56 replies to this topic

[Adamal]

I am new this area and the one thing that frustrates me is the fact that no one seems to stop and the stop signs around here. I've only been here a month and I almost been hit 3 times from people running the stop signs. When I say running the stop signs I mean not even a California stop. Has anyone else noticed this?

[BodenMaddox]

No, actually... I've been here since Dec 2000. I've not noticed any abnormal number of stop sign runners. Where? What neighborhood or intersection are you traveling where you see this?

[folsomBlondie]

QUOTE (Adamal @ May 18 2004, 09:49 AM)

I am new this area and the one thing that frustrates me is the fact that no one seems to stop and the stop signs around here. I've only been here a month and I almost been hit 3 times from people running the stop signs. When I say running the stop signs I mean not even a California stop. Has anyone else noticed this?

Call the city police. I notice some stop sign runners throughout Folsom.

[NRB]

The question, Boden, should be what part of Folsom do you travel in? From my observation (I also moved here in 2000) running stop signs (red lights, too) is rampant in Folsom. Coming from the Bay Area, I still can't figure out why every one here is in such a big hurry!

[Erika]

The stop signs near E Natoma and Golf Links and near the Broadstone Plaza on Broadstone Pkwy are the worst! People think they can squeeze into the intersection behind the first car which already stopped or they don't stop!

[Adamal]

QUOTE (Erika @ May 18 2004, 03:12 PM)

The stop signs near E Natoma and Golf Links and near the Broadstone Plaza on Broadstone Pkwy are the worst! People think they can squeeze into the intersection behind the first car which already stopped or they don't stop!

What she said...

Oh and it just happen again on my lunch break today. On Golf Links and Broadstone Pkwy.

[BodenMaddox]

QUOTE (NRB @ May 18 2004, 11:13 AM)

The question, Boden, should be what part of Folsom do you travel in? From my observation (I also moved here in 2000) running stop signs (red lights, too) is rampant in Folsom. Coming from the Bay Area, I still can't figure out why every one here is in such a big hurry!

You misunderstood me. I moved to ER in 2000. Been in Folsom since 1992, and grew up in the Sac area.

Running stop signs is NOT rampant in the area. Never has been. May be in certain areas (see next message), but it isn't something that you won't find at some intersections in any major metro area.

[BodenMaddox]

QUOTE (Erika @ May 18 2004, 02:12 PM)

The stop signs near E Natoma and Golf Links and near the Broadstone Plaza on Broadstone Pkwy are the worst!  People think they can squeeze into the intersection behind the first car which already stopped or they don't stop!

Ah, yes, I know what you mean then. The intersection at Golf Links and Broadstone is a weird one. For the longest time, many ER residents never stopped there because Broadstone ended there and there was no *practical* reason to stop, as you would never ever have someone who could run into you. I agree that that's no excuse, but it does explain it to some degree. Drivers have gotten used to that state of the intersection and some still just blow through the stop signs.

So, yes, I agree that there are some intersections that have that issue. As to the Natoma/Golf Links issue, I presume from the comments so far that the biggest offender is the person who doesn't stop when making a right turn. I've seen this from time to time myself. Don't know what gets in their minds to think they can just cut in front of people making lefts or going straight just because they can make the turn before the other car gets there. It's against the vehicle code, is dangerous, and most importantly, it's rude and wrong.

But as I said above, I don't think this is something unique to Folsom or even widespread. You may have been fortunate to have lived/worked in neighborhoods with more responsible drivers, but there are people who live in Folsom and the surrounding region who would go visit the Bay Area and say the same thing you're saying here.

I was born in Fremont and lived there for 10 years, moved to Washington for 2 years, moved down to Sac Area for 7 more years, then up to the foothills (Grass Valley and then Auburn) for about 6 years and then here. I've seen good and bad drivers at stop signs in all places.

[Erika]

Of course it's not just a Folsom thing but Sacramento county in general has a problem, hence the reason for the red light cameras. I grew up in Irvine and if you jaywalked then you got a ticket. We moved here in 1989 and couldn't believe the amount of people running red lights.

On my way to work this morning there was once again another one who flew through the stop sign at E Natoma and Golf Links. They were the first one there out of three other cars so if they stopped they still would've gone first. I believe it was a green Saturn. If I didn't live so close then I would want a stop light there. One may eventually go up but I would prefer not to have one and have people obey the law and JUST STOP or at least California stop.

[BodenMaddox]

QUOTE (Erika @ May 19 2004, 07:56 AM)

Of course it's not just a Folsom thing but Sacramento county in general has a problem, hence the reason for the red light cameras. I grew up in Irvine and if you jaywalked then you got a ticket. We moved here in 1989 and couldn't believe the amount of people running red lights. On my way to work this morning there was once again another one who flew through the stop sign at E Natoma and Golf Links. They were the first one there out of three other cars so if they stopped they still would've gone first. I believe it was a green Saturn. If I didn't live so close then I would want a stop light there. One may eventually go up but I would prefer not to have one and have people obey the law and JUST STOP or at least California stop.

I think that intersection is destined for a signal, yes.

[Patrick]

One nice thing we as Folsom residents have going for us is the Folsom Police Department. I am active with the Neighborhood Watch program in our Meritage II community off Golf Links.

As we were having our various Neighborhood Watch Block meetings, we learned that the Folsom PD welcomes a report about a flagrant traffic violator. Be it speeding or running neighborhood stop signs, all they ask is that you provide them a description of the situation, along with the date, time, place, description of the vehicle, and license plate number. They will in turn write the owner of the vehicle a warning letter. If the same vehicle gets too many warning letters, then they could find themselves being visited by the Folsom PD.

I hope this helps. If any of you would like to learn more about the Folsom Neighborhood Watch Program, and the related Watch-Mail program, please feel free to e-mail me and I'll be happy to pass along more details.

Thanks and make it a good day!

Best regards,
Patrick Warholic
Empire Ranch Resident

[Cloud9]

I'd have to agree with those of you stating that running of stop signs seems widespread in Folsom. My wife and I both noticed that a few months after we'd moved here.

My brother-in-law who is a police officer in San Diego noticed it as we drove around to show him Folsom and he was only here for 3 days.... he said something to the effect of .... "Seems like folks in Folsom think that those red octagonal signs are optional"

Then he proceeded to explain that the stop sign doesn't mean slow down or yield. It means coming to a full stop and that means no forward motion or motion at all on the wheels of your car prior to proceeding once again - and yes, that includes making right turns at a stop sign.

[kanda]

Here's a very old joke that attempts to illustrate the difference between a so-called CA stop, and a true stop:

The police officer had just pulled over a yuppie on a new Harley for running a stop sign. "May I see your driver's license and registration please..." the officer asked.

"What's the problem, officer?" the yuppie replied.

"You just ran a stop sign." the officer said.

"Oh come on, pal, there wasn't a single car anywhere in sight."

"Nevertheless sir, you are required to come to a complete stop, look both ways, and only then proceed with caution."

"You've got to be kidding me!" the yuppie said.

"It's no joke sir." the officer said flatly, pulling out his citation book and preparing to write a ticket.

"Look I slowed down almost to a complete stop, saw no one, and proceeded with caution."

The officer sighed and slowly shook his head. "That's beside the point sir, you are supposed to come to a complete stop and you didn't. Now if I may see your license and..." the officer began.

"You sure do have a lot of time on your hands pal. What's the matter, all the doughnut shops closed this early?" the yuppie asked sneering.

"SIR!" The officer sighed. "I'll over look that last comment now let me see your license and registration immediately!"

"I will, if you can tell me the difference between slowing down, and coming to a complete stop." the yuppie said, folding his arms across his chest.

A smile appeared on the officer's face. "Sir, I can do better than that." The police officer quickly jerked the rude yuppie off his Harley, and proceeded to methodically beat him over the head with his nightstick. "Now sir, would you like for me to slow down or come to a complete stop?"

[Ahnold]

I've seen it a lot in new developments, and not just in Folsom. There isn't a lot of traffic on these roads when some people first move in, so they get lazy at stop signs and start rolling through them. As the area grows, most seem to change their behavior, but some people just won't learn until there's a near miss, or worse. Another big culprit are all the contractors and delivery folks working on these new homes - not only do they tend to ignore stop signs, but they also don't seem to see all the people living in the homes they just built because they drive so damn fast through the finished neighborhoods! Teens are another part of this, all over the place. Are parents and driver's ed not getting the job done these days, educating young drivers?

[Cloud9]

Are there any traffic lights with cameras in Folsom? If so, where?