Stop Sign Requests

The Village of Glen Ellyn frequently receives phone calls from residents requesting a stop sign be installed in their neighborhood.  Stop signs can only be installed when an engineering study provides justification for the stop sign.  The Village of Glen Ellyn is required by State law to comply with the guidelines of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) when warranting stop signs.  

Effects of Unwarranted Stop Sign

• Compliance is poor at unwarranted stop signs with drivers seeing little reason to stop and yield the right-of-way when there is no traffic on the minor street.
• Overuse of stop signs reduce their effectiveness resulting in drivers actually speeding up between signs rather than slowing down.  Stop signs should be used to reduce the likelihood of vehicle conflicts, not to reduce the speed of vehicles.
• Creates unnecessary delay for drivers
• Studies have found that pedestrian safety, particularly small children, is DECREASED at unwarranted stop sign locations.
• Traffic safety may actually be impaired, causing an increase in rear-end accidents.

Justifications for a Stop Sign

A stop sign may be considered if engineering judgment indicates that one or more of the following conditions exist:

• Intersection of a less important road with a main road where application of the normal right-of-way rule would not be expected to provide reasonable compliance with the law.
• Street entering a through highway or street
• Unsignalized intersection in a signalized area
• Restricted view or crash records indicate a need for control by the stop sign

The Village of Glen Ellyn cannot solely make the determination to install a stop sign.  Despite preconceived opinions on traffic control, public opinion cannot dictate the installation of a stop sign.  If you would like to make a report about a traffic related concern, please complete the Glen Ellyn Police Department Traffic Complaint Form.

Additional stop sign information can be found here.