The following is an ‘Ask The Mayor’ question submitted to TLS, and the Mayor’s response. Email your questions for the Mayor to [email protected].
Question:
To the most Honorable Mayor out there! Thank you so much for all that you do for our town!
It seems from reading all the questions and answers submitted to you on thelakewoodscoop.com that people keep asking about different turns or intersections and the answer always given to them is that a traffic light will be put up..
I’m not sure if people realize this, but the more traffic lights that are put up in this town – the more gridlock and congestion it brings!
Obviously if there is a crazy busy 4 way intersection then yes, it would make sense to have a proper traffic light in place. But, when it comes to a 3 way intersection or a turning where it is not so busy – just people have requested a traffic light be put up then I just want you to understand what chaos, gridlock and congestion they each cause.
There are 2 recent traffic lights that I am referring to specifically, but this really goes for any that get put up in this town.
1. Traffic light by 14th st and Hope – you have no idea what gridlock this one little traffic causes every second of the day. I drive down Hope min.12 times a day, and it kills me watching what gridlock this traffic light brings. Firstly, there are never more than 1 or max 2 cars waiting on 14th st, while there are a few hundred cars waiting on Hope in both directions in gridlock traffic when the light on 14th st is green with no cars turning. Even one extra second makes a world of a difference.
Also, in the past if cars needed to get to Hope from 14th st they went to North Lake and that worked fine.
2. Traffic light by Country Line and Teaberry.
It’s so confusing to me how this traffic light was approved for a few families living on one block- while now thousands of cars passing by minutely need to stop and siti n traffic backed up in both directions on Country Line because of it.
I know these 2 traffic lights are not being taken down bec of my opinion, but I have two requests that I hope you can honor.
1. To only have these traffic lights on during busy hours, and after having them just blinking….
Also, if you can please please reduce the time of the green light on 14th street and on Teaberry! Please have some mercy on the gridlock that these two lights are causing.
I really appreciate you giving us a platform to voice our concerns regarding the traffic in this town, and I appreciate that every request is taken seriously!
Thank you so much for all that you do.
FYI this letter is not only representing me, it is representing the entire Lakewood. Wherever I go people comment on these 2 traffic lights, what chaos and traffic they brought..Keep in mind these traffic lights don’t only affect the street they’re on, but the ripple effect goes really far congesting traffic miles away because of them!
Thanks again.
Waiting to hear from you!!!:)
Response from Mayor Coles:
Good morning,
Traffic lights are one of the most common questions I receive on this forum. We cannot just put a traffic light wherever we want. There is a lengthy process where traffic studies are conducted, history of accidents collected and a number of other factors are complied into what is known as warrants. These determine if a light is allowed at a particular intersection.
Many times we need to press county or state officials to allow a light where we think it is needed.
It is not uncommon, that once a light is installed there are unforeseen consequences, such as what you have listed. Many times these can be addressed by changing the timing or adding turn signals.
I will ask our engineering & traffic and safety departments to look at both of the instances you listed and see what we can do to maintain the safety the lights produce but decrease any inconvenience.
Thanks for writing.
Ray
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I agree about the tea berry light but the fourteenth street one is a lifesaver in my opinion.
The 14th street light at Hope is very necessary , even more so than North Lake. Before the 14th street light there were many accidents in that intersection because it was almost impossible to make a safe left turn without that light. It talk two years of complaining to the board to finally get the light at that intersection
Agreed! The traffic light on teaberry makes no sense! Always sitting there for no reason.
You obviously don’t live in that neighborhood. It’s extremely dangerous to make a turn from teaberry and finally after years we’ve been approved a traffic light. Do you want on your conscience a death because you couldn’t wait a few extra seconds for a light? I live in the neighborhood and haven’t encountered any extra congestion because of that light.
The Teaberry light is a great asset for all the cars turning from the other side of County Line, as it slows down the traffic.
If every block had a traffic light and they were properly timed then everything would make sense together. Coming here to Lakewood, and trying to get used to the concept of the four way stop being the closest thing to a traffic light that this town has, was a bit confusing to me and felt a little bit third world.
NYC has a traffic light in every little tiny intersection but they will work together and there’s no doubt at any given time who has the right to go. Just seems to make so much more sense to me.
I really can’t understand why one wouldn’t be advocating to have traffic lights on every single corner with turning signals Incorporated and having them all sync together.
Because Lakewood is not NY and wasn’t built that way originally. Only the center of Lakewood is a grid, and the rest being side streets and developments.
You can’t exactly coordinate all that.
Yale Dr. and River Ave. DESPERATELY needs a traffic light
Traffic lights don’t create gridlock. Drivers rushing them and tailing does. Lights may add a minute to your trip, but will get us around with less chance of an accident. The traffic sitch in this town is completely out of hand, no long term planning, and only getting worse.
‘nuf said.
I agree about the timing. Some lights should be just blinking at late hours when there is no traffic or at other quiet times of the day when there isn’t too much traffic.
Reminder that you can’t block an intersection. If you can’t get completely to the other side of the intersection then you can’t proceed to drive into the intersection. You need to wait until the next light. When you block the intersection cars on the side streets can’t get through. Very selfish and legally wrong. We need to do some ticketing to stop this trend of blocking intersections.
Also, making left turns on right turn only streets need to be addressed. An example, is Majestic and James Street. I have even seen school cars and buses making left turns on the right only exit all the time. Very dangerous. Many accidents with permanent neurological injuries happening in this town. I am one such victim.
There should be undercover police going to hotspot areas to reduce the rate of reckless driving.
Reminder that you can’t block an intersection. If you can’t get completely to the other side of the intersection then you can’t proceed to drive into the intersection. You need to wait until the next light. When you block the intersection cars on the side streets can’t get through. Very selfish and legally wrong. We need to do some ticketing to stop this trend of blocking intersections.
Also, making left turns on right turn only streets need to be addressed. An example, is Majestic and James Street. I have seen school cars and buses making left turns on the right only exit all the time. Very dangerous. Many accidents with permanent neurological injuries happening in this town. I am one such victim.
There should be undercover police going to hotspot areas to reduce the rate of reckless driving.
The author of this letter, seems to be an arrogant self centered clown with an extreme exaggeration problem.
“Thousands of cars passing minutely” on county line! Do you have a clue?
“Wherever I go people are commenting on these two traffic lights an the chaos they brought” the only way that’s possible, is if your one track mind Atlee haranguing everybody you meet no matter what and they all just agree with you to get you to shut up.
Both of those lights have value, they may need adjustment to the timing or new sensors etc. but they’re absolutely necessary.
Teaberry light was created so that they can avoid opening west kennedy from laurelwood a much easier solution. However in this town it is not about easing traffic rather it is about myself. So there is gridlock because all roads lead to a dead end.
Of course after these developments and dead ends all residents complain that they can’t get out.
Same by kennedy and squakum and kennedy and lucerne. Once you can’t get out you need traffic lights, widening streets etc.