How to Get the Green Light for a Red Light

You’re trying to cross the street. But an endless line of cars whizzes past you so you can’t get across. As you wait and wait you wonder: Why isn’t there a traffic light here? Or at least a stop sign?

So how do you get a traffic signal put up in your neighborhood?

The first step is to send a request to your local department of transportation, says Bob Camou, supervisor of Los Angeles’ Hollywood/Wilshire engineering office.

The department then reviews the proposed site. Many factors are considered, including the number of cars that travel the road and the layout of the street.

Generally, Camou said, a street with multiple lanes needs 600 vehicles per hour for a minimum of six hours a day to qualify for a traffic light. Single-lane roads require at least 200 cars an hour to merit a red light.

The department will also erect a stop sign at an intersection if 500 four-wheeled vehicles per hour go across a major street or 200 cross a smaller one.

But these are not hard and fast rules. “Safety is always a consideration,” Camou said, noting that a particularly treacherous stretch of pavement could warrant a traffic light even if it doesn’t have the minimum number of cars. Conversely, an intersection with a high traffic volume but located near other control signals might not need one.

Can you get your local politician to use his or her influence?

That’s unlikely, Camou said. He pointed out that while City Council members frequently put in requests on behalf of their constituents, they generally do not vote to override the transportation department’s rulings.