By Traci Newell
 Joe Hu/Town Crier A car rolls through the newly installed stop sign at the El Monte Road off-ramp from northbound 280. |
Caltrans caught many local drivers off guard recently when it changed a yield sign to a stop sign at the El Monte Road exit off northbound Interstate 280 in Los Altos Hills.
Brigetta Smith, a public information officer for Caltrans, said the stop sign was implemented about 6 weeks ago.
“The yield sign was contributing to some accidents in the area,” she said. “It was enough that we decided to put in a stop sign.”
Smith said she had been fielding calls from a number of concerned drivers in the area. She said Caltrans is monitoring the change to make sure it has not created a new hazard with the stop sign.
“People coming off the freeway (when there was a yield sign) were creating accident and traffic hazards,” said Lt. Mark Eastus of the West Valley Sheriff’s Office. “Typically there is a couple of weeks’ grace period, though it is still the responsibility of the driver to be aware of changes for safety reasons.”
Lynwood Carter, a Los Altos resident, was one of three drivers law enforcement officers pulled over at the same time for running the stop sign recently.
“I didn’t see it advertised,” Carter said. “I travel that road coming off of 280 twice a week. I was looking to the left to see what traffic was coming from the college, and I didn’t see the stop sign.”
The county is responsible for enforcing the stop sign, though it is sometimes monitored by Los Altos police officers. Carter’s fine was $178, not including charges for traffic school. He said he was surprised he was not issued a warning citation.
Aleese Koch, a Los Altos resident in the car with Carter when he was cited, said she knows someone who lives near the exit who warns friends of the “trap.” Carter and Koch said they have seen law enforcement officials ticketing in the area multiple times.
“Most anyone who has ever driven it will get caught,” Koch said. “It is just amazing to me that they did not issue a warning.”
Eastus said the officers patrolling the area were issuing warning tickets for the first week, but are now issuing tickets without warning.
