Maybe this will put a stop to speeding.

Workers last Friday installed stop signs on Main Street in Washington. The busy street, which runs through the center of town and is frequented by pedestrians, previously had only one set of stop signs restricting traffic.

Bright orange flags top the new signs at Main and Porter streets. Even with the added visual cue, some drivers seemed to need time to adjust to the new pattern. Vehicles occasionally drove right through the intersection.

In March the Washington Town Council voted to install the signs on the 25-mile-per-hour street.

A regional representative for the Virginia Department of Transportation estimated that it would take 60 to 90 days to put the signs in place but that has happened sooner.

The council has been looking into the issue of speeding for years, and the new signs signal a landmark moment in the town's efforts.

Now the council is set to consider whether to also increase speeding fines with signs posted to warn drivers of the stiff penalties.

Hoping to get a better grasp on the problem, the council recently petitioned the Rappahannock Sheriff's office for a study measuring vehicle speeds on Main Street and Warren Avenue.

The study, which was conducted last month, found that over a four-day period only 2.3 percent of vehicles were traveling 35 miles per hour or faster on Main Street.

The sheriff's office typically does not write tickets until drivers exceed the speed limit by 10 miles per hour or more, said Major Scott Jenkins, second in charge at the sheriff's office.

The study found,however, that one third of vehicles were traveling faster than the posted 25-mile-per-hour speed limit.

According to the study, speeding was more common on Warren Avenue, which leads into Washington from U.S. 211.

Washington Mayor Eugene Leggett said the council will be working with the sheriff's office to address the issue.

The Washington Town Council next meets on May 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the Washington Town Hall.