Bozeman unveils new neighborhood stop signs
- Bozeman said April 21 it will begin a citywide project in May to add stop signs at every uncontrolled neighborhood intersection, replacing a long-running yield-to-the-right system many drivers miss. - The city plans more than 400 new stop signs at 328 intersections by 2030, starting around Montana State University before moving next to the Valley Unit and Northeast neighborhoods. - Bozeman says crash data, near-miss complaints and fast growth pushed the change from unsigned intersections to posted stops. (bozeman.net)
Bozeman will start installing stop signs in May at every uncontrolled neighborhood intersection in the city, ending a local driving rule that relied on yielding to the driver on the right. (bozeman.net) (ypradio.org) The city said more than 400 stop signs will go in at 328 intersections under a multi-year rollout that runs through 2030. The first zone is the neighborhood around Montana State University. (bozeman.net) (nbcmontana.com) Transportation and Engineering Director Nick Ross said Bozeman’s streets have grown busier and tourists are not always familiar with unsigned intersections. City engineer Danae Giannetti said staff also see more crashes at unmarked intersections than at signed ones. (bozeman.net) (ypradio.org) Under Montana law, drivers at these unsigned crossings are supposed to yield to the vehicle on the right. Giannetti said that rule has become harder to rely on as Bozeman’s population has grown and more students and visitors use neighborhood streets. (ypradio.org) The city’s plan is to use two-way stop signs, alternating which streets stop so no more than two blocks allow uninterrupted through movement in one direction. Giannetti told KBZK the first priorities include Story, Dickerson and Alderson near the university. (kbzk.com) After the university-area work, the next phase is scheduled for 2027 in the Valley Unit and Northeast neighborhoods. The west side follows in 2028, the far west and south side in 2029, and the northwest side in 2030. (bozeman.net) The city has put the project cost at about $40,000 spread over several years. Officials said the work fits with a broader safety push that also includes neighborhood traffic calming, street reconstruction and crossing upgrades on larger roads. (kbzk.com) (bozeman.net) Residents interviewed by local TV mostly backed the change, especially near long-troubled corners. Caroline Bark, who lives near Fifth and Dickerson, said her family has had parked cars hit multiple times, while Sawyer Henry said the city may be spending a lot of effort for limited payoff. (kbzk.com) For drivers, the immediate change is simple: the unsigned neighborhood intersection is on its way out in Bozeman, starting this spring near Montana State University and expanding citywide over the next four years. (bozeman.net) (ypradio.org)
