New Stop Signs Added to Fort Avenue and Randall Street in Riverside

Two new stop signs were recently added in the Riverside neighborhood to improve pedestrian safety. On June 13th, a stop sign was added to E. Randall St. at Jackson St. and, on June 14th, a stop sign was added to E. Fort Ave. at Covington St. Both intersections are now four-way stops.

Baltimore City Department of Transportation Public Information Officer Kathy Dominick told SouthBMore.com the new stop sign on Fort Ave. “will work with improved pavement markings and flex posts at this intersection to improve pedestrian safety.”

She said the new stop sign on E. Randall St. “will work in conjunction with the crosswalks at this intersection to improve pedestrian safety by ensuring that vehicles stop in all directions.”

Councilman Eric T. Costello told SouthBMore.com in an email:

Constituents recently reached out to our office after filing 311 service requests for stop signs at the intersection of E Fort Ave & Covington St and intersection of Jackson St & E Randall St. During our monthly meeting with the Baltimore City Department of Transportation (DOT) Director to discuss all traffic calming requests in the 11^th District, we requested expedited action due to safety concerns raised at both intersections.

DOT surprisingly installed the four-way stops a bit quicker than expected. However, as these four-way stops are new, motorists were not used to the modification, and they have been ignored too frequently. Immediately after installation, we requested DOT install “Stop Sign Ahead” signage in advance of the new stop signs at each location.

Since that time, “Stop Sign Ahead” signage has been posted on E Fort Ave and E Randall St. Thank you to the neighbors who reached out with this concern and to DOT for the quick implementation. Any further concerns can be communicated to our office directly at: eric.costello@baltimorecity.gov or 410-396-4816.

Riverside Neighborhood President Richard Badmington told SouthBMore.com in an email:

Traffic calming is almost always a priority for residents and we expect the net result of these changes to make it safer to drive and walk in Riverside, one of the most walkable neighborhoods in Baltimore. It’s always nice, however, to be part of the conversation leading up to these kinds of changes, which didn’t happen in this case.

Badmington, who lives near the new stop sign at E. Fort Ave. and Covington St., also made the following comment from a resident perspective:

The new signs take a little getting used to by folks who drive these streets every day, but that will happen soon. I can say, looking down at one of these intersections from my second-story window, that there appear to be fewer and fewer incidents where drivers and pedestrians had to get aggressive in order to get through the intersection. The four-way stop is an improvement.

About the Author: Kevin Lynch

Founder and Publisher of SouthBmore.com, longtime resident of South Baltimore, and a graduate of Towson University. Diehard Ravens and O's fan, father of three, amateur pizza chef, skateboarder, and "bar food" foodie. Email me at Kevin@InceptMM.com and follow me on Twitter at @SoBoKevin.