FREDERICA, Del. - Four new stop signs installed along Frederica Road are drawing mixed reactions from residents as town leaders say the changes are designed to improve pedestrian safety and slow speeding traffic through town.
The stop signs, installed by the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT), are located at two closely spaced intersections near downtown Frederica. They are part of a larger pedestrian safety project that includes new sidewalks connecting the town park to Frederica's downtown restaurants.
Town officials say the improvements are intended to make it safer for people to walk while also addressing longstanding speeding concerns along Frederica Road.
"The traffic around here has really picked up over the past few years because we get more and more people moving down this way," Mayor William Glanden said.
Glanden said drivers frequently use Frederica as a shortcut to avoid backups on nearby Route 1, especially during peak beach travel weekends.
"The bad part before was coming this way. There was no stop and people would come flying down through here 40 mile an hour," Glanden said. "There were a few close calls that I've seen."
Town Manager Dustan Russum said the sidewalk project was driven by community feedback calling for safer pedestrian access between downtown and the Water's Edge community, with plans to eventually extend the pathway toward the DE Turf Sports Complex.
"Before this was installed, they were playing like the game Frogger, it was hopefully you made it across," Russum said. "But now they get to stop and you can cross over more safely."
Russum said the stop signs were recommended as the safest way to accommodate the expected increase in pedestrian traffic.
While some drivers have criticized the new traffic pattern, others say the changes are already making a difference.
Jennifer Howard, who has lived in Frederica for 14 years, said weekend beach traffic has become so heavy that she often avoided driving through town on Sundays.
"I didn't go out on a Sunday unless it was late at night," Howard said. "You had to time it."
Although she acknowledged the new stops can add a few minutes to a trip, Howard believes the tradeoff is worthwhile.
"I think it's helped a little bit," she said. "It's sometimes a little time consuming when there's that much traffic. But there's been a few bumper bumps in the past several years."
Other residents, however, told WBOC they believe the stop signs are too close together, creating unnecessary congestion and confusing drivers. Some said a single stop-controlled intersection would have made more sense, while one driver admitted she accidentally drove through one of the new stop signs because she wasn't expecting it.
Despite the criticism, town officials say they will continue monitoring traffic as drivers become accustomed to the new pattern.
For now, the debate continues over whether the stop signs are striking the right balance between improving safety and maintaining the flow of traffic through one of Frederica's busiest corridors.
