Wallingford neighbors frustrated over drivers rampantly running stop signs

People who live near the intersections of Thackeray Place Northeast and Northeast42nd Street, and Northeast 42nd Street and 2nd Avenue Northeast said drivers run stop signs all day, every day.

"There are people running it all the time and fast they just blast right past it," said Allison Bay.

She said the problem is many drivers can't see the stop signs because they are obstructed by trees. Drivers also have a hard time seeing the stop lines painted on the street, because they have faded.

When we staked out the location, we found driver after driver going through the stop signs, some drivers didn't even slow down.

When we asked the drivers who failed to stop why they didn't stop, some said they couldn't see the stop sign or the stop lines.

"The lines aren't very clear. They're very worn and they're hard to see," said Bay.

Neighbors have reached out to city council members and SDOT to try to get the lines repainted.

A spokesperson for SDOT said repainting the lines isn't a priority because there have been no crashes at the intersection in three years.

"Facing limited funds, we need to prioritize other locations before these intersections. Drivers need to obey the posted stop signs," said Rick Sheridan, spokesperson for SDOT.

After KIRO7 contacted SDOT about the stop sign problem, SDOT sent a traffic staffer out to assess the visibility situation. SDOT will trim trees obstructing one of the stop signs but does not plan to repaint the stop lines.

Each stop line is estimated to cost about $1,000 to paint.

"I think it's pretty ridiculous," said Bay.

"I suppose until someone gets seriously hurt, we won't get the lines repainted," said Sue Durant, who lives on 42nd Street.

Sheridan also said that SDOT plans to reach out to SPD about more enforcement at the intersections

KIRO