BILLINGS — Drivers on Billings West End say a new four-way stop is causing confusion, frustration and, at times, danger.
The stop signs were recently added at the intersection of 44th Street West and King Avenue West while another road is closed for construction.
Watch the close calls below:
“Everybody’s in their own world,” said Dustin Wilson, who lives nearby. “Nobody honors the four-way system.”
Wilson said the intersection has quickly become a problem spot.
“Everyone wants to get home, but if you’re not paying attention, you probably won’t get home,” he said.
He added that he regularly sees drivers blow through the stop signs.
“I can’t tell you how many people I’ve seen blow through them,” Wilson said. “It’s going to get somebody killed here for sure.”
Wilson recalled one close call.
“I was at the stop sign waiting and some lady just blew through there probably going 70 miles an hour. And if I wouldn’t have stopped, she would have got me. We were probably six feet away,” he said.
Billings Police Sgt. Jeff Stovall said officers are also watching the intersection closely.
“In a matter of a day, you’ve got hundreds of cars coming through here,” Stovall said. “It’s a lot of the rolling stops. In my personal time out here, I’ve seen it as well—people who just blow right through it, 30, 40 miles an hour.”
Stovall said some of the additional traffic is being diverted through the area because of nearby construction.
Derek Bartel, who works near the intersection, said while the stop signs have caused frustration, they are necessary.
“Especially when the speed is a factor, and with how much it has grown, there is a lot more traffic and people and homes out there, so people have to adjust,” Bartel said.
Wilson agreed.
“All you gotta do is pay a little bit of attention,” he said. “When you are in a car, you can hurt yourself or kill somebody else, and it’s not worth the risk.”
Billings police said the stop signs are temporary.
The typical fine for running a stop sign in Billings is $110, though municipal court can impose steeper penalties depending on a driver’s record.
