Basement Office

Re-engineering traffic

The stoplights at the main downtown intersection were out for a while this morning while workers did some maintenance. In its place was a 4-way stop with an island of stop signs placed right in the middle of the intersection. I watched the cars move through the intersection for several minutes, and made my way across each of the crosswalks. Not only was there less congestion at the intersection, but it was much easier and faster to traverse the crosswalks. So cautious were the drivers to this new situation that one could have pulled a Hans Monderman and walked across the street backwards with little danger.