Patch Readers Sound Off on Stop Signs in Belleville

Belleville, NJ - If you’ve noticed an intersection in your neighborhood that could use a stop sign, you’re not alone.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says that one-third of all intersection crashes in the United States occur at crossings controlled by stop signs. While they aren’t a perfect solution to dangerous intersections, studies have shown that installing all-way signs can reduce accidents by 40 to 60 percent.

When we asked Patch readers in the Belleville area where they wanted to see a stop sign, some asked for stoplights while others just requested that drivers stop at the signs that are already in place. That’s not too much to ask according to a report from the Federal Highway Administration that showed the simple, and cheap, addition of “Stop Ahead” wording on roadways reduced accidents at controlled intersections by 15 percent.

We realize that no one knows the roads in the Belleville area better than its residents. Here’s what Patch readers shared with us about their neighborhood’s intersections:

• "Kingsland and Passaic"
• "Ravine and Centre, Harrison and Crestwood, Essex and Ernest"
• "100 percent, Harrison and Newark Ave. Most people don't realize there are only two stop signs, both of which are on Newark Ave., and instead think Harrison Ave. also has a stop sign. I can't tell you how many times I've almost been t-boned in that intersection (weekly). Also, Harrison and Mill/Willet St. has a lot of blind driveways, and people like to do 40 mph down that road. I hear, almost hourly, people laying on their horns by that corner."
• "Overlook Ave. and Linden Ave."

Is there a dangerous intersection on your block that didn’t make the list? Share it with us on our Belleville-Nutley Patch Facebook page or in the comments below.