April 21. By Dave Vieser. The accident last Friday which damaged a traffic signal pole has had another impact on traffic at Jetton and West Catawba: The timing of the traffic signals had to be shut off in favor of a straight-timed operation.

It was handled by a camera-generated signal.

That means traffic signals at that corner change under a pre-determined time formula rather than being responsive to the actual volume and flow of traffic.

This explains why a green turning signal appears for the lane which normally carries motorists turning left from West Catawba onto Jetton Road Extension—even though the road is actually closed.

Town officials said it could be another week before the signal is fixed.

The accident was caused when a dump truck driver working at the old Rite Aid site pulled out of the lot with his lift up, damaging one of the signal poles.

No injuries were reported at the time of the incident.

At one time years ago, using a timer was the only way traffic signals worked, but today virtually all signals are connected to either a magnetic loop in the pavement or cameras on a signal pole or in some cases both.