A BUSY STREET — Residents and local officials continue to urge state highway officials to restore traffic signals at two intersections along Main Street, which is state Route 2 through Follansbee. They have cited difficulty for pedestrians crossing the street and drivers entering it from side streets. -- Warren Scott

FOLLANSBEE — Resident Linda Tomaino is the latest voice to express concern about safety issues arising from the removal of traffic signals along Main Street, and city officials have stated it’s not a dead issue.

Tomaino said she has submitted a petition to the West Virginia Division of Highways, seeking a reversal of its decision in 2024 to remove signals on Main, which is part of state Route 2, at its intersections with Raymond and State streets.

A Follansbee resident for more than 50 years, Tomaino said the signals’ absence has made it difficult for pedestrians to cross the busy street and for drivers to enter it from side streets.

Tomaino added that, without the need to stop for red lights, many drivers make their way through the southern half of Follansbee at high speeds.

“Speeding trucks and cars are ongoing — morning, noon and night,” she said.

“Our city does have a police force who do their best to control the speeding issue, but they cannot be everywhere,” said Tomaino. “One day, I was assisting [city crews] in hanging Christmas wreaths [on streetlights] for almost four hours. And in that time period, I was shocked, upset, at the speed of huge trucks and cars. All were driving above the required speed limit of 30 miles per hour.”

Tomaino said in addition to the state Division of Highways, she has sent letters of concern to Gov. Patrick Morrisey and local representatives to the West Virginia Legislature.

Among them was state Sen. Ryan Weld, R-Wellsburg, who responded with his own letter.

Weld said, “Back in 2024, I was contacted by the prior administration in Follansbee asking for my assistance in stopping the WVDOH from removing several traffic lights through town. I shared the same concerns as the city and shortly thereafter spoke with both the [WVDOH] District 6 engineer and then [state] Commissioner of Highways Jimmy Wriston.”

Weld noted state highway officials then cited lower traffic counts for side streets but argued they failed to take into account the number of pedestrians who cross Main Street.

“The pedestrian traffic at both Raymond and State streets is fairly substantial, and having lights at those intersections is particularly important for reasons other than just the traffic count,” he said.

City officials and residents have noted the intersection of Main and Raymond’s proximity to the local post office and the intersection of Main and State’s nearness to city basketball courts and a playground.

Weld said despite his efforts, state highway officials didn’t budge from their position, but he’s hopeful that the new administration appointed by Morrisey when he entered office last year will be more respective.

“I brought this issue up with [state] Transportation Secretary [Todd] Rumbaugh at a recent meeting and received a follow-up from him that it was being reviewed,” said Weld, adding, “The concerns of Follansbee residents on this issue are not going unheard.”

Mayor Scott McMahon said he and other city officials also have approached state and other officials with concerns about the traffic signals as well as non-functioning streetlights along Main.

Darkened areas of the street have been a recurring complaint from residents, but lack of local funding for their replacement has been cited as a barrier to their correction.

“We’ve talked to our state delegates,” McMahon said. “We’ve also had all of our representatives in Congress come to Follansbee to discuss those and other issues.

“We’re educating them on these issues,” he added.

McMahon agreed the signals helped to reduce speed, saying, “We’re not supposed to use traffic signals to slow traffic, but they do.”

The mayor said he doesn’t believe multiple traffic lights are needed, but he would be happy to see the ones near Raymond and State streets restored.

He said in addition to the concerns about pedestrians, development of the former Follansbee Steel property has resulted in more truck traffic entering Main Street from State Street.

At the time of the signals’ removal, state highway officials said the move was influenced by the Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Yet the manual, adopted in the 1960s, has received criticism from such groups as the National Association of City Transportation Officials, the League of American Bicyclists, the National League of Cities, the National Safety Council and America Walks.

Some have argued it discriminates against bicyclists and pedestrians – setting high standards for crosswalks – and encourages unsafe conditions through its 85th percentile standard for speed limits, which is the speed most drivers are traveling on a given roadway, rounded to the nearest five miles per hour.