OPINION
Thank goodness for traffic lights.
I know they can cause delays.
Trust me, the commute I had when I started at the Post-Signal was much nicer than the way the commute has progressed, especially in the last couple of years.
However, in my area, the growth hit before the infrastructure was in place to handle it.
The Texas Department of Transportation has been playing catch-up on getting real solutions in place to mitigate the danger of people pulling out from rural roads onto the area's highways and farmto- market roads.
Thankfully, the model the state uses to place lights has shifted to use over danger being the most important factor for an intersection having a traffic light.
I, for one, am rejoicing about the traffic light that's going up at Liberty Road and U.S. 377 south of Krugerville.
That intersection has been not only dangerous to navigate because of impatient drivers, but also almost unusable because of the way people have insisted on turning left across traffic from Liberty onto 377 at peak traffic hours.
I understand that to some, traffic lights feel like a death knell on the country way of life.
However, if their existence prevents more people from dying, I think that's invaluable.
Lights do not go up without the involvement of the local authorities drawing the state's attention to a need. That's how Cross Roads got its lights along FM 424 years ago, how Providence Village has gotten its lights installed over the course of several years, and how Aubrey has pushed for and gotten lights throughout its jurisdiction.
Tioga belongs on that list, too.
Mayor Craig Jezek, along with Grayson County officials like former County Judge Bill Magers, worked with the state to show why the lights are needed.
Jezek sat down with representatives from the county and TxDOT and showed them, using the maps and development plans the city has received, how much growth is set to come to the city.
Unlike several of the lights to the south, Tioga's first two traffic lights will be the result of that proactive approach, as will the turn lane with shoulders that is going to extend from FM 121 to Shawnee Drive.
'That wouldn't have happened if they wouldn't have seen all of the building maps,' Jezek said.
Decreasing the incidence and severity of accidents is worth adding time to the drive.
Abigail Allen is the Editor & Publisher of the Post-Signal. She can be reached at aallen@postsignal. com.
