Sign and Signal Division

Description

The Sign and Signal Department is part of the Street Division and is located in the City Shop Complex at 814 N. Bozeman Ave. Although the two full time technicians and one summer seasonal worker have a wide variety of responsibilities within the City of Bozeman, the four main areas are listed below.

APPLICATION FOR SIGN INSTALLATION OR CHANGE

Areas of Responsibility

• STREET SIGNS -Signs are made, installed, maintained and repaired.
• SIGNALS - Signals in Bozeman, Belgrade, 4-Corners, Livingston and occasionally West Yellowstone are repaired.
• STRIPING & CURB PAINTING - Line striping, crosswalk and curb painting is completed during the summer months
• SPECIAL EVENT ROAD CLOSURES - Road closures for parades and public assemblies are completed and monitored.

Street Signs

Signs are put up to keep the public safe and to keep the flow of traffic moving smoothly. Street markers help drivers find their way around the city; Stop signs and speed limit signs lower the possibility of vehicle collisions; Yield signs let you know the other guy gets to go first; and construction signs warn you that there is work in progress up ahead.

There are four types of signs that are easily distinguishable by their color within the City of Bozeman:

1. Informational signs, such as street markers, are green and white
2. Regulatory signs are either red and white such as stop signs or white and black such as speed limit signs.
3. Warning signs are yellow and black, Yield and Dip signs are a good example.
4. Construction signs are orange and black.

The Solar Powered Speed signs and variable speed signs are also maintained as well as the delineators that mark islands and edges of the roadways.

Members of the public can make a sign installation or sign change request by completing the correct form, click here to access the form.

Currently we do not have the signs throughout town in a GIS system, that is something that we will be working on in the future.

Vandalism

Vandalism is a serious issue, not only is it a safety concern but there is a cost involved when replacing signs that have been stolen or vandalized. Signs cannot be cleaned because of the requirement for reflectivity so those signs need to be replaced. The public can help us with this, please call the police when you witness anything happening with signs that could result in injury or death and if you see a sign that is missing or has been knocked down please call the City Shops at 582-3202 to let us know.

Posting Signs

Play Bills and Garage Sale signs may NOT be attached to signal control boxes or poles.

Signals

There are 11 city, 1 County and 55 State signals as well as 24 yellow flashing lights located in Bozeman, Belgrade, Four Corners, Livingston and occasionally West Yellowstone that are repaired by our two signal technicians.

When these guys get called out for a signal repair it doesn’t matter what time of day, what the weather is like or how much traffic there is, they respond. If you come across a signal that is not working correctly whether it is a burned out bulb or no lights at all please notify the correct authority; Monday through Friday 8am to 5pm please call the City Shops at 582-3202 and any other time please call police dispatch at 582-2000 #2. It is very important that this information is given as soon as possible.

When a signal is completely dark, no lights working in all four directions it needs to be treated as a 4 way stop. Temporary stop signs cannot be put out because when the power comes back on it would give conflicting instructions.

The timing on the signals is not set up by the City of Bozeman. The Montana Department of Transportation sets the timing on all signals and each signal is either on fixed time, looped or camera sensored to change. They are all set to clear the intersections, the Babcock and 19th signal is a good example; there is a 30 second time where it is red all four ways, this is to clear the traffic from Main Street so when the light is green for Babcock there are no cars blocking 19th and the traffic can flow.

Babcock and 19th signal is a good example; there is a 30 second time where it is red all four ways, this is to clear the traffic from Main Street so when the light is green for Babcock there are no cars blocking 19th and the traffic can flow.

The crew also maintains the pedestrian crossing signals at the intersections, the controls for both signals and pedestrian crossings are all stored in one control box. The Signal Foreman has provided information to MSU students on how the control system works.

Opticom is installed on most signals in the area. This system, when activated, will turn signaled intersections red and the direction the fire truck is traveling will turn green so they can travel thru the intersection without having to stop. To avoid blocking the intersection for any length of time there is a component to the system where when the fire trucks door is opened and closed it will turn off the Opticom allowing traffic to flow as usual.

Luminaries

Luminaires (street lights) are not maintained by the city; if you see one that needs attention please call Northwestern Energy at 888-467-2669.

STRIPING and CURB PAINTING

The City works in conjunction with the Montana Department of Transportation in painting the lines on city streets. It takes about 2 to 3 weeks throughout the summer and fall months to get all the lines painted. Driving over freshly painted lines can transfer some paint onto your vehicle. Curb painting is completed by city crews throughout the summer also, they attempt to paint approved no parking areas at intersections, driveway approaches and fire hydrant areas. Some areas are not painted for various reasons such as no curbs, crumbling curbs or unapproved areas. In these areas the law still needs to be followed, no parking with an average of 20 to 30 feet from an intersection or 15 feet from either side of fire hydrants. Please keep in mind the person that has to pull out of a driveway when you park to close to the entrance. This is a safety hazard because of vision limitations around your vehicle.

Crosswalk painting is also completed by this department; they work during the summer months in getting all crosswalks painted. Unfortunately cold weather, wet pavement and wind can cause delays in painting, please be patient. Also please remember that all intersections are legal crosswalks whether painted or not. Drivers need to be aware of pedestrians and pedestrians need to make sure the driver sees them before walking out into the street.

Many pavement markings are thermoplastic. The pavement is ground out and liquid plastic is poured in. These thermoplastic markings last many more years than painted markings. The new markings at the Kagy & 11th intersection are a good example of thermoplastic markings.

SPECIAL EVENT ROAD CLOSURES

When public assembly and/or parade permits are approved by city administration the Sign and Signal Department workers are the people that close the streets for the events. It can take two to six people with four vehicles and up to 100 signs to close streets for large public events on the public streets. With larger gatherings workers are recruited from other Public Service Departments, the safety of the public and event participants is the number one priority in preparing the area for the closure.

Please Respect Work Zones

Work zones are closed off to street traffic to protect not only the workers but also the public. Workers have closed the area to work as quickly and safely as possible and not to inconvenience anyone. If you see an area that has been closed off and there are no workers present please respect the road closed signs and stay out of the area. If the signs are up that means the area is not safe for the public to enter; it is illegal to go past a road closed sign. The Police Department does ticket and the fines are double in a work zone.