Watch drivers treat neighbourhood stop signs as optional

Drivers speeding past stop signs, vehicles rolling through an intersection and even a couple of near misses are captured in a video an east Hamilton resident says he shot in just 24 minutes Monday.

Colton Taylor is no stranger to traffic issues in his neighbourhood — he says he's almost been T-boned by other vehicles and he's even lost a pet cat to cars — but when he came home Monday afternoon he found his mom on the porch watching a "ridiculous" number of cars flying through stop signs at the nearby intersection of Talbot Street and Vansitmart Avenue.

"It was just a steady stream of cars ignoring the stop sign entirely," said the 29-year-old.

Taylor had his phone in his hand, so decided to start recording.

"I was blown away. I was thinking I might be out there for an hour or two, to get a couple of cars going through the intersection … but it was 24 minutes' worth."

The resulting video shows about 18 vehicles treating the stop signs at the intersection as a suggestion, or worse.

Watch these drivers ignore stop signs:

Some of the vehicles barrel through without any obvious attempt to slow, including a pickup hauling a trailer, while others seem to creep up to the signs before accelerating again. There are also a pair of incidents where two vehicles coming from different directions fail to stop before the sign, nearly resulting in a collision.

Taylor noted the city has taken steps to address traffic issues in the area in the past, from speed bumps to the new signs which he says were added about a year ago to make the intersection a three-way stop.

He also pointed out that Monday was an especially busy day on the street, with construction on Barton Street pushing more vehicles down the narrow, residential street that's also the first turnoff after a Red Hill Valley Parkway exit ramp.

Still, Taylor estimates about 12 cars every day ignore those stop signs, any of which could lead to tragic consequences.

"There are a ton of kids in this neighbourhood, there are pets and kids walking around and it has ended badly before," Taylor said, referencing the loss of his cat.

"If you're turning the corner like some of those drivers did … there's not a lot of time to stop for kids."

After recording and editing the video, Taylor decided to take his findings to the city and emailed the compilation of clips to the mayor's office and to councillor Sam Merulla.

"It is only a matter of time before someone gets hurt or killed in this intersection," he wrote.

Not sure of when he'd hear back, he was prepared to wait. But ended up being surprised once again by speed, only this time in a good way.

Police, city quick to respond

Within 24 hours of the city receiving his email, Taylor said he was contacted by superintendent of roadway safety David Ferguson.

"Hamilton Police Services will be attending the location to conduct enforcement and the Roadway Safety group will be arranging for Stop Bars and Crosswalks to be installed shortly," Ferguson wrote in an email Taylor shared with CBC News.

A police spokesperson confirmed an officer was on scene in the morning and evening Tuesday and handed out three tickets for failing to stop at a stop sign. The first ticket was written up around 7 a.m. and the other two around 5 p.m.

While videos and posts on social media are becoming a popular way to report concerns, Const. Jerome Stewart said police do their own proactive enforcement and also respond to community complaints about problem areas after a traffic analysis.

"We have seen an increase in the use of videos by members of the public and we anticipate an influx of traffic hotspots referrals," he wrote in an email. "That being said, we will continue to work with the community to address issues as we balance the daily responsibilities of our calls for service."

Taylor said was "very impressed" by the police response time, but he still wants to email the city back and raise a few points.

"If driver's aren't going to stop for a stop sign I don't think a pavement marking is going to [make] any difference," he explained.

In the meantime, Taylor plans to be back on the porch, keeping an eye out.