Does Ocean City Have Too Many Red Lights?

If you’re frustrated with the red light situation in Ocean City, you are in good company.

While stop lights are one of the necessary evils of commuting, they don’t guarantee safety for pedestrians or cooperation from drivers.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, red-light running is the number one cause of urban crashes. Furthermore in 2013, approximately 127,000 people were injured in red-light related crashes.

In August 2015, the National Coalition for Safer Roads released an interactive safety map that would allow users to see the number of red-light running deaths in their area as part of the group’s ‘Stop on Red’ initiative.

At Patch, we appreciate that our readers and motorists know the stop lights in Ocean City best. We asked you on Facebook how you felt about the red lights in our area. Could Ocean City use more red lights? Are there too many? What intersections need a stop light, or can get rid of one?

Here’s what readers said on social media:

• “Driving in Ocean City is a nightmare. As you go east-west, you have a stop sign (only two-way) at each intersection, but you have to go halfway out into the intersection to even see if cars are coming the other way.”

• “I only use the streets with red lights to cross town in the summer. With the summer parking, you have to get out in the street before you can see if it is okay, and by that time, you are hit.“

• “Too many, and the light at 34th street (West Ave.) really doesn’t need to be red for three minutes! #Ridiculous"

• “They should all blink during the winter. They are perfect for the summer.”

• “Way too many and not set to move traffic smoothly.”

• “Too many... And many are too long.”

• “Just enough.”

• “No matter how many they have they need to be blinking in the off season.”

• “For a tourist town, I say just right.”

Is there a red light in Ocean City you can’t stand? Is there an intersection that could desperately use a red light? Let us know on Facebook.