Could the second time be the charm, as Martinsville again prepares to enact traffic changes to its Uptown District?
The changes are designed to streamline traffic and improve Uptown navigation for pedestrians and motorists. Originally scheduled for Thursday, some of the proposed changes were behind schedule as of Friday.
The changes will impact three main intersections: Moss and Church streets, Walnut and Church streets, and Broad and Church streets.
The intersection of Moss and Church will lose its traffic lights in favor of four-way stop signs. At the intersection of Walnut and Church, the stoplight will be replaced with a single stop sign directed at vehicles turning left from Walnut to Church.
The city plans to use flashing red lights at the corner of Broad and Church.
“All traffic lights at this intersection will be converted into flashing red lights in every direction, creating an all-way stop,” reads information from the city.
Flashing red lights are not the same as standard stoplights. The city’s website provides best practices for navigating these kinds of traffic signals:
- A flashing red light means stop completely, just as you would at a stop sign. Proceed only when it is safe and after yielding the right of way.
- At four-way stops, the first vehicle to arrive has the right of way. If two vehicles arrive at the same time, the one to the right goes first.
- When making a left turn from Walnut onto Church, motorists must stop and yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians before turning.
“City officials encourage drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians to use caution as everyone adjusts to the new traffic patterns,” reads information from the city about the change. “Signage will be clearly posted in all affected areas, and additional patrols will be present during the first weeks of the transition to assist with safety and traffic flow.”
This marks the second time officials have moved forward with changes to Uptown traffic flow. At the beginning of last year, the city changed several Uptown intersections in the hopes of improving traffic and pedestrian flow. City staff reversed the changes a few weeks later.
City Manager Aretha Ferrell-Benavides said at the time that officials and staff observed too many issues, such as speeders and motorists not stopping for pedestrians, to keep the changes.
“Sometimes when you make a decision and it’s not working, you just need to fix it,” Ferrell-Benavides said.
She also said that city officials did not plan to abandon the project and would continue to explore ways to improve travel within the Uptown area. Current plans differ from those enacted last year. While three intersections are to undergo changes, the previous plan impacted five intersections throughout the Uptown area and included swapping stop lights for stop signs at the intersections of Moss and West Church streets, Bridge and East Church streets, East Church and Walnut streets, East Church and Broad streets, and West Main and Wall streets.
