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In May of 2023, after three years of work, 30th Street was finally opened to the people of Colorado Springs and to tourists who get too distracted by big rocks while driving. The recent construction on 30th Street added multiple traffic elements such as a roundabout for tourists to get trapped in, a pedestrian underpass, and some traffic lights on 30th Street and Mesa Road.
To say there are strong opinions is an understatement. Cooper Vaida, Class of 2024, shared his opinions on the new lights: “I find it slower and more frustrating and does not flow as well as before the traffic lights.” When asked about who the traffic lights are for Cooper added, “It’s absolutely for tourists. They don’t know how to drive the back roads, and they want to see the Garden of the Gods.”
Not all opinions paint the new lights in a negative connotation. Thomas Sanchez, Class of 2025, expressed his viewpoint on the lights: “It slowed it [traffic] down a bit… but it’s been pretty smooth because I feel like it’s decreased the stress I have when I get to that corner.” Thomas further explained how his commute to school has been affected by the lights: “I don’t know the judgment of other people and whether or not they know the rules of the road… It’s better to have the lights there and it just feels a little safer for sure.”
Whether these lights were set up for drivers that come from a state where everything is bigger, or if they were set up to improve the flow of traffic on 30th Street, they definitely have an annoying impact on the roads and for the locals of Colorado Springs, but they could also improve any visit to our state’s natural and beautiful landscape.
