Follow Up: City Decides Hamilton Traffic Sign Will Stay

The traffic sign prohibiting left turns out of is here to stay despite reports of frequent driver violations and a formal complaint from a local resident.

That’s the word from city of Novato Public Works Director Jason Nutt, who has the authority to decide the fate of regulatory signs like this one.

Last month, Hamilton resident Christine Atkinson and her husband, Kristofer, sent an e-mail to Nutt questioning the legitimacy of the sign and charging that its placement “makes the sign totally ineffective.”

As you may remember from , the couple’s interest in the issue started in February when Christine said she received a $255 traffic ticket for violating the rules posted on the sign, which state that you cannot turn left from 7-9 a.m. and 2-4 p.m. on school days.

Christine said she misunderstood the times on the sign and thought it was OK to make the turn because she'd seen other drivers do it before. 

She armed herself with a camera and began documenting the number of cars making illegal left turns — between 30 and 60 in a sitting, by her count. She also set up an online petition.

It was all in an effort to have the sign removed. But that is not to be.

“We didn’t find a reason to remove it,” said Nutt.

Following the Atkinsons’ complaint, Nutt and fellow city traffic engineers investigated the origin of the sign and whether it still serves a useful purpose today.

“The sign was installed in 2001 at the request of Dr. Judy Martin, school principal at the time, in an effort to reduce what was termed traffic ‘gridlock,’” said Nutt.

Before there was a sign prohibiting left turns onto Main Gate Road during the busy school pick-up and drop-off times, traffic was a nightmare, according to Novato police Sgt. Oliver Collins.

“No one could leave the parking lot,” he said. “There aren’t a lot of breaks in traffic on Main Gate Road, so cars in the school parking lot would back up as drivers waited to make the left turn. Cars would back up through the traffic circle and onto Main Gate Road.”

Nothing has changed since 2001 with regard to the parking lot and roadway designs, so district staff and current principal Ruthanne Bexton said they’d like to see the no-left-turn rule stay in place to allow for better traffic flow.

“Based on my conversations with the police department and principal Bexton, the turn prohibition is generally complied with by motorists and effective at reducing congestion at the school,” said Nutt. 

“There will always be individuals who will make the choice to turn left from the driveway during school hours, drive in a carpool lane without a passenger or run a stop sign on a bike; however, none of these personal choices are the result of an ineffective condition,” he said.

Sign Placement

The Atkinsons’ assertion that the sign is in the wrong place didn’t hold water.

There are actually two signs that describe the turn prohibition; one in the head-on position and one on the right side of the exit driveway.

In the Atkinsons’ complaint, they said the sign in the head-on position violates the U.S. standard for placement of traffic control signs on a two-way, two-lane road.  Atkinson said according to government standards, the sign is supposed to be farther left.  

Nutt refuted that and said the sign is very visible.

“The standard to post the sign to the far left side of the intersection relates to a four-legged intersection, while the most appropriate location for exiting traffic at a ‘T’ intersection or driveway is in the head-on position and not to the far left,” he said.

The Atkinsons’ complaint is going to result in two changes. The sign located on the right side of the exit driveway, which is owned by the school district and not the city, will be replaced. The upgraded sign will look like the other one, with a no-turn symbol in addition to text.

The other result is an education effort of sorts. At the start of the upcoming school year, Nutt said the city will partner with police and the principal to “monitor the situation and provide information to the parents reminding them about the turn prohibition.”

Atkinson said she is not satisfied with the result of the city’s investigation. She called Nutt’s determination about sign placement an “opinion” and implied it’s out of step with the law.

She also believes the sign causes traffic hazards down the road, such as drivers making U-turns at the intersection of Main Gate Road and C Street.

Sgt. Collins said he is aware of the “sweeping” U-turns, which he said are legal, but he doesn’t get complaints about them.

Atkinson still plans to fight her ticket in traffic court.