Solar‑powered stop signs being staged at a downtown Scranton intersection

Bagged stop signs sit on the curb at Linden Street and Penn Avenue on Oct. 15, 2026, awaiting installation.

Scranton Swaps Lights for Stop Signs at 13 Downtown Corners

City tests flashing‑red signals and solar‑powered signs to boost flow and safety.

Christopher Hughes, Scranton’s communications director, watched traffic officers set up temporary stop signs on Oct. 19, 2026, as the city began a pilot that could replace traffic lights at thirteen busy intersections.

Workers arrived early Thursday, bagging the signs and stacking two at a time for staging. The signs look taller now, but crews will trim them to standard height before sunrise on Monday.

Some of the new signs sport solar panels, a nod to the LED‑rimmed models installed near Connell Park last year.

The experiment hopes to cut queue lengths and curb driver confusion.

“It’s been great to see photos of them while I’m on stage, just a little glimpse, kind of like they’re with me as we travel from different cities,” actress Tieisha Thomas said of her upcoming musical, a reminder that downtown life is a mix of traffic and culture.

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City officials say the police will patrol the test zone, while Reilly Associates will pull data from cameras, queue counts, pedestrian counts and compliance rates.

Council members asked Tuesday how success will be measured. Hughes replied that technicians will track vehicle queues, stop‑sign compliance, pedestrian activity, driver confusion and overall congestion.

Other towns of similar size have tried the same swap, reporting smoother flow and fewer near‑misses.

Sources & Further Reading

Why Swap Lights for Signs?

Flashing‑red signals act like stop signs but keep the visual cue of a light. In low‑speed downtown districts, drivers often treat a flashing red as a warning rather than an absolute stop, leading to hesitation and longer queues. A solid stop sign, especially one illuminated by LEDs, forces a complete halt, which can smooth out traffic waves and give pedestrians a clearer right‑of‑way.

The Technology Behind the Signs

Solar panels on the posts charge batteries during the day, powering the LED rim at night. This reduces maintenance costs and eliminates the need for wired power lines, a factor that helped the city adopt similar signs near Connell Park last year.

Local residents have expressed cautious optimism about the change. Neighborhood association chair Maria Delgado noted that the current traffic lights often cause long waits during peak lunch hours, and she hopes the stop signs will restore a more predictable flow for shoppers and diners alike.

Pre‑pilot traffic studies conducted by the University of Pennsylvania’s Transportation Research Center showed a 12% reduction in average vehicle delay when flashing‑red signals were replaced with stop signs in comparable downtown corridors. Those findings helped justify the city’s decision to move forward with a full‑scale test.

Environmental advocates highlighted the solar‑powered aspect as a win for the city’s sustainability goals. Green Scranton, a local nonprofit, estimates that each solar‑LED sign could offset roughly 150 kg of CO₂ annually by avoiding the electricity draw of traditional signal heads.

Mayor Lisa Patel emphasized that the pilot is not a permanent commitment. “We’ll evaluate the data objectively,” she said, “and if the signs prove effective, we’ll consider expanding the program to other neighborhoods that face similar congestion challenges.”

In addition to traffic flow, the city plans to monitor safety outcomes closely. Police reports from the pilot zone will be compared with baseline data from the previous year to determine whether the stop‑sign configuration reduces the frequency of near‑miss incidents at crosswalks.

What Happens Next

Oct. 19, 2026 — Pilot begins; flashing‑red lights replace traditional signals at the 13 intersections.
Nov. 30, 2026 — Preliminary data review by Reilly Associates; city council decides whether to extend the test.
Dec. 15, 2026 — Public hearing on the trial’s impact; residents can voice support or concerns.