling a Halt

New stop signs will slow traffic.