A plan to change the traffic lights on Haralson and Broome streets drew favorable comment from residents at Tuesday’s LaGrange City Council hearing.

Although some speakers were concerned with pedestrian safety near Broome and Main streets, all approved of the ordinance.

“I want to applaud the City Council, the mayor and the city employees for thinking outside the box in an effort to eliminate some of our traffic light concerns,” said Tommy Callaway of LaGrange.

City Manager Tom Hall gave council an update on the changes to the four intersections of Haralson at Church Street and Ridley Avenue and Broome at Main and Bull streets, saying all four intersections would be two-way stops rather than two-ways for Haralson and four-ways for Broome.

Troup County Archives director Kaye Minchew had concerns with the previous plan for a four-way stop at Broome and Main streets as well as the updated two-way stop.

She thinks the movie theater at Main and Broome streets will be filled with pedestrian traffic during peak hours on Fridays and Saturdays.

“I’ve worked on that corner since 1983, parked on the hill most of that time so I’ve been through that intersection a lot,” she said. “As a driver, those lights are too long. I don’t like them.

“… Unfortunately, our community has only limited respect for pedestrians, and the idea of ‘pedestrians first’ has not gotten through, so I’m just really concerned about pedestrians.”

Ben Comerford, executive director of the Downtown LaGrange Development Authority, echoed Minchew’s concerns, saying pedestrians are prone to stepping out into traffic.

“I think the decision to change the lights at Haralson is a no-brainer. I also feel that way about Bull and Broome,” he said.

Resident Carolyn Haamid said she was happy the lights were being changed but was concerned about heavy pedestrian traffic near the theater. She also raised questions on being able to turn out of the public parking lot on Bull Street, saying without the traffic light at Bull and Broome she might never make it out.

Haamid also believed the change from four-ways to two-ways was also good for the proposal.

“People don’t know anything about how to adhere to four-way stops,” she said.

Council plans to vote on the ordinance at the next meeting changed to Nov. 3 due to conflicting activities with council members.

Trey Wood can be reached at twood@ lagrangenews. com or (706) 884-7311, Ext. 228.