More residents giving the red light to traffic light removal

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Residents in the Brookside neighborhood are demanding that Kansas City reverse its decision on removing traffic lights at several intersections.

Kansas City is replacing the lights with stop signs at 37 intersections across the city.

The city has claimed it is making the changes because studies show stop signs are actually safer than stoplights when traffic is not heavy, as the city reported is the case in those areas. Officials also claimed drivers tend to run lights when they see no one around, but that signs force people to stop.

However, an increasing number of Brookside residents, like Paul Travis, said that is not the situation they see at the intersection of Meyer and Main.

"To get across five lanes of traffic is quite a chore. Turning lanes, there's not a lot of people paying attention to stop signs, they're rolling though," explained Travis.

Last week, residents from the 3rd District piled into a meeting with the city's public works officials. The meeting grew tense and some residents even shouted that they believed the city cared more about saving money than lives.

41 Action News talked with the city officials this week, and a spokesperson said it is not reversing its decision on replacing the traffic lights with stop signs. The city said it has to make the change in order to comply with federal safety guidelines.

City officials also said it will keep the traffic lights flashing for a few weeks longer so residents can
get used to the change.