Post navigation

Prev: (02/26/19) | Next: (02/26/19)

This Capitol Hill traffic circle probably isn’t really home to Seattle’s first ‘photo enforced’ stop sign

Either HB 1793 to make it easier for cities like Seattle to use traffic cameras to enforce more than just intersection and speeding laws is moving faster through the halls of Olympia than most legislation… or somebody around the traffic circle where 20th Ave E meets E Crescent Dr is getting a good laugh.

Either way, drivers are now coming to a full stop.

At some point in Snowbruary, the stop sign in the E Crescent traffic circle was smashed down. In recent days, the stop sign has been restored — along with an official looking, black on yellow sign. “PHOTO ENFORCED,” it promises.

CHS visited the intersection near Stevens Elementary on Tuesday afternoon and didn’t find any new cameras at the scene. We did see a couple cars come to careful stops on the curving downslope of E Crescent Dr. We did not see any nearby neighbors cackling with delight.

Photo enforcement at stop signs is relatively rare but a few cities reportedly do it. Fox News bitched about them here in 2012.

As far as we know, the City of Seattle doesn’t have any ability to photo enforce stop signs, yet, but we’re checking with the Seattle Department of Transportation to see if they can paint a fuller picture of what is happening on this North Capitol Hill traffic circle. Seattle began testing red light cameras in 2006 and now deploys the enforcement on streets across the city. The ones at Broadway and E Olive Way are our favorites. Smile.

In the meantime, if you’re looking for more effective ways to make the streets and sidewalks around you safer, check out these 22 proposals for District 3.

 

BECOME A CHS SUBSCRIBER
Subscribe to CHS to help us pay writers and photographers to cover the neighborhood. Become a subscriber at $1/$5/$10 a month.

 

 

 
Subscribe and support CHS Contributors -- $1/$5/$10 per month

6 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Glenn
Glenn
5 years ago

The east and west facing stop signs are not necessary, as vehicles are required to slow considerably to navigate the traffic circle on that narrow street, and traffic entering from the north already has a stop sign. I would be most pleased if they were removed, although I was not the driver who slid into one during the snowstorm

Sloopy
Sloopy
5 years ago

This has to be some neighbor with too much time on their hands. It also makes no sense to have a circle and a stop sign.

Jim98122x
Jim98122x
5 years ago
Reply to  Sloopy

That’s why we call them “jokes”.

Quail
Quail
5 years ago

Our roundabout is a joke – located on Summit Ave and Olive – near Pike.

16th Ave E.
16th Ave E.
5 years ago

Why is a stop sign needed here? How about we take it out!? Of all places to “enforce” stops on Capitol Hill this is it?

Jim98122x
Jim98122x
5 years ago
Reply to  16th Ave E.

“Reading is FUNdamental”