Stoplights to be turned back on, but not all are pleased

A political flap over traffic lights is scheduled to end by Wednesday, with 10 stopped stoplights turned back on.

But conflict may roll on.

Some Midtown residents liked the stop signs that replaced lights at two intersections, thank you. They are pushing to keep stop signs at Meyer Boulevard and Oak Street and at Gregory Boulevard and Main Street.

It won’t be easy. To do that, the city council will have to pass an ordinance that changes its ordinance to turn back on stoplights there and at 14 other intersections.

A quick recap:

City transportation officials planned to permanently shut off about three dozen traffic lights because they said the signals no longer met federal guidelines, such things as number of vehicles and pedestrians.

But there was public outcry that included fears for school children and churchgoers.

The City council ordered 16 lights turned back on. Six have been and the others are to be by Wednesday.

But two residents near the two intersections are pushing for the stop signs.

They say the signs are safer, fit in with neighborhoods better and control traffic well with slower waits, just what traffic experts said would happen.

“They (the city council) really should have paid attention and respected those guidelines,” said Chris Muller.

He and Danny Torreros say the council apparently just listened to a few complainers, while people who liked the change did not bother to call in with praise.

Maybe the city should have put up signs at the intersections with an email address where people could register if they were for or against the stop signs, Torreros said.

As it is, he said, he is going to try to get signatures supporting the Midtown stop signs and send them to council members.

Whether the green light for those two signals will someday turn red remains to be seen.

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