TKC BREAKING AND EXCLUSIVE NEWS!!! KANSAS CITY STOPLIGHT REMOVAL CONTROVERSY CONTINUES!!! A CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER ON LOCAL STREETS!!!
Once again in Kansas City, a decision at City Hall with very little input from the public is creating a HOT MESS on local streets.
Check it . . .
KANSAS CITY RESIDENTS IN THE URBAN CORE ARE CRYING FOUL OVER A STOPLIGHT REMOVAL PROGRAM THAT WAS ESTABLISHED UNILATERALLY AND WITHOUT EVEN ATTEMPTING TO GET INPUT FROM NEIGHBORS!!!
Northeast News has done and EXCELLENT job in reporting the controversy.
Tragically . . . THINGS HAVE GROWN WORSE SINCE THE LAST TKC POST ON THE TOPIC!!!
To wit . . .
NORTHEAST NEWS PUBLISHER MICHAEL BUSHNELL IS ON THE RECORD DESCRIBING THE CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER TO PEDESTRIANS THANKS TO A HAPHAZARD STOPLIGHT REMOVAL PLAN!!!
Mr. Bushnell's testimony is important . . . Check it:
"There are (and feel free to quote me on this) people literally sailing through the St. John and Van Brunt intersection as well as St. John and Belmont with little regard for the newly installed signs. This is a traffic nightmare come true . . .
"This was strictly the Traffic Engineering Dept acting alone, arbitrarily choosing intersections based on some federal guideline. That must be why FIVE intersections on St. John within a 1.2 mile stretch will be affected."
Another Kansas City Insider offers a perspective regarding the politics of the decision.
"This kind of unilateral action is typical under the leadership of Mayor Sly James and the City Council. The Mayor has created an environment where people are afraid to ask questions and take an alternative viewpoint. The Mayor promised that under his Administration there would be more transparency and he would respect the opinions of others. That simply hasn't been the case . . . Now more than ever, City Hall seems accountable to no one."
Most importantly . . .
TKC WANTS TO PUT THIS TOPIC ON BLAST NOT ONLY BECAUSE IT'S A DANGEROUS SITUATION THAT MAKES OUR STREETS UNSAFE BUT ALSO THIS HOT MESS SHOWS CITY HALL ACTING WITH LITTLE CONCERN FOR NEIGHBORHOODS!!!
Hopefully, it won't take a horrible accident for City Hall to realize that their decisions weren't properly discussed with neighborhoods . . . In the meantime, we advise Kansas City drivers to take care and realize that there are very real consequences to a Mayor and City Council who lead in a manner that doesn't emphasize accountability.
DEVELOPING . . .
drive slower. seriously.
ReplyDeleteAnd stop for the flashing red lights. I saw a Somali woman have an accident at St. John and Van Brundt yesterday. She came to a stop and then drove right on through out of turn. Do we not still teach these things in drivers' ed?
ReplyDeleteaccident friday afternoon at 63 and oak theres going to be alot more accidents happening the city is sure helping insurance rates to go up for sure
ReplyDeleteWhen everyone has to stop at a 4-way it makes it easier for scholars to carjack you. Thanks again Slyzilla.
ReplyDeleteYes it is going to take a body count before they fix this. And they will be slow as hell doing it. What federal guideline is being refered to about stop lights?
ReplyDeletePretty sure most Somalians drivers ed involved a cart and ox.
ReplyDeleteSomali driver totaled our car at a regular stop sign. Apparently they can not read the word STOP.
ReplyDeleteThis could have been a good thing. Unfortunately a majority of drivers currently here in Northeast have no knowledge of driving laws or common courtesy.
ReplyDeleteWho cares about traffic safety? How are the streetcar and the new downtown hotel coming?
ReplyDeleteAll of City Hall is incompetent. Burn the damn thing down. On the verge of civil war or at least unrest.
ReplyDeleteI drive Brookside. I thought the lights were screwed up. Thanks, TKC, for the public info.
ReplyDeleteDAMN! once again TKC gets the word out. Just what does the council do to inform ME? I take the Star daily, watch KCTV 5 and Mike Mahoney, listen to NPR and I end up getting more informed on this site?!! WTF!
Just stay out of KCMO and your life will be that much easier!
ReplyDeleteAlmost got mowed down by some mom in an SUV at Oak & Meyer two hours ago. That's a pretty busy intersection. I can't believe they did this, especially not without any notice.
ReplyDeleteMain and Gregory also got the treatment.
ReplyDeleteGregory and Main doesn't seem that busy to me, though I admit that I don't typically drive on it during rush hour, so I might not know. But Oak & Mayer is pretty busy and there are several lanes of traffic affected, so it seems very dangerous not to have a light.
ReplyDeleteSly and his Rubber Stamp Cindy are both liars ,sorry Cindy go back to doing nails When you term limit out you are sooooo done.
ReplyDeleteThese comments sounds like the same racists blaming the minorities. The first dozen comments are just whining. A stop sign or a stop light do the same thing. If, as a pedestrian, you trust a traffic light to save your life, you're a fucking tool.
ReplyDeleteHere's what I tell my kids. It's advice you can follow:
"Look both ways before crossing".
I realize that you feel like a stop light means you can just dash into the street because the magical force of the Green Light God protects you, but that's not always the case.
Stop light = Drivers stop when required, do not stop otherwise, depending on the light. Increases average traffic speed.
ReplyDelete4-way Stop = Every driver stops every time and slows the average traffic speed.
Good lord, are you telling me that every community has to be consulted each and every time a traffic sigh or light is changed? Really? That's nuts.
Memo to city hall: Do the right thing, manage the city, and deal with the whiners.
Ok, I gotta weigh in. Usually I'm in agreement with much of what is on this blog, but TKC and Bushnell are dead wrong on this issue. And while I like the traffic signals and hate to see them go, the fact is that the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) sets the standards that cities must follow if they want to receive federal dollars for road projects.
ReplyDeleteBecause I didn't know, I asked: why are we pulling signals? And I found the answer. The MUTCD studies and researches and studies some more, traffic data from cities from all over. That information is used to compile the guidelines for the regulations. As mentioned, if you want federal dollars, you follow these regs.
Additionally, if you want to win a lawsuit against a motorist who sues you, you had better have followed the MUTCD. Because if you didn't, your city will lose the lawsuit.
KCMO got tired of losing lawsuits and decided to use traffic signal dollars to bring our intersections up to code, basically. So this plan was initiated. It's not Mayor James' plan, or some way to subvert the Northeast or inner city... It's good old federal regulation choking us.
No, I don't work for KCMO, or do press relations for the Mayor or work for The Star. I'm a citizen who was concerned about losing traffic signals so I made some calls and did some research.
If you want to learn more, and bore yourself, check this out:
Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) - FHWA
mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/
The standard for signs, signals, and pavement markings in the United States. Includes HTML and .pdf versions.
Maybe that is all true; however, I think some warnings or explanations should have been issued BEFORE these changes popped up.
ReplyDeleteThis has the potential to be a public relations disaster for Sly, presuming he plans to run again in a couple of years.
6:04, I don't disagree. Some information prior to the lights flashing and then being removed would have been very helpful.
ReplyDeleteBut 5:11 is right. NE News should have learned the facts before reporting their story. I believe there was an editorial about the issue too.
You've missed the entire thrust of the NE News story... it's about notification and working with the community. Our population over here needs a lot more education than most about the niceties of 4-way stops... The article was right on target.
ReplyDeleteBushnell's story might have been on target if he had known the whole story about which he was reporting. In typical NE News style, he starts blasting without taking the time to learn all of the facts. The good point of his story, the lack of communication from the City, was lost in all his ranting about how evil the City is.
ReplyDeleteMr Bushnell had confused Sly James with Wayne Cauthen. Cauthen never allowed an opinion to be expressed that wasn't in allignment with his own. Mayor James look to experts in their field and not only asks they opinion, but takes their advice and streams behind them.
ReplyDeleteYou may not like to admit that traffic patterns have changed, but they have. Hundreds of traffic signals were removed several years ago and I would bet very few people can name where they used to be. That's because they weren't needed and there were other (better) routes that you now use. This too shall pass.
8:18, +1
ReplyDeleteShit, maybe they'll finally get rid of the damned stoplights on 71.
ReplyDeleteSly James is a terrible mayor. He could care less about the Northeast.
ReplyDeleteNo human gives a fuck what happens in the stinking "hood". let those NIGGERS wreck, shoot, murder and do whatever else they'd like to do to each other, it'll just end up with fewer NIGGERS and more humans on the streets.
ReplyDelete7:13 you are a RACIST get used to the label, this wasnt a issue on black or white it was a issue on traffic signals! drink another beer, or snort some more coke, not here to judge you but when you post on here have some dignity in what you post...actually if you did your post would have had at least one twinge of class in it...it didnt so try again!
ReplyDelete7:13 you might start trying to give a fuck about your RACIST tendencies, you might take a anger management course at least, you may just want to broaden your horizons and get educated about life. You may want to confront your priest who molested you, or tell your wife or girlfriend you actually want to fuck a man...you are one angry son of a bitch and you need to work your shit out!!! Your ignorance tells your story to the audience you are talking to on here. Dont worry be happy MORON!
ReplyDeleteDon't blame staff for this one, you need to look at your city manager and public works director!! They made this decision!!
ReplyDelete