I remember when downtown Shawnee was a thriving and bustling area.
Also the high school and junior high school was on or near Union and Highland Street, which added to the traffic in the downtown area.
However, now in 2010, things have changed. The business has moved north, east, and west. The schools have moved to other locations.
So, my question is: “Why do we still have traffic lights on Main Street downtown and on Highland Street to control the traffic that has moved?”
Highland Street has 3 traffic lights near the park that have outgrown their usefulness.
Independence has as much traffic if not more than Highland, and on the same cross streets there are no traffic lights.
I believe the traffic on Highland Street would move a lot smoother if at the corner of Highland and Broadway there was simply a four-way stop sign. Beard and Highland could work just as well with a one-way stop sign since Beard is a one-way street. Union and Highland would work with well with a two-way stop sign.
I don’t believe all the traffic lights on Main Street are needed either. When I stop at a traffic light at one of those I am waiting for the light to change, not the traffic to clear. I believe each of those should be reviewed and adjusted to meet today’s traffic instead of 1960’s traffic.
Perry Inman
Shawnee
