8/13/2019 Graves: computerize traffic flow

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By NDY ME Dtoff WriterMayoral candidate Joe Gravescalled a press conference yesterday tounveil his plan to connect all the

city's traffic signals to a central com-puter to ease traffic problems.He later learned the local government already has a limited version of

that idea on the drawing boards, butsaid his idea is better.Gordo11 Garner, commissioner ofsanitation 'and public works, says the

plan now being studied would synchronize 5 downtown traffic lights by themiddle of next year if everything goesaccording to plan. The system c;:ouldlater be expanded into other areas.Thp plan has be.en mentioned byvice mayor Scotty Baesler - also acandidate for mayor - as one of thethings the government is doing tosolve traffic p r o b l e m ~ .

That doesn't change my position, Graves said after learning ofthe other plan.Asked Area Residents

He said w o r k ~ r s in his campaigntelephoned some 7 000 local residentsbefore making t:he proposal so I'vealready involved more citizen input

Graves also criticizes the plan forstarting the new system downtownand then spreading out. He cites atransportation magazine that saysthese cities have found that piecemeal solutions do not work; in factthey often m a k e m a t t e r s w o r s e .Graves says his plan would adjusttraffic signals for different t rafficloads at various times of the day andallow emergency vehicles to movefaster by turning lights green as theyapproach intersections.Meanwhile, mayo ra l candidateNick Martin attacked Graves as aone-issue candidate and said his ad-ministration would be a carboncopy of Mayor Foster Pettit's.

Joe is so busy sharpening histraffic engineering skills that he haslost sight of other issues that concernLexingtonians, says Martin.Three people involved in Gravescampaign worked in local governmentwhile Pettit has been mayor and Martin says that shows why Mr. Graveshas been understandably unwilling to

criticize any of the policies of hisfriend and ally Foster PettitGraves says those people workedfor him before getting jobs in local

government and adds Foster and Iaren 't carbon copies.