Unofficial Stops Signs Appear in Point Loma

Could illegal stop signs be popping up in your neighborhood?

Someone in Point Loma put up signs without the city's knowledge last summer. Locals woke up one morning and found that two yield signs had been replaced with unofficial stop signs.

City officials said they didn't do it, but now they're in the middle of a neighborhood fight.

“I think it's interesting that someone had the audacity to put up signs to suit their own needs,” said Don Farnsworth, who lives in Point Loma.

He doesn't know who put them up and neither does the city. But Farnsworth wants them gone.

The neighborhood is divided over what to do now, because some say the unauthorized signs protect walkers and families with little kids.

"And when the stop signs were put in, we've noticed a reduction of speed on the street, there have been fewer cars, it really has felt a lot safer,” said Point Loma resident Van Thaxton.

The city's traffic department says stop signs are not warranted based on their criteria. Fearing the signs would go away immediately, some homeowners turned to the local planning group with a petition.

It worked, but because of traffic rules - the city had to add another sign. Now there are an abundance of signs that are often ignored.

"It's a nuisance to stop at all these stop signs, there's five signs here, you could throw a rock and hit five different stop signs here,” said Farnsworth.

But, Thaxton says it's better than the yield signs.

“They don't know that a yield sign means slow down almost to a stop and make sure no one else is coming, they almost don’t see a yield sign and blow right through it,” he said.

Farnsworth and others say due process wasn't followed and planning group was fooled by the petition to keep the stop signs because most of the signatures were from other communities.

“They were from Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe, Chula Vista, and that got my interest,” he said.

Thaxton said the signs help keep kids safe.

"If someone has a problem stopping for 3 seconds to protect the safety of small children, I don't understand that,” he said.