Trading traffic lights for stop signs worries neighbors

People who live in a neighborhood on Pueblo’s west side feel their safety is at risk because the city wants to replace traffic lights with stop signs.

There is a sign above the intersection of 13th Street and West Street that says the city is studying the traffic lights for removal.

That sign didn’t sit well with Mayra Eckley.

“They help with directing traffic. There are a lot of children here there are a lot of motorcycles here and this a lot easier and more visible for people to see,” she said.

The city said it has been studying the intersection for almost five years. It said in that time there haven’t been any traffic problems.

With the lights set to flash red, the intersection already functions as a four-way stop.

The city plans on making the switch in mid- to late October.

“It seems like it’s time to remove the equipment, put up the stop signs and let it operate as it has been,” City Traffic Engineer Pepper Whittlef said.

She also said putting up a four-way stop will make traffic run smoothly.

“As traffic enters the intersection it’s on a first come, first served basis, so you stop, you enter, you go,” Whittlef said.

She said putting up the stop signs doesn’t eat too much into the traffic maintenance budget, the way lights do.

“Our department has lost over the last 10 years. Our staffing has been reduced almost by half, our maintenance budget has been reduced almost 10 percent each year for the last couple of years,” Whitleff said.

The city plans on looking at five more intersections to switch out traffic lights for stop signs.