This Seems Like the Most Unnecessary Stop Sign in Portland

Portland is a weird city to drive around with so many one way streets and all-way stop signs. "You can't get there from here" is so true in Portland where you have to make three turns to get to a place just 50 feet in front of you. Some intersections have traffic coming from six different directions. A lot of the traffic flow just doesn't make sense.

There's one intersection in particular on Falmouth Street that makes me wonder why there's a stop sign.

The intersection of Falmouth and Deane streets has traffic coming in three directions and has a 3-way stop sign. But why? Traffic on this street is not particularly busy especially for those entering Falmouth Street from the residential Deane Street which unlike Falmouth Street rarely sees any traffic. I've travel this street on a regular basis and not once have I stopped to see someone waiting to turn.

You would think just one stop sign on Deane Street would do the trick here. Add to that yet another four way stop at the very next intersection and this section of Falmouth Street becomes possibly the most annoying street to drive down in Portland.

So the question remains? Why a 3-way stop? I could just call the City of Portland and ask what gives, but it's more fun to speculate. So here's what I think.

Maybe it's a leftover remnant from the days of the former Nathan Clifford School which sits between both intersections with all-way stops as an effort to slow cars down near the school. Since the school closed, it has been turned into housing.

That's my theory. What's yours?