City of Des Moines, WA

The city will not install mid-block crosswalks unless very stringent criteria are met. Studies show that installation of mid-block crosswalks is no safer, if not less safe, than having no crosswalk at all.

Stop signs are not to be used as “traffic calming devices”. Stop signs serve a critical function and their placement should not be arbitrary. Misplaced signs tend to lower compliance, which can be dangerous.

The city will not install CHILDREN AT PLAY signs on public streets. Installation of these signs implies that they provide some added measure of safety - which they do not. These signs have not been shown to increase driver awareness and are not recognized as highway signs by the Federal Highway Administration. The city encourages children not to play on public streets.

First and foremost speed limits are set based on:

roadway geometry,
sight distance,
roadway use factors,
and speed limit consistency.
If these factors are not limiting, the 85th percentile speed is used to set the speed limit. The 85th percentile speed is the speed at which 85% of vehicles are traveling at or under. It is generally accepted that this speed is considered reasonable for the roadway unless superseded by the factors listed above.

Lowering the posted speed limit does not significantly lower traffic speed, and can lead to unreasonable ticketing for acceptable driving behavior.