Next week, the Muncie City Council will make a decision that could greatly effect traffic flow throughout the city. Of the 81 "no turn on red" signs remaining, 72 of them could soon be taken down. Thanks to former Student Government Association President Ben Tietz and his slate, Team Tietz, the signs' collective fate will be decided on during a vote at Monday's council meeting.
Tietz left office this past month, but yet his slate's work and effort continue to positively affect Ball State students -- and now Muncie residents.
It's a sign of how powerful one voice can be in the sea of thousands. More so, though, it is a sign of how a persistent voice can make a huge difference.
Tietz and his slate campaigned on "no turn signs" prior to SGA's 2004 elections. Once elected, Kathy Spenos, former SGA secretary, took to the streets to survey the area's signs. She created a list of 17 intersections which had unnecessary signs. To their dismay, the slate's original proposal was rejected with a report giving the reasons for each sign's placement.
Staying true to the team's word, Michael Piercefield, former SGA vice president, continued to push the issue with the mayor after noticing inconsistencies between the intersections and the information in the first letter. After a second rejection letter, Tietz found the issue heading down a one way street. It looked as if chances were slim to none.
To the slate's surprise, though, Canan worked with the Indiana Department of Transportation to push the issue. Although initial efforts failed, the state has since changed its position, which has allowed Muncie's City Council to vote on the sign's necessity.
Rightfully so, Canan attributed the action as a direct result of the slate's efforts. Aside from proving the quality of work Team Tietz accomplished while in office, the effort also shows how mutually beneficial Ball State and Muncie relations can be. With the right amount of work, dedication and thought, Team Tietz proved that students can indeed work with Muncie officials. We hope further proof will be displayed in the Mayor's Commission, an effort for BSU students to give feedback to the city. In fact, it's another project Tietz and Canan worked to bring (back) to life.
It would be a shame for this effort to come so far, only to be vetoed come Monday's meeting. Hopefully, Muncie's City Council members will recognize the value of removing the signs, if for nothing else but as a testament to the positive relationship slowly being rebuilt between Muncie and Ball State.
If the measure does pass, some of the signs, such as those at McKinley and Riverside, will not be removed because of high pedestrian traffic. However, thanks to the persistence of four students, drivers may soon be able to turn to something new.
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