Ortonville- The village council is seeking a less costly option to removing the traffic light that has operated at Mill and South streets for more than a quarter of a century.
During their April 26 meeting, councilmembers discussed a proposal received from the Road Commission for Oakland County for removal of the existing signal. RCOC Traffic Engineer Chuck Keller said the RCOC would charge the village $5,500 to take out the traffic light, plus the cost to install 4-way stop signs to replace the signal.
Councilmember Kay Green called the price ‘insane,? and Council President Ken Quisenberry questioned whether someone else could take the light out for a more reasonable rate. The council voted to table the issue as they seek other options.
‘They price like they are the only game in town,? said Quisenberry.
‘That’s too expensive.?
Cost and whether the light is actually needed have driven the discussions that began in March on removing the downtown’s only traffic light. The village spends roughly $1,500 per year to maintain the light, including electrical power and calibration. The light doesn’t currently have any repair issues; however, it will likely become more costly to maintain as time goes on.
‘Equipment gets outdated or the replacement equipment to maintain it becomes obsolete, unavailable,? said Keller. ‘The light is fine right now and serving their purpose. We would like them to replace signals about every 15 years, but its probably around 20-25 years before we replace it. We can’t make them replace it? they own it, so it’s up to them.?
The cost for a new signal to modern standards with pedestrian signals would be $58,000, Keller said. Modernization of the existing signal by converting to a 4-way red flasher with 4-way stop case signs is $16,000.
Bob DeCorte, traffic engineer for the Traffic Improvement Association said it is a misconception that the more traffic signals and signs a community has, the safer it is.
‘Sometimes less is better than more,? he said.
‘The problem is, it’s not an opinion of the community, an official study has to be done by a competent traffic engineer to make the intersection as safe as possible or function as well as possible.?
Such a study would measure traffic volume, sight distance, and retrieve accident data and patterns, including the number of night-time and rear-end accidents during the past three years.
Keller said there are guidelines for whether a traffic signal should be in place based on various criteria and while it may not be a legal obligation, it would be in the village’s best interest to have a study done.