Neighbors push to remove new stop signs at Montgomery Village intersection

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Maryland (DC News Now) – Stop signs were recently installed at the intersection of Stedwick and Watkins Mill Roads in the Village of Montgomery and some neighbors are not happy about it.

A neighbor started a petition to remove the stop signs shortly after they were installed on April 16.

This neighbor said that since installation, the stop signs have caused significant delays on Watkins Mill Road. She also says traffic jams caused by the signs pose potential safety risks for emergency vehicles.

Michael Paylor, chief traffic engineer for the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT), says the signs were installed at the intersection because they received a request from a neighbor last fall.

“It’s down the street from Stedwick Elementary School,” Paylor said. “It’s directly across from the Watkins Mill Recreation Center, and a crossing facility allows people to cross the intersection safely and have vehicles stopped.”

Paylor says his department has received a complaint about the new stop signs at the intersection and plans to look into it.

“I think what we’re probably going to do is put up some sort of camera,” he said. “Maybe one day someone will come out and look, but I believe we need to look holistically at what could be happening here.”

But not all neighbors think the signs are a problem.

“I feel like it’s cool,” Liam Thomas said. “I feel like a lot of people didn’t expect it. I didn’t expect him to be there for so many years. I think it’s smart because a lot of people don’t know who has the right of way, especially at this intersection.

Paylor says an assessment of the intersection will take place this week or next week.