UP Changes Course, Sees the Light at Airline

The blinking red light at Airline and Southwestern will remain. (Photo: Binkley & Barfield)
The blinking red lights at Airline and Southwestern will remain, thanks to a vote from the University Park city council. (Photo: Binkley & Barfield)

The University Park City Council on Tuesday reversed an earlier decision to remove the blinking red stoplights at the intersection of Airline Road and Southwestern Boulevard.

In April, the council followed a recommendation from city staff and an outside consultant by declaring the lights obsolete, and directed workers to put bags over them to prepare for their removal. The idea was to wait 90 days and study the intersection with four-way stop signs.

However, a handful of residents subsequently protested the decision to remove the lights, citing concerns over safety, especially with the potential for increased traffic through the area if Highland Park ISD follows through with plans to build a fifth elementary school a few blocks away.

The idea to remove the lights — and the 44-page consultant report that followed — was prompted by a request from a property owner at the intersection who no longer lives there. He originally told council members that everyone at the corner was in agreement that the lights should be discarded, when in fact that wasn’t the case.

Tuesday’s council vote to keep the lights was unanimous, with Mayor Olin Lane noting the “anticipation of additional traffic in the future” as a reason for changing course.

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2 thoughts on “UP Changes Course, Sees the Light at Airline

  • August 19, 2015 at 2:12 pm
    Permalink

    “He originally told council members that everyone at the corner was in
    agreement that the lights should be discarded, when in fact that wasn’t
    the case.”

    What was the case?

    Reply
  • August 22, 2015 at 10:33 am
    Permalink

    Remove them? Hell, I was hoping they would change them to a controlled intersection…Green, Amber, red, instead of blinking lights. There is a reason everyone on Southwestern Blvd is installing curve drives…it’s a PITA to back out of our driveways! Stop signs in our neighborhood is treated like Yield signs, people simply slow down enough to make sure no one is coming and then punches it. I’ve seen cars passing other cars going the same way! Just pulling into our drive way can be challenging. I have people passing me on the inside (the direction I’m turning) while I’m stopped waiting for on coming cars to pass so I can pull into the driveway! This has happened to me about a half dozen times…honking the horn as they pass! I checked my lights, (brake lights, indicators) everything works. Its aggravating to say the least.

    Reply

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