Better planning on traffic lights needed

I was glad to see the new traffic lights put up at Highway 13 and Mount Vernon Road. I don't understand why these lights, as well as the lights at Highway 100 and Linn Aire Avenue on Highway 13, weren't set up to activate based on traffic load and not a timer.

It is very frustrating to have to stop at these lights when there isn't a soul in sight and then have to wait for the turning traffic when there isn't any. If gas was $1 a gallon, it wouldn't be so bad but it's 3.5 times that.

Couldn't they have put in the system that allows for better traffic flow and energy savings? Maybe they don't drive this every day but for everybody else that does, and will for many years, it seems that they should have done a little better planning even if it might have cost a little bit more initially.

John E. Krog

Central City