3-Way Stop Sign – Marrington & Bairdmore

Currently – this intersection does not meet criteria to have a 3 way stop signs installed.  My office receives many requests for a 3 ways top sign at Marrington and Bairdmore. Many requests are motivated by the desire to ‘slow traffic’ on Bairdmore. Stop signs are not ‘traffic calming’ devises but are to be used for navigational purposes at decision points (intersections).  I had the city engineers study this intersection to see if a 3 way stop sign was warranted (met criteria) . This study was conducted in Spring of 2022. At that point in time, criteria (below) was not reached.  Engineers can study this intersection again in 4-5 years. I believe the new apartment behind Smitty’s may bring more traffic on Marrington, which would increase numbers and the need for the 3-way.

From City Engineers:

The intersection doesn’t meet warrant (criteria)  based on safety or visibility. It also doesn’t meet warrant (critieria) based on motor vehicle and pedestrian volume characteristics.

• Over 80% of total intersection volume travels on Bairdmore, and less than 20% travels on Marrington.

If the directional split of traffic volume was closer to equal, the intersection could meet warrant for all-way. If we installed an all-way now, there would be excess and unnecessary delay to motorists on Bairdmore AND the risk of compliance issues that delay could create.

• If motorists on Bairdmore are unnecessarily delayed by an unwarranted stop sign, it could increase the likelihood that they will not come to a complete stop.

Only one of the Safety, Visibility, and Weighted Scoring criteria need to be met to warrant all-way stop control. The results of the analysis at Marrington and Bairdmore is as follows:

Safety: There have been three collisions that could be considered preventable by all-way stop control at this intersection in the past three-years (2018 – 2020). The warrant requires nine collisions over a three-year period.

Visibility: Adequate sightlines are provided for safe stopping distance.

Weighted Scoring: Marrington and Bairdmore scored 16.5/25. The warrant requires 17.5 points to install all-way stop control. A maximum of five points are assigned to each of the following criteria, equating to 25 total available points:

1. Total intersection volume

• Marrington and Bairdmore receives all available points (5/5)

2. Minor street volume and pedestrians crossing the major street

• Marrington and Bairdmore receives all available points (5/5)

3. Directional split between the major street and minor street

• Marrington and Bairdmore receives partial points (2/5). The current directional split has over 80% of total intersection volume on Bairdmore. More points would be awarded if the directional split was closer to equal, however, this is unlikely to occur as we don’t expect volumes on Marrington to increase significantly. If the proportional split is more heavily weighted toward Bairdmore, then the warrant score could come out lower than 16.5.

4. Pedestrian exposure, which considers crossing distance, pedestrian volume, and conflicting vehicle movements

• Marrington and Bairdmore receives partial points (1/5). We wouldn’t expect more points in this category unless the number of crossing pedestrians increased or traffic volumes on Bairdmore close to tripled.

5. Distance from a pedestrian generator, such as schools, parks, or transit stations

• Marrington and Bairdmore receives partial points (3.5/5) because it is within 300 metres of Kirkbridge Park.