Community Service Officers

Neighborhood Speeding/Stop Signs

The City has a speed trailer that can be posted at various locations to alert drivers about their speed and remind them to slow down. For more information about placing the trailer in your neighborhood, please call the Community Outreach Officer at (952) 924-2661.

Neighborhood speeding and rolling stops are two of the top citizen complaints; they are also two of the most difficult problems to address. Posting an officer at an intersection may penalize drivers that day but does not seem to lead to long term change. Complicating the issue is the fact that 70 percent of the violators are not "other people" but, in fact, the people who live in that neighborhood. Sometimes awareness efforts made by neighborhood associations are more effective in bringing about long term change.

Stop signs can be effective when placed at busy intersections or where visibility is limited. Stop signs have not been found to be especially effective at slowing traffic; in fact, excessive numbers of stop signs in a small area cause some drivers to speed up at mid-block to "make-up for lost time." While attempting to solve one problem, stop signs may create new problems (more noise from idling cars, loud radios or squealing tires). Neighborhoods interested in addressing concerns about speeding are urged to fully explore the issue with the Police and Public Works Department. For more information, call the Police Department at (952) 924-2661 or Public Works at (952) 924-2555.