Under what seemed like an endless stream of dissatisfaction, the City Council last night decided to return the traffic lights in the downtown area back to normal operation. Citing hundreds of calls, emails, comments, at least a few petitions, and one prominent survey that said more than 90 % of the area residents favored a return of the traffic lights, the council voted unanimously to reinstate the lights. Public Works head Mark Willrett presented three options to the council, keep the lights flashing, bag the lights, and install stop signs, or go back to the way it was. Commissioner Abbie McClung spoke for everyone saying, “ I just want to make one more comment and thank Mark Willrett because I know you didn’t set out to make everybody mad. That your intentions were in the right place and that you were trying to do things to make a more beautiful and safe downtown and there is evidence to support that is what you set out to do and there’s data to support it as well. So I just want to acknowledge that and I know your intentions.” Willrett said in the meeting that lights could be back to normal as soon as Wednesday at 4 AM.
