Q: I was wondering why three-way stops signs were installed at the T intersection of Schantz Road and Lone Lane a few years ago, while the much busier T intersection of Schantz and Blue Barn roads has only one sign, for Blue Barn traffic.
— Brenda De La Roche, Upper Macungie Township
A: You're right, Brenda, the Lone Lane intersection seems lonelier, in terms of traffic volume, than Schantz Road's nearby Blue Barn connection, only about two-tenths of a mile to the east.
Both of these Ts are parked in ever-growing Upper Macungie Township, which is a factor in the evolution of the three-way stop signs at Lone Lane, and could come to play in the future at busy Blue Barn.
For many years, only Lone Lane traffic had a stop sign at Schantz Road, but as traffic volume grew, in part because of the popularity of the township's adjacent Lone Lane Park, the accident rate rose along with it. The turn from westbound Schantz to Lone Lane is more sharp curve than left turn, and though the rate of reportable accidents failed to meet the warrants for all-way stop signs, the township used its engineering discretion to install one anyway for eastbound Schantz traffic.
That was in March 2010, and it took a little while for motorists to become accustomed to the offbeat design. Normally at T intersections, it's one sign, or three, but rarely two. Township officials got reports that some motorists were failing to stop at the new signs, according to township engineer Scott Stenroos.
However, later that summer, with the seasonal traffic at the park added to the calculations, the intersection met the traffic-volume warrant for three-way signs, Stenroos said. The sign for westbound Schantz traffic went in later that year, probably in July or August, he said.
Yours is the first suggestion Stenroos has heard for stops being added at nearby Schantz and Blue Barn, Brenda, and he's unaware of any significant traffic problems there. The township would have to do a traffic study to determine if the warrants are met.
Unlike at Lone Lane, this intersection benefits from left- and right-turn lanes from Blue Barn to Schantz, and a right-turn lane from westbound Schantz to Blue Barn. That keeps right-turn traffic moving efficiently (arguably too much so, as some drivers barely bother to tap the brake pedal).
I imagine it won't be too long till complaints start steering their way to the township building, as traffic volume continues to grow. New homes are springing up as we speak at Parkland Fields just to the east on Schantz, and Hidden Meadows and Laurel Fields are neighbors as well. Hey, it's Upper Macungie.
A similar issue arose in Upper Mac in 2006, when township resident Pat Lisetski noticed an oddity in the new (at the time) traffic pattern at Werley Road and Oakview Drive, just south of Tilghman Street. "Can you shed light on the rationale for adding the stop sign as you come east on Oakview Drive, down the hill, yet providing no stop signs either way on Werley Road where it intersects with Oakview?", she wrote. "It seems Oakview is the busier road." She guessed that truck traffic might be a factor, but concluded, "some of the changes just don't make sense."
The township is looking to the future, Stenroos said at the time. Though Oakview might qualify as the "main" road, he said, there's a Hummer's worth of development planned on Werley to the south, and Werley links with Tilghman, a major traffic source. (Some of the development has come to pass in the interim, despite our detour onto Recession Road.)
Werley was, and is, likely to become the busier of the two eventually, Stenroos said recently, and when it overtakes Oakview, the stop signs will be properly prioritized. Reversing the relative stop-sign positioning after motorists have grown accustomed to one design is a dicey idea, the traffic engineer said.
The major engine components of stop-sign warrants are reportable crashes that could have been prevented by stop signs, vehicular volume, and vehicular volume combined with pedestrian and bicycle volume. The volume requirements diminish if the average main-road speed exceeds 40 mph, and signs alternately can be justified under four optional categories, including "the need to control left-turn conflicts".
These requirements are important, and should not be ignored. I'm sure that most all-way stop signs are necessary, but there's no legitimate reason for stopping traffic unnecessarily on the main road of any intersection. One thing is clear: A handful of residents whining to municipal officials that it takes too long to get through a two-stop intersection at peak-traffic times in no way meets warrants, especially when "too long" is defined as 35 seconds. This kind of plea is not uncommon at municipal meetings.
Three- and four-way stop intersections map a course to a modicum of motorist confusion regarding who arrived at the intersection first (and second and third and fourth), who has the right-of-way when two arrive together, and who's willing to plow ahead more aggressively regardless of the rules.
Don Stoveken of Macungie recognizes the potholes in poorly placed all-way stops, where, he says, "The result is more than the usual 'whose turn is it to go next?' dance" when multiple vehicles stop at the intersection at the same time. He's right. Everyone's experienced it: Two cars proceed at once, and both have to stop. Each driver waves the other on. One might have to back up a bit. A third (and possibly fourth) motorist awaits the outcome, with varying levels of patience.
The three-way stop at Lone and Schantz seems justified. I don't think Schantz and Blue Barn would meet the warrants just yet, Brenda, but this being Upper Macungie, I wouldn't bet against it over the long road.
Road Warrior appears Mondays and Fridays, and the Warrior blogs at mcall.com. Email questions about roadways, traffic and transportation, with your name and the municipality where you live, to hartzell@mcall.com, or write to Road Warrior, Box 1260, Allentown, PA 18105-1260.
