Motorists and pedestrians in Carbondale are learning to navigate a different traffic pattern at a major downtown intersection.
If you drive in Carbondale near the SIUC campus, you have probably noticed a stop sign is gone from the westbound lanes of West Mill Street at the intersection of South Normal Avenue on the North West side of campus.
West bound traffic on Mill no longer has to stop. The change is causing some issues for pedestrians as well as vehicles. Wednesday morning, a car versus motorcycle accident occurred at the intersection when a west-bound car on Mill collided with a south-bound motorcycle. Confusion over the traffic changes sparked discussion at Tuesday's Carbondale City Council Meeting.
City Manager Kevin Baity says the stop sign was taken down at the prompting of the State Department of Transportation, but despite that, Councilwoman Jessica Bradshaw, who drives through that intersection daily, says it's been kind of scary since the change.
Bradshaw says with the new semester underway at SIUC, people will eventually learn the new traffic pattern, but she would like to see a flashing light or something to better warn motorist and pedestrians.
The city has placed several signs that indicate the westbound traffic does not stop.
