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The Daily Tar Heel

Thank you, town of Chapel Hill, for the new left turn light

A left turning traffic light was installed at the intersection of Raleigh Street and East Franklin Street. 

A left turning traffic light was installed at the intersection of Raleigh Street and East Franklin Street. 

Chapel Hill is not the easiest place to drive. Between the fact that this town was probably not designed to hold so many people and the fact that students love to dart out into the middle of every busy road possible, it can be stressful to navigate the streets.

But, by far the worst annoyance has been the light on the intersection of Raleigh and East Franklin streets.

If you are driving straight onto Hillsborough Street — which I often am, as I live off of it — or even turning right to get to East Franklin, you had to wait for the cars who, against all odds, think they can turn left. Every day that I’ve pulled up on that light, I’ve watched it turn from green to yellow and, frustratingly, red before turning green what feels like an eternity later.

No more than four cars at a time end up moving during one green light during a quick-moving period. And forget about going anywhere in the evenings or Friday afternoons. You honestly may as well move into Spencer.

I think, overall, I’m a pretty chill person. But I have physically yelled at cars and their drivers because of the stress this light has caused me. That intersection bothers the ever-loving hell out of me.

Or, at least, it did.

I’d like to take this time and space to commend the Town of Chapel Hill for installing a left turn light at that intersection. Y’all are saving my time, my blood pressure and perhaps my life (I’ve almost gotten into multiple accidents at that intersection and I don’t want to talk about it).

Whoever was in charge of that decision made it possible for my assistants — underclassmen who live on campus — to go home if they so choose, because I will now drive on Raleigh Road because of that light. Now, they can get home safe instead of walking home in the dark at 2 a.m. (just kidding, I do drive them home at night. But never during rush hour).

Another editor here told me that the first time she turned left through that light this past weekend, she screamed and put her hands up like she was on a roller coaster (which isn’t safe, but OK). While I can only guess why she did this, it’s likely because that left turn light brings a feeling of immediate gratitude. After all, it’s probably the first time in her life she’s been able to get through the light without making anyone wait or without almost getting hit head-on by another car.

While I’ve never worked for the state of North Carolina, I can imagine that being a government official is a thankless job. So thank you, Town of Chapel Hill, for making a change that drastically improves my life, if not in actuality then in terms of my mental health.

This is something that will bring more safety into this town, and this is something that will keep me from having a criminal record for hitting someone with my car.

@sarahvassello

swerve@dailytarheel.com

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