People who live near them say they're dangerous, but a city traffic engineer says unmarked intersections can actually make your street safer.

Ross Spitz says he decides where to put stop signs based on the number of cars that drive through the intersection, what people can see as they pull up to the intersections and if there are a lot of crashes at them.

Spitz says he gets at least one request every week for a stop sign at unmarked intersection. But, says people need to know those signs aren't always the answer.

Busy streets in Eau Claire are full of stop lights and stop signs. But, there are lots of neighborhoods without any red and neighbors say that leads to lots of trouble when two cars meet in the middle like this crash on Wednesday.

"This one (intersection) is particularly bad," says Cary Kent who lives near Leslie Lane and Bobbie Street.

Eau Claire’s transportation engineer says if there are fewer than two T-bone crashes a year, chances are you won't see a stop sign.

"The sign is cheap; its only about $40,” Spitz says. “I would feel bad if I installed something I knew wasn’t warranted and something happened because of it.”

Spitz says a stop sign on a slow street won't necessarily slow down speeders.

"You’re making a person stop at the intersection,” he says. “So, they’re losing time and they’re going to speed up to try to make up that time.”

Right now, Spitz is trying to figure out a neighborhood on Eau Claire’s north side needs some signs. People we talked to say yes.

“As a mother with young kids, I think it’s a very good idea,” says Melissa Fawcett who lives on the corner of Mercury Avenue and Edgewood Lane.

Mark Felmlee who lives up the road says "I always hear squealing tires. They either collide or it’s a very close call.”

Spitz says he does take near misses into consideration even if your intersection doesn't meet the criteria for a stop sign. But, says not everyone will want to hit the brakes every other block, making his decision that much tougher.

“Unfortunately we don’t get a lot of friends working in traffic.”

Spitz says people living on the north side near North High School can expect a questionnaire in the mail, asking them if they think more stop signs are necessary. But, he isn't the only stop sign decision-maker. The city council has the final say.