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Comment by steadicat | Hacker News Reader

Moving to the US from Europe one of the most striking differences I noticed was the near complete absence of yield signs. Where I come from (Italy) yield signs are way more common than stop signs at intersections (unless visibility is very poor). Also, traffic lights seem comparatively overused the US, even at low-traffic intersections. I always wondered why. Yield signs would be a cheap and convenient alternative to stop signs and traffic lights at low-traffic intersections with good visibility.

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Illegal stop signs abound in the US. Stop signs should only be placed if they meet a Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) warrant. One or more of the following conditions must exist: (1) intersection of a less important road with a main road where application of the regular right-of-way rule is hazardous; (2) street entering a through highway or street; (3) unsignalized intersection in a signalized area; or (4) other intersections where a combination of high speed (directly related to sight distance), restricted view and serious accident record indicates a need for control by the stop sign.

Here in Massachusetts, it used to be the case that stop signs had to be individually approved by the state. At some point, the towns were allowed to make the determination—and they frequently put them up as illegal traffic calming devices because that is what's the locals want (and most our towns have direct democracy).

Take the UK rules for stop signs as an example:

"In the UK, stop signs may be placed only at sites with severely restricted visibility, and each must be individually approved by the Secretary of State for Transport."

They are rare, I can only think of one in the county my parents live in. (No doubt there are a few more, but on all the routes we often used when I was a child, there was only one.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_sign#United_Kingdom

That sounds excessive. Has there been a political movement against stop signs in the UK?

Thankfully there has been a movement to reduce the number of road signs in general - see the 'Reducing Sign Clutter' [1] advice released the the DfT in 2013.

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachm...

It's to ensure that they're only used where visibility is unexpectedly poor; not just where some unqualified local road planner thinks people should stop.

The one near my mum's house is on a junction where the 500+ year old building on the corner is very close to the road (which you can see as you approach), and where the building bulges out round the corner (which you can't see — roll through the junction from that direction and you don't have time to see if it's clear).

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