Frisco installs blinking lights on stop sign

Town already is getting positive feedback from pedestrians

FRISCO — Frisco’s Main Street got a bit of the Vegas strip this week with the installation of stop signs with flashing red lights at the intersection with Madison Avenue.

“People are constantly running that stop sign,” town manager Michael Penny said. “This is a new attempt to get people to see the stop sign to improve safety and reduce accidents.”
 
No one quite knows why drivers constantly ignore the four-way stop sign.
 
It may be because other stop signs along Main Street are located in the middle of the intersection, or that there isn’t adequate warning for vehicles coming off of Interstate 70.
 
Either way, the intersection has generated a lot of headaches within the town, and Frisco police have made a habit of parking just out of view to catch drivers who fail to make a full stop.
 
“We want to improve the situation and get people’s attention,” Frisco public works director Tim Mack said. “We looked at what other municipalities across the country have done, and this seemed like an effective way to regulate traffic.”
 
At $1,700 per sign, the LED lights were a significant investment for the town, but Penny believe the new technology will stave off the costs associated with car accidents or pedestrian injuries.
 
“It’s the busiest intersection in town without a traffic light,” Penny said. “This new technology is not something we plan on using everywhere, but we always get a number of complaints regarding that intersection, and we knew we had to do something.”
 
The town already has received positive feedback from pedestrians, who note that, in the past, the intersection was always troublesome for those trying to get to the post office.
 
“They’re a pretty cool addition,” Emilee Reed said. “It’s hard enough to try to walk to the post office without slipping on ice, so getting hit by a car that didn’t stop was always a fear. Now, we shouldn’t have to worry about it anymore.”