Sto! olice! (GOT BRAKES?)
I have no idea of what the opening post is about, so I'll just add this.
I'm assuming it's someone from MPD or MFD miffed-- and likely rightly so-- at idiots ignoring the stop sign and police cars on Dunnell, and either speeding through as if they weren't there, or failing to stop, or both.
Didn't someone start a similar thread a couple of months back that was just as weird?
It's the whole "sto olice" thing that has me scratching my head.
Yep! Thought so, though it was last year.
https://maplewood.worldwebs.com/forums/discussion/id/111941-STOP-read-this-for-a-great-FREE-offer-from-MWPD-Oakland-Dunnell-Firestation-
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This 3 letter sign sure does cause confusion!
We decided to do some research into the conundrum.
1st ) Being upper middle class, educated (maybe not Ivy League but has the ability to obtain a drivers license), community driven and plays "words with friends", we started with scrabble - 4 Letter words that start with ‘sto’ include
Stoa
Stob
Stop
Stot
Stow
2nd) we tried shapes
Do you know the name for the special 8-sided shape? The mathematical word is octagon!
In the U.S., all sto signs are bright red octagons – and for some good reasons!
The only street sign that uses an 8-sided shape is the sto sign, which helps drivers from far away to quickly recognize this important sign. It also lets a driver in the other direction know which sign is facing you without being able to read the front of the sign… when someone sees an octagonal street sign, they know right away what it means! It means STO!
Another reason why sto signs have eight sides is that in general, the more sides a street sign has, the more important its message is! Eight is about as many sides as you can squeeze onto one street sign, so it’s the designated shape of one of the most important signs: STO!
When the first official sto sign appeared in Detroit, in 1915, it was small, white, and square. In 1923, the Mississippi highway department suggested a change—what if a sign’s shape could denote the kind of hazard ahead? The logic was simple: The more sides a sign has, the more dangerous the upcoming stretch of road is. Circles (infinite sides) designated the riskiest hazards, like railroad crossings.
Octagons denoted the second most perilous hazards, like intersections.
Today the sto sign is so ingrained in collective international driving culture that some experts are, counter intuitively, recommending doing away with it entirely. Denmark, England and Belgium are already experimenting.
“The theory is that people will pay more attention to pedestrians and other vehicles and slow down in pedestrian areas if there are no signs… “
That might work overseas MOL’er’s but here in the good ole U.S. of Maplewood, RED is the color of the drivers eyes when they see strollers, children, people, pets, and even other cars causing them to have to slow down and arrive at their destination, on average, 1.7 seconds behind schedule…. Hey, maybe make up for that lost time by jamming on the gas to 40+ mph on Dunnell Rd after you "blow the sto" instead?
3rd) we went to the people themselves to get the scoop
In a random non-scientific survey of drivers, we have learned that although it is their intent to not blow their sto, it’s actually the fault of the local MW city engineers. Those Sto installers are to blame. For the STO sign is too HIGH on the pole. It is up above the visual line of sight for drivers as they sit low in their SUV’s and Jitney buses, coming down the boring flat road which is Oakland.
If only, maybe, the MW city engineers could "...paint lines on the ground..." those surveyed, suggested.
Further, "It could be like a really thick solid white line, or something..." "... and and and if it is positioned linear to the STOCTOGON red reflective 6 foot post, then drivers eyes can follow the white lines my friend suggested, to that there really tall Red & Reflective post ALL THE WAY up, up, and even a tincey wincey higher up,..." [sic] "AND THEN count them 1,2,3,4,5,6,9,no uhm, 5,6,8 sides [sic], to do the math of driving, and then, I think try to equate this to possibly mean… oh wait, I sucked at math. But I know I’m going to be late… I gotta bust this Sto dohickey"
Alternate suggestions included but were not limited to: make parallel solid white lines to indicate that people cross / walk there, because then drivers would be more cautious and not get confused between STO and SLOW. Which of course if you have to Sto then you also get a free coupon for immediate use to sneer, flip off , or verbally abuse the children, dogs on leashes, etc. in those white lines. Ala, "Get outta my intersection! What do you think this is, a crosswalk?! Mothr#$Frik*&frakr
We love these suggestions from drivers. So listen up MW city engineers, do like they did in Detroit in 1915 or Mississippi in 1923 and come up with a legacy for impacting the future of safe driving.
****Put STO signs at knee level****
When a driver pulls up, and their gaze is down at their smart phones in hand, as they text and drive, they can see through the arc of the top of the steering wheel and catch a glimpse of the STO sign, as they type out the letter “P” (as in Police) and hit someone, or get hit.
Thoughts?
(Oh joy, spending tax dollars on police car repairs... hmmm, where to find a stream of revenue in relation to driver infractions to pay for such... hmm...)