One of the hard-to-see stop signs is at the corner of 40th and University Avenue.
By Breann Robinson
Several stop signs around Lubbock are almost completely hidden by low-hanging branches, and large trees make some areas around town dangerous for those turning into oncoming traffic.
Lubbock residents say low visibility has caused many traffic accidents around the city.
Nathan Davis, an insurance adjuster from Lubbock, lives near the corner of Eighth Street and Milwaukee Avenue. Large pear trees block the view on the west side of the street and make it almost impossible to see oncoming traffic. He said the intersection by his house is so dangerous that he often tells his loved ones to avoid it at all costs.
“The light pole is leaning from somebody hitting it,” Davis said. “Across Milwaukee, after several wrecks, I’ve seen glass from the aftermath.”
After three years of living by this dangerous intersection, Davis said he thinks it is time for a change.
“The trees just create a terrible blind spot,” Davis said. “They just need to be removed or a couple of them cut back so that you can see.”
Another inconspicuous stop sign sits at the corner of 22nd and Akron streets.
Jeff Griffith, who represents District 3 on the Lubbock City Council, said he is concerned with hard-to-see stop signs and low visibility.
“In my district, I’ve had a few complaints about stop signs being covered by tree branches,” Griffith said. “This is always an ongoing problem because Lubbock just has more trees. The stop sign issue, that’s pretty dangerous.”
Although he sees the urgency of the issue, Griffith said there are simply not enough city employees to fix the problem overnight.
“We don’t have enough staff to just drive around and check every street,” Griffith said. “We are working on getting out and finding these issues and not just waiting for a call, but unless a city employee finds it first, it’s kind of up to the citizens to report it.”
Though they play a big part, unseen street signs are not the only cause of car wrecks when it comes to low visibility in Lubbock.
Four years ago, Sarah Wilson, a senior electronic media and communications major at Texas Tech, was rear-ended at a traffic light on 19th Street. Wilson said she was driving straight into the sun’s glare at around 5 p.m. when the accident happened.
Since then, Wilson said she has witnessed several accidents caused by the low visibility around that part of 19th Street.
“It’s a very busy intersection; I’ve seen probably five or six wrecks in the past two or three years,” Wilson said. “I also think it’s really hard to see. I know just driving down 19th, going west at 5 o’clock is just a really rough, brutal time on your eyes.”
Though she does view the low visibility on 19th Street as a great problem for college students and other Lubbock residents, Wilson does not see a solution in the near future.
“It really has to do with how the streets are positioned, and unless they are going to completely move the direction of 19th, I’m not sure how it would be fixed anytime soon,” Wilson said.
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