GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — Delineators and “no left turn” signs have appeared at busy Greenville intersections and on roads, causing rerouting for some residents. 9OYS Investigates asked the city if a change like this was necessary.

Greenville Public Information Officer Brock Letchworth said traffic precautions are to keep Greenville commuters safe. The city created a task force in 2018 comprised of Greenville engineers, police, ECU Health and other organizations to improve local roads.

This task force decided to implement these “no left turn” signs, in addition to delineators, after Greenville ranked number one in the state for vehicular crashes in 2018.

“That’s something you don’t necessarily want to be number one in. So, these are solutions that the city put in place that are cost-efficient, and they address some of the traffic safety concerns that are at some of the most known dangerous intersections throughout the city,” said Letchworth.

Greenville resident Jimmy Harrison told 9OYS Investigates that these new traffic precautions have caused him to reroute his daily routine. His new route now includes a busy intersection that has him waiting three to five minutes just to take one turn.

9OYS asked what the city had to say about residents like Harrison that feel these traffic precautions are inconvenient and even dangerous.

“The majority of accidents that we see when it comes to vehicular crashes are related to folks trying to take left turns,” Letchworth said. “It may not seem like it to folks but sometimes it’s a lot easier to take a right turn and a U-turn at the appropriate spot and it could be a lot shorter as well,” said Letchworth.