JOHN DAY — The people have spoken and the traffic light at Main Street and Canyon Boulevard has been switched back on.

The 40 or so people who attended a town hall hosted by the Oregon Department of Transportation on Thursday, Nov. 14, at the John Day Senior Center were overwhelmingly in favor of turning the light back on, citing traffic flows, safety and the overall image of John Day.

Grant County’s lone traffic signal had been switched off since July 30 after contractors accidentally cut a power cable while digging under the road to install a new electrical conduit. The intersection had operated as a four-way stop since then, and some community members said they liked it better that way.

Erin Winterton, an ODOT project manager out of La Grande, said the agency didn’t have an opinion one way or the other regarding the traffic signal, adding that the decision to keep the light off or switch it back on was the people’s to make.

“We’re really pretty neutral,” she said at the meeting. “It’s your signal.”

ODOT installed traffic cameras at the intersection to get a sense of the flow of traffic at the four-way, and some of the results were shocking. Between Oct. 11 and Oct. 18, ODOT recorded 58 separate incidents of cars, trucks and even semis simply running through the intersection.

ODOT also recorded numerous instances in which pedestrians were nearly hit by motorists while trying to cross the road.

Safety concerns

The safety of both motorists and pedestrians was at the forefront of discussions at the town hall.

Former John Day Mayor Heather Rookstool asked about a flashing four-way light at night, saying that there are times when the lights simply don’t change fast enough when traffic on the roads is sparse.

Jeff Berry, the ODOT District 14 assistant manager out of Ontario, said the agency would look into the possibility, but he added that it might not be necessary. He said that the electronic vehicle detection system at the intersection has been upgraded, so the light should change more quickly when cars start backing up and traffic is light.

“The new stuff is way better,” he said.

Rookstool also inquired about beeping alerts for visually impaired pedestrians. Berry said the new pedestrian crossing signals don’t have that feature and that anybody wanting it would need to make a formal request to ODOT.

Another questioner asked what the new pedestrian signals would look like on the upgraded system and expressed her desire for pedestrian lights to be more visible to motorists at the intersection. Berry said the pedestrian crossing signals will still be standard lights with improved hardware.

“The new timing is longer,” he said. “It gives pedestrians more time to cross.”

Canyon City Fire Chief Matt Turner asked if the community was going to have the ability to turn the lights solid red in the event of an emergency, saying that could be imperative for safety.

“We all know this is the busiest intersection in the entire county,” he said.

Berry said the new traffic lights did not come with the ability to turn some solid red in order to stop traffic during emergencies, saying that the city may have to pay for that service.

Let there be light

Paul Smith has been a strong advocate for the traffic signal, having argued for switching it on before both the John Day City Council and the Grant County Court.

Smith listed a number of reasons why the light should be switched back on, first highlighting that the intersection is a crossing point for two main highways and is used by truckers. Smith also highlighted the difficulty in getting out of parking spaces with the intersection operating as a four-way stop and said there are times when traffic can become extremely backed up at the intersection.

Smith also said the city losing the light would be a “step backwards” and could have economic consequences.

“I think it should be on and I don’t think we should be having this conversation again,” Smith said at the meeting.

In what was perhaps a sign of the community’s sentiment toward restarting the light, Smith’s comments were met with a round of applause from most town hall attendees.

The consensus among those with ODOT at the town hall’s conclusion was that the city should have its traffic signal turned back on. 

At approximately 9:15 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 18, John Day’s traffic light came back to life for the first time since July 30. Vicky Moles, ODOT’s public information officer for Eastern Oregon, thanked members of the community for letting their voices be heard and reminded them of the change in traffic flow. 

“We want to express our gratitude to everyone who called, emailed, and attended the open house to share their feedback on the traffic signal,” she said. “The traffic signal is back on and functioning as it did before the curb ramp upgrades were made this summer. It may take a little while to readjust to the traffic pattern, so we urge everyone to use caution while traveling through the intersection.”