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52nd Street stop sign has done its job for half a century

Editor: Re: 52 nd Street stop sign creates major bottleneck, letter to the editor, May 2 Living near the Imperial Hill (52nd Street) since 1963, a little history is needed regarding the stop sign.

Editor:

Re: 52nd Street stop sign creates major bottleneck, letter to the editor, May 2

Living near the Imperial Hill (52nd Street) since 1963, a little history is needed regarding the stop sign.

The stop sign was placed at the crest of the hill to protect the crosswalk installed in 1965 after a near fatal accident involving a child.

The stop sign has done its work for decades, slowing and stopping drivers at the crest of Imperial Hill.

A decade or so ago, the municipal engineering department removed both the crosswalk and stop sign, but after several close calls of speeding drivers nearly causing accidents, the stop sign was reinstalled, but not the crosswalk.

Today, after the great waterworks build, there is a new crosswalk at Saratoga Drive and the stop sign is once again doing its job, protecting the crosswalk from speeding drivers.

As there has not been a fatality at this location in my 50-year memory, I would say the detested stop sign has done its job, very well.

Malcolm Johnston