West View Installs New Stop Sign on Highland Avenue

recently installed additional stop signs at the intersection of Bellevue and Highland Avenues in West View, creating a new three-way stop. 

Chief Bruce Fromlak asked for the signs to be placed on Highland Avenue, said West View police officer Matt Holland. 

"The new chief felt it was something that needed to be done," Holland said. 

Fromlak was on vacation last week and unavailable for comment. 

Highland Avenue runs one way, and it sends traffic west to Perry Highway. Bellevue Avenue is often used by drivers as an alternative route to Rochester Road, according to many who live close to the intersection. 

Although traffic data wasn't immediately available, neighborhood residents referred to the intersection as both busy and dangerous, police said, anecdotally reporting that drivers often sped through through the signs on Bellevue. 

"We're trying to get more control of that intersection," Holland said. 

An additional stop sign was also considered for an intersection about a block away, where a 19-year-old was killed in a motorcycle accident May 9 -- but Holland said investigators determined that accident was the result of driver error. There are no plans to add more signs in the area. 

Several people living nearby said they are happy with the department's decision. 

"We're glad they are in," said 30-year-old Virginia Loaney, who has lived in the neighborhood for three years. 

George Lutz, 41, who was out walking with his daughter on a recent afternoon, also said he, too, was glad to see the new signs. 

"I've lived here for two years, and they run up and down the road," Lutz said in a reference to cars that speed by.

He said he hopes the new signs make it safer for the children living and playing in the area.