200 show to decry LR traffic light plan

Nearly 200 Little Rock residents showed up to a meeting Thursday night to object to a city proposal that would put a traffic light and reduce lanes at the intersection of Pebble Beach Drive and Hinson Road.

The road project, estimated to cost about $500,000, stemmed from resident requests during city meetings three years ago. That's when the city was seeking public input on how to spend tax revenue raised through the 1 percent sales tax increase that voters approved in 2011.

After looking at several options to decrease speeding along Hinson Road at the Pebble Beach Drive intersection, the city Public Works Department proposed eliminating the four-way stop in favor of a traffic light. The proposal also calls for reducing the four-lane Hinson Road to three lanes and putting in a bicycle lane.

Dozens of residents spoke against the plan Thursday at a 5:30 p.m. meeting hosted by the city at Trinity Presbyterian Church near Hinson Road. Officials originally planned to have the meeting in a conference room, but when residents overflowed into the the hallway, the meeting was moved to the large sanctuary, where still some people stood up in the back.

At times residents yelled over city staff. One man, looking directly into the camera of a television crew, called the plan "asinine" and got loud applause.

Another man yelled out, "If the problem is speeding, do you know how many Little Rock Police Department officers you can hire for half a million dollars?"

City Director Brad Cazort, who represents Ward 4, where the majority of residents at the meeting live, noted that these funds are earmarked for road projects.

He told the crowd that Thursday was not the time to "get political" and attempt to change the project. It would take six of the 10 city board members to reverse the decision to do the project, he said. Several citizens said they would lobby the board to not move forward with the plan.

Hinson Road is on the line of Ward 4 and Ward 5.

Lance Hines, city director for Ward 5, said residents in his ward have shown support for the project in two previous public meetings. A similar plan was implemented on West 12th Street, which Hines said was similar to Hinson Road in that it is a commuter corridor and there are schools.

"It slowed traffic down. It's worked," Hines said of the West 12th Street plan.

"We have a speeding problem and to say you think it's safe to have cars go 45 and 55 miles per hour in a residential area and you'd rather have that than cars slowing down -- I have serious concern about that," Hines said.

Metro on 08/21/2015

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