Folding Stop Signs are a waste of money and are more trouble than they are worth

You may have noticed foldable stop signs placed at intersections throughout the streets. In my community these are very common and can be found at most busy intersections. You might wonder why they are there or what they are for? Apparently they are there so that if the stop light goes out, the sign can be unfolded to become a stop.

The problem is, most of the time these signs get opened up unintentionally by the wind. In fact, in all my years of driving, I have never actually seen these being put to use properly, but I see them opened up all the time when they are not supposed to be open. They are supposed to be secured closed by a tie or a lock, but often these are missing so the signs end up opening up on their own.

When a stop light goes out, it usually switches to the flashing red mode which means it is to be treated as a 4 way stop. So when drivers see this, they know they have to stop. They don't need stop signs to be opened up as well.

So I find these signs to be pretty much pointless and not only that, they are expensive! Upon looking them up an average folding stop sign sells for about $200! That's $800 per intersection! Think about how much money is being spent on these signs when they are at every busy intersection. It seems like an incredible waste of taxpayer money.

I have a feeling the sign companies are taking advantage of the situation marketing these products to villages and public works as a way to make things safer when really they are unnecessary and actually more problematic than they are helpful. If you are considering adding these kinds of signs to your town, please consider if they are actually worth it.