Parents in Dundee took their concerns about crosswalk lights straight to the mayor and the public works department Wednesday night at the Dundee school library, and things got bit testy.
"It's not up to a popular vote whether or not you put in a traffic signal,” said Todd Pfitzer with the Omaha Public Works Department. “It's like you don't ask your 2-year-old if they want to be strapped into a car seat.”
The crowd was not pleased with that comparison, but Pfitzer responded that he wasn’t comparing residents with toddlers.
“I'm not suggesting that you are," he said.
The city planned to remove traffic lights at 51st and Farnam streets, and at 52nd and Chicago streets after a traffic study indicated they are not needed.
Parents demanded they remain, so Mayor Jean Stothert ordered workers to turn the lights back on.
"The city is attempting to prove what they are suggesting already which is remove the lights as compared to find a way to make the lights stay," Dundee resident Dan Rock said.
"Based on the data that was provided, it appears to be some conflict as to what people are observing as our groups are walking to and from the school, and the numbers that they presented to us," Dundee resident Lindsay Murdock.
The city is going to redo its study on crosswalk usage in Dundee throughout the upcoming school year to see whether they should take down the lights.
