Councilman To Give Us Extra Time To Run Across The Street When The ‘Don’t Walk’ Sign Is Flashing

Coming up for an at-large City Council seat in the upcoming election — under two months away! — Bill Greenlee needed something to get people to remember his name.

And what better thing to do than extend traffic signals at all intersections so old people can cross the street! Yes, that’s right. Greenlee has introduced legislation that would force the streets department to lengthen crosswalk signals, and he specifically pointed out the Northeast and Center City as possible places. Perhaps a useful idea, but could it slow down traffic?

“It’s all tied into other things, and we don’t want to back traffic up otherwise. But you see people trying to cross the street, and sometimes as impatient as motorists can be these days, they start beeping at people. Maybe an extra two seconds might help these folks.”

Fortunately for Greenlee, there’s no guarantee drivers will vote, or even live in the city. But old people; oh, they definitely vote. He’s totally getting re-elected. I mean, unless the “I want to wait two fewer seconds at the light” lobby is particularly strong.

City Council Pushes To Extend Traffic Light Time For Pedestrians [KYW 1060]