In the near future, we plan to introduce legislation to offer municipalities greater flexibility in addressing local traffic safety needs by removing unnecessary state oversight for certain four-way and all-way stop intersections in residential settings.

Under current law, local authorities must seek PennDOT approval and are required to conduct an engineering and traffic study before installing a four-way or all-way stop. While appropriate in many scenarios, these requirements can place excessive costs on municipalities, especially small boroughs and townships that may not be able to afford an engineering and traffic study.

Our legislation provides that PennDOT may not require municipalities to obtain departmental approval or conduct engineering and traffic studies when establishing a four-way or all-way stop at an intersection that consists solely of intersecting roads under the jurisdiction of the local authority, when both roads have a speed limit of 25 miles per hour or less.

This simple but effective change empowers local officials to act in the best interest of their constituents and responsibly reduce costs where additional traffic-control measures are warranted. Importantly, the bill does not affect intersections involving state highways or higher-speed roadways, where enhanced review by PennDOT is certainly required.

We hope you will consider co-sponsoring this common-sense effort to streamline local traffic control decisions to enhance safety for residents across Pennsylvania.